Man Was Hit by a Norfolk Southern Train in Norfolk

Officials say a man was hit by a Norfolk Southern train in Norfolk tonight, sustaining critical injuries.

Few details are available about this terrible accident but it was reported in the 1100 block of Goff Street. A report on WAVY.com noted the incident was being treated as an industrial accident. An investigation was reported to be ongoing.

Norfolk police say and Norfolk Fire and Rescue officials were called to the incident around 5:30 p.m. on Goff Street. The victim was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

We are saddened to hear how a man was hit by a Norfolk Southern train in Norfolk.

No details of the victim have yet been released. An industrial accident may involve a railroad worker but this is yet to be confirmed.

Every year, railroad workers are killed doing their job. Other deaths on the railroad include trespassers, passengers, and people who are killed in auto accidents on grade crossings.

A 2015 report in Newsweek quoted The National Transportation Safety Board reports that railroad deaths went up 6 percent in 2013, to 891 from 840 in 2012.

The NTSB said the vast majority of railroad fatalities continue to be trespassers struck by trains.

The NTSB’s statement makes it clear that the railroads are safer than the roads. In all, 94 percent of 2013 transportation deaths, amounting to more than 32,000 were roadway deaths. Aviation and marine deaths totaled 443 and 615, respectively.

When railroad workers are hurt or killed, the workers or the family of a deceased worker may have grounds to claim compensation under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA).

The act allows railroad workers to file suit in state or federal court and seek legal recovery for medical conditions caused by dangerous conditions, or injuries that resulted from your railroad employment.

The relatives of railroad workers who are killed on the job may have grounds to make a claim through FELA.

A FELA award of damages for wrongful death caused by a railroad accident takes into account:

• Damages for pain and suffering the railroad worker experienced before passing away
• Medical care and funeral expenses
• Future financial losses resulting from the loss of a loved one.

Find out more about compensation from FELA on our Virginia railroad worker injury lawyers resource page. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at (757) 455-0077.