NORFOLK, VA — May 17, 2022: A federal jury has ordered Norfolk Southern Railway to pay more than $303,000 to a Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers client who suffered an arm injury when he jumped out of the way of a giant set of train wheels.
Raymond Riddick was hurt at the company’s rail yard in Norfolk in 2019 when he worked as a UPS driver. His attorney, John Cooper, said Riddick was fortunate to escape the incident with his life.
A federal jury ordered the giant railroad company to pay Riddick $303,920 for injuries he received at the yard in 2019. Riddick arrived at the yard to collect sets of large train wheels. While Norfolk Southern workers were loading the massive wheel sets, which weigh about 3,500 pounds each, one of the sets rolled loose toward Riddick who had to jump out of the way. The UPS employee sustained nerve damage to his elbow in the fall.
John Cooper of Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers boasts a long track record in railroad injury cases. Cooper filed a civil case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division and said the award represents a significant win.
“The real thing that was scary here was he almost was killed because this is a giant object coming right at him,” he said during an interview with 13 News Now.
Norfolk Southern’s lawyers denied any responsibility for the accident and claimed Riddick shared some of the blame over how the wheel sets were loaded. The team from Cooper Hurley Injury lawyers proved in court that the railroad and its employees were solely responsible for Riddick’s injury.
Cooper said the jury verdict backed up his client. “I think our client can feel vindicated because this is the jury saying they believed him, not them. The jury found that Norfolk Southern employees messed up. They were negligent, and he was free from fault,” he added after the trial at Norfolk Federal Courthouse.
Cooper has represented injured railroad workers for decades. Workers have rights under the Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA). Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers has brought lawsuits against Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and other railroad operators whose negligence has caused injuries to their employees and contractors like Riddick.
A founding partner of Norfolk-based Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers, John Cooper is a former chair of the FELA Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice from 2011 to 2017.
Find out more about railroad accidents at cooperhurley.com or call (757) 333-3333.
About Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers
Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers helps those who have been injured in car, truck, and motorcycle accidents across Virginia. The personal injury firm also represents injured railroad workers and family members of wrongful death victims. For more information, call 757-333-3333 or visit www.cooperhurley.com.
