• FELA
• FELA Attorneys
• FELA Injuries
• FELA Insurance
• FELA Employment
• FELA Pneumoconiosis
• FELA Liability Act
• FELA Railroad Injury
• Facial Injuries
• Head & Neck Injuries
• Shoulder Injuries
• Spine Injuries
• Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
• Whole Body Vibration
• Hand/Wrist/Elbow Injuries
• Shoulder/Arm Injuries
• Knee/Ankle Injuries
• Diesel Fumes
• Coupling Injuries
• FELA Ballast Injury
• FELA Slip & Fall Injuries
• FELA Safety Act
• FELA Railroad Illnesses
• FELA Lung Disease
• FELA Norfolk
• FELA Norfolk Employment
• FELA Laws
• FELA Regulations
• FELA Deposition
• FELA Lawyer
• FELA Cases
• FELA Claims
• FELA Trials
• FELA Settlements
• FELA Benefits
• FELA Lawsuits
• FELA Law Firms
• Contact a Lawyer

Find a Lawyer in Your State

Find a Lawyer by State Alaska Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Need Help?

• Accutane®
• Cerebral Palsy
• Darvocet®
• Denture Cream
• Depuy ASR™ Hip Implant
• Fosamax® Femur Fracture
• MiniMed Insulin Pump
• Multaq®
• Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis
• Paxil® Birth Defects
• Propecia®
• Shoulder Pain Pump
• Topamax®
• Truck Accident Lawyer
• Wellbutrin®
• Yaz® Birth Control

 

Call Today: (800) 773-6770

 

Submit your FELA claim details for a free, no obligation case review

 

Get Started:

Find a Lawyer by State Alaska Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Whole-body vibration (WBV) injuries are quite common among railroad employees, and the consequences can be quite severe. As railroad trains move at high speeds along their tracks, the mechanical vibrations and shocks that are near-constant are transmitted to the crew members' bodies, resulting in cumulative-trauma injuries such as:

• one or more degenerated or herniated discs
• radiating back pain
• spinal disorders
• other severe back injuries

Constant vibration, hour after hour, whether lateral (sideways), vertical, or in multiple directions, is not a healthy part of a working environment. Any member of a train crew who experiences whole-body vibration as a regular part of the job is at risk of severe and disabling injury.

Vibration, Jolts, Shocks
In addition to vibration, a train's frequent stopping and starting often causes sudden jolts that (repeated again and again over time and coupled with the constant vibration of the moving trains) result in debilitating injuries. Such injuries usually develop over time, and their symptoms may not be clear at first. The symptoms may also come and go, and they usually get worse over time — especially when the person suffering the injury keeps on working and undergoing the damaging vibration/jolts.

Railroads Know about WBV Dangers
Railroad companies are well aware of the dangers of whole-body vibration. Internal company documents that we have obtained prove that the railroads have known about WBV injuries for at least the past 30 years, when the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) notified the railroads that they would have to dampen or otherwise decrease the levels of vibration in the locomotive cabs.

The FRA and the larger railroad companies (e.g., Union Pacific Railroad, Amtrak, CSX, Metro-North and Canadian Pacific) have identified a few types of locomotives that are particularly hard on the crew in light of whole-body vibration. These locomotives — including the SD70MACs and the SD90MACs — are the worst of the lot, but essentially all trains present the danger of WBV injuries.

WBV Contributing Factors
In addition to the train's vibrations and jolts, factors that contribute to WBV injuries include:

• poorly maintained railroad tracks and roadbeds
• the speed at which the train most often operates
• the age and condition of the train
• defective seats in the cab

FELA and WBV Injuries
Both privately funded and government studies confirm the link between whole-body vibration and several types of injuries. The Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) covers most WBV claims. Because theses injuries can be more complicated, since they develop over periods of time, it is crucial for injured railroad employees to consult an experienced FELA attorney before filing a claim.

For more information about your legal rights and your own unique circumstances, contact a railroad attorney today.

"Norfolk Says FELA Claim was Filed Incorrectly"

Norfolk Railway Company asked a judge to dismiss a Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA) claim brought against them, Nov. 6. Norfolk alleges the FELA claim is defective.

<...

» Read More

 

"FELA Suit for Man Who Lost Leg"

A Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA) trial should be underway this month as Madison County Circuit Judge Daniel Stack begins to select a panel of 12 jurors. Charles Moore filed the ...

» Read More

 

"Another Norfolk Southern FELA Lawsuit"

A lawsuit was recently filed by a former signal maintainer for Norfolk Southern Railway against his employer.

The suit claims the company failed to provide th...

» Read More

 

• Admiralty Laws |
• Aviation Law |
• Bad Faith Insurance |
• Bankruptcy |
• Benzene |
• Birth Defects |
• Bosentan |
• Cerebral Palsy |
• CIGNA Insurance Company |
• Coal Ash |
• Consumer Fraud |
• Contract Law |
• Defective Hip Implants |
• Dioxin |
• Disability Discrimination |
• Discrimination |
• ERISA |
• Fair Labor Standards Act |
• FELA |
• Fluoride Bone Cancer |
• Jones Act Lawyers |
• Lead Exposure |
• Manganese |
• Maritime Law |
• Mesothelioma |
• Other Practice Areas |
• Nursing Home Abuse |
• Offshore Lawyers |
• BP Oil Spill |
• Pesticide Safety |
• PPH |
• Qui Tam Law |
• Racial Discrimination |
• Security Clearance Denial |
• Sexual Discrimination |
• Silicosis |
• Social Security Disability |
• Standard Insurance |
• Stock Fraud |
• SUV Rollover |
• Tardive Dyskinesia |
• Toxic Substance |
• Toxic Mold |
• Unum Group |
• Variable Annuities |
• Vinyl Chloride |
• Welding Rod |
• Whistleblower |
• Wood Dust Exposure |
• Workers Compensation Lawyer |