This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 45 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 45 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
- Last Modified:
- June 2, 2026
The Railroad Employers' Liability Act (FELA) Protects Injured Railroad Workers
The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) is a federal law that allows injured railroad workers to pursue compensation when a railroad’s negligence contributes to an injury. Unlike workers’ compensation, FELA requires proof that the railroad engaged in unsafe conduct.
The FELA lawyers at Brown & Crouppen, P.C. handle injury claims for the railroaders who keep freight moving across the rail corridors feeding St. Louis, Kansas City, and the Metro East.
Since FELA is a fault-based system, the railroad’s investigation often begins immediately after an injury. Early legal guidance can help protect your rights before critical evidence disappears or the railroad defines the story on its own.
Call Brown & Crouppen, P.C. at (314) 501-9510 or reach us through our online contact form for a free consultation.
Why Railway Workers Trust Brown & Crouppen, P.C. for FELA Claims
Brown & Crouppen, P.C. has represented injured workers across Missouri and Illinois since 1979. FELA gives you the right to a jury trial, and railroads settle harder when they know a firm will use it.
Our attorneys have guided clients through thousands of trials, and we prepare every file as if it’s headed to a courtroom.
Rooted in Rail Country
Our headquarters sits in St. Louis, a hub crossed by major freight lines, with offices in Edwardsville and Fairview Heights serving the Illinois side.
Whether you got hurt in a yard near the Mississippi, on a line running through Jefferson County, or on track out toward KCMO, a local attorney from one of our nine full-service offices can meet you wherever you need.
Steady Support From Real People
Brown & Crouppen, P.C. brings the kind of grounded, approachable support you want when the railroad already has people protecting its side.
We answer your questions in plain language, keep you updated, and make sure you understand what is happening before it’s time to make any important decisions.
Talk to our team today at (314) 501-9510 or through the online form to learn how our team can serve you.
Use our guide to make a full recovery, understand the workers’ comp process, and learn about key legal considerations regarding your claim.
Your Rights as a Railroad Worker
FELA may also protect injured railroad workers when a railroad violates federal safety rules, including the Locomotive Inspection Act, Safety Appliance Act, or Federal Track Safety Standards.
Those violations can matter because they may strengthen the claim and change how the railroad’s conduct gets judged. Injured railroad workers also have the right to have a jury hear their case.
Brown & Crouppen, P.C. represents railroad employees across crafts, including engineers, trainmen, mechanical workers, clerks, and maintenance of way employees.
We’ll explain your rights in plain language, gather the proof the railroad already knows matters, and help you decide what comes next.
How Is a FELA Claim Different From Workers’ Comp?
A FELA claim differs from workers’ comp because fault matters. Workers’ comp may provide benefits after a work injury regardless of who caused it, but FELA requires proof that the railroad’s negligence played some role in your injury.
That proof burden comes with a major difference in value. Workers’ comp limits what you can recover and doesn’t pay for pain and suffering.
A FELA claim may allow broader damages, including full wage loss, future earning loss, pain and suffering, and the long-term impact on your railroad career.
The FELA lawyers at Brown & Crouppen, P.C. look at the injury report, medical records, crew assignments, equipment issues, and site conditions to build the proof your claim requires.
FREE CASE EVALUATION
What Kinds of Railroad Injuries Qualify for a FELA Claim?
Many railroad injuries qualify for a FELA claim—including falls, toxic exposure, and hearing loss—as long as some unsafe condition or railroad failure contributed to the harm. The law covers sudden accidents and injuries that build up over years of repeated strain.
Many railroaders often assume only a dramatic accident counts, but that’s not how the statute works. A repetitive stress injury from years of throwing switches or a hearing loss claim from constant engine noise may both support a case.
Injuries that may support a FELA claim include:
- Slip and Fall Injuries: Oil, grease, ice, or loose ballast on a walkway can cause serious knee, back, and shoulder injuries that the railroad had a duty to prevent.
- Coupling and Equipment Injuries: Defective couplers, brakes, or handholds can trigger claims under the Federal Safety Appliance Act, where fault is often presumed.
- Repetitive Stress Injuries: Years of operating heavy equipment, riding rough track, or throwing switches can wear down joints and the spine.
- Toxic Exposure Illness: Long-term contact with diesel exhaust, asbestos, or solvents may lead to occupational disease claims.
- Hearing Loss: Constant exposure to engine and horn noise without proper protection can cause permanent hearing damage.
- Catastrophic Yard Accidents: Crush injuries, amputations, and falls from height in a rail yard often produce the most serious claims.
How Our FELA Lawyers Prove the Railroad Was at Fault
Our FELA attorneys can prove the railroad was at fault by showing it failed to provide a reasonably safe place to work, and that the failure played some part in your injury. That can mean broken equipment, poor lighting, inadequate staffing, missing safety gear, or ignored complaints about a known hazard.
FELA uses what courts often call a featherweight causation standard. That means an injured railroad worker only has to show the railroad’s negligence played some part, even a small one, in causing the injury.
Even so, the railroad’s lawyers often fight hard over whether an unsafe condition existed at all, which is why evidence needs to be gathered before the scene changes and equipment gets repaired.
Your FELA lawyer moves quickly to lock down evidence that the railroad controls. That includes track inspection records, locomotive maintenance logs, prior injury reports at the same location, and the testimony of coworkers who saw the condition before anyone fixed it.
