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If a railroad worker suffers an injury on the job, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Once they have been properly assessed by a medical professional, they should report their injuries to the senior supervisor or the supervisor on duty. There are various steps that a worker must take when reporting a railroad work injury to the company in Virginia. Prompt reporting of the injury on the railroad is key.

Documents to Fill Out When Reporting a Railroad Injury in Virginia

Railroad workers in Virginia should fill out a personal injury report following an accident. This report should be filled out by the employee not by his general foreman or immediate supervisor. The injured employee should describe exactly what he remembers from the accident. It should address what caused the injury, whether there may have been any defective equipment or parts involved, if there were enough employees working at the time, and what the working conditions were like. There is a box which asks if the injury resulted from defective equipment or unsafe conditions. If there is fault on the railroad, you must say so!

It should not take over 10 or 15 minutes to fill out this report. During this time, the railroad supervisors may try to intimidate the injured employee, answer the questions for them, or try to put words in the employee’s mouth. In general, their goal is to try to take as much blame off the railroad and place it on the employee in an effort to reduce the amount of compensation that they will have to pay the railroad worker.

What Other Issues May Come up in the Reporting Process?

While reporting a railroad injury simply means filling out the personal injury report, the worker may still need emergency medical treatment. Ask to get treated first and do the report later. Additionally, if the railroad company finds a rule violation, they may charge the employee with this violation and refer the employee to a company investigation.  Some employees may also be terminated from their job while they are home with an injury. If the company retaliates against you for filing the injury report or reporting an unsafe condition, you may have an OSHA whistleblower case under the Federal Railroad Safety Act.

If it is a lost time accident, meaning you will miss days at work, or if medication is required, the railroad is responsible for reporting the accident to the Federal Railroad Administration. They can come in and investigate the cause of the accident, because there may have been more than one employee that has suffered the same type of injury. If hurt on the job, insist an injury report be done.

Contact a Virginia Railroad Accident Attorney for Help Reporting an Injury

Before an injured railroad worker ever fills out an accident report, the first call that they should make is to Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers. We are available 24/7 for this type of call. Our team of skilled legal professionals could advise an injured person on how to fill out the railroad accident report and suggest that he stays away from the phone calls and the bombardment of questions that the supervisors on the railroads use to hassle these employees when they report an injury. Additionally, our experienced and knowledgeable attorneys could advise injured railroad employees on what rights they have and prevent them from getting charged with rule violations or terminated from their jobs. For help with reporting a railroad injury in Virginia, call today.

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