Evidence That Strengthens Your Case
Strong proof often decides a FELA claim. The railroad keeps most of the key records, but we can use the formal discovery to force their release.
Building a FELA case usually involves:
- Injury and Incident Reports: Your written report and any prior reports about the same hazard show the railroad knew about a danger.
- Maintenance and Inspection Logs: These records may reveal that the railroad skipped or delayed required upkeep on the equipment that hurt you.
- Coworker Testimony: Fellow railroaders can describe the unsafe condition and the railroad’s response, or lack of one.
- Photographs and Scene Evidence: Pictures of the hazard before repair often make or break a causation fight.
- Medical Records: Treatment notes connect the injury to the event and document the lasting effects on your body and earning ability.
Get started with a free consultation with one of our skilled Personal Injury Lawyers today.
Protecting Your Rights After a Missouri or Illinois Railroad Injury
Protecting your rights after a Missouri or Illinois railroad injury starts the moment you get hurt, because the choices you make in the first days can shape your whole case. Report the injury, get real medical care, and avoid signing anything the railroad puts in front of you until a lawyer reviews it.
FELA carries a three-year statute of limitations from the date of injury, and occupational disease claims start that clock when you knew or should have known the work caused the harm. Missing that window can end an otherwise strong claim.
Steps to protect your FELA claim:
- File an Accurate Injury Report: Report the injury promptly and describe the unsafe condition honestly, without guessing or downplaying what happened.
- Get Independent Medical Care: See your own doctor rather than relying only on a railroad-approved physician, and keep every record.
- Decline a Statement: Politely tell the claims agent you’ll speak after you consult a lawyer.
- Photograph Everything: Capture the hazard, your injuries, and the surrounding area before the railroad makes repairs.
- Save Your Pay Records: Earnings statements support claims for lost future wages and loss of earning capacity, including overtime.
- Call a FELA Lawyer Early: A free consultation before you sign a release of liability can keep a small mistake from costing you the case.
What Compensation Can You Pursue in a FELA Case?
A FELA case can pursue damages that workers’ comp doesn’t cover, including pain and suffering and the full impact of lost earning power. The value depends on the injury, your railroad career, your future work limitations, and the extent of the railroad’s fault.
Railroad jobs often involve strong wages, overtime, retirement benefits, and long-term career paths. When an injury changes that future, the claim needs to account for more than the paychecks missed during recovery.
Railroad work remains dangerous: railroad deaths totaled 954 in 2024, according to National Safety Council data. When a railroad injury is fatal, FELA may also allow surviving family members to pursue wrongful death damages.
Compensation for your injuries may include:
Type of Compensation | What It May Cover |
Lost Income | Paychecks, overtime, and other earnings you missed while you were recovering. |
Future Earning Loss | Reduced ability to keep working in your railroad job or earn at the same level. |
Lost Benefits | Retirement, health insurance, and other job-related benefits affected by the injury. |
Medical Costs | Past and future treatment tied to the railroad injury. |
Pain and Suffering | Physical pain and the personal impact of the injury. |
Loss of Normal Life | Changes to daily routines, family life, hobbies, and independence. |
Railroad Retirement Issues | Railroad Retirement benefits can affect parts of a wage-loss recovery, so Brown & Crouppen, P.C. plans for that issue before settlement talks. |
We Prepare Your FELA Case Like the Railroad Will Fight It
When the railroad refuses to deal with your claim fairly, trial preparation keeps pressure on. Brown & Crouppen, P.C. builds every FELA case as if a jury may need to decide it, and that changes how the railroad’s lawyers approach the claim.
Our team moves quickly to talk with coworkers, look over the equipment, and sit down with supervisors while the details are still fresh, ensuring your story is preserved exactly as it happened.
We believe you deserve the strongest representation, so we build every case as if it will go to trial. This thorough preparation sends a clear message to the railroads, giving you the leverage needed to secure a fair settlement and the peace of mind you deserve.
FAQ for FELA Lawyers
FELA is different from workers’ comp because it is a fault-based federal system. You must show the railroad’s negligence played some part in your injury, but FELA has no benefit cap and allows recovery for pain and suffering that comp does not.
Federal law offers strong reassurance: you’re protected from any negative action, such as discipline, demotion, or firing, simply for reporting an injury or asserting your protected railroad-safety rights.
If the railroad attempts to retaliate against you for standing up for your rights, you likely have a separate legal claim to fight back against that conduct.
The FELA lawyers at Brown & Crouppen, P.C. help prove railroad fault, demand the records the railroad already controls, and push back when claims agents try to shape the case in the company’s favor.
That matters because internal maintenance records, inspection reports, witness statements, and future wage calculations are hard to access without legal pressure.
Even if the railroad says you were partly at fault, that doesn’t automatically take away your right to recover compensation under FELA. Your funds may be reduced by your share of fault, but you may still have a claim worth protecting.
Speak with one of our FELA attorneys before giving any recorded statement to a railroad claims agent. They work for the railroad, and early statements often get used against you.
Talk to Our FELA Lawyers Today
A railroad injury can affect your health, your seniority, and the income your family depends on. Let Brown & Crouppen, P.C. handle the fight with the railroad so you can focus on your recovery and the people counting on you.
Call (314) 501-9510 or send us a message through our online contact form. We’re available to talk 24/7, and you pay no fee unless we win your case.
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- Last Modified:
- June 2, 2026
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