FELA Attorneys in Chicago

Our FELA attorneys in Chicago are dedicated to protecting the rights of injured railroad employees and their families. For more than 20 years, we have assisted railroad families with issues unique to the railroad industry, such as Railroad Retirement, insurance, OSHA, and representation under the FELA for injuries caused by the negligence of their employers. Our attorneys have extensive experience in resolving problems for rail employees in all capacities. We are committed to providing exceptional legal representation to rail labor organizations and we work hard to obtain substantial monetary awards and verdicts for them.


The information provided herein is not legal advice and is not intended to inform you on how the Law may be applied to any particular injury or case. It is intended to inform you, very briefly, about the origin of your rights and how you may enforce those rights for your own protection when injury or death occurs to a railroad employee while on the job. You can get free legal advice about your particular situation by calling us at (312) 655-7660.


Recognizing the extensive hazards involved with working in the rail industry, the United States Congress enacted the FELA in the early 1900s. This unique law was enacted to provide monetary damages to railroad workers who suffered injury or death due to the negligent or unlawful acts of the railroad which employed them, and thereby creates a monetary incentive for the railroad to provide its employees with a reasonably safe place in which to work. The FELA has been recognized and enhanced through rulings and interpretations of the United States Supreme Court and the lower courts, both state and federal, throughout the country.


The FELA is important to all railroad industry employees and their families because it provides the basis for their sole remedy for injury or death caused, in whole or in part, by the negligent or unlawful acts of their employer. Railroad employees are not covered by the various workers’ compensation laws, so it is in the best interest of railroad employees to understand the FELA and how they may best secure the benefits afforded them under the Law. Because it is unrealistic to expect you to become an expert in the Law, the U.S. Supreme Court long ago approved the practice of rail labor unions designating and approving attorneys who concentrate their practice in this area of law, and of informing their membership of the need for the assistance of such attorneys.


You may call your union representative for information about union approved legal counsel or you may call us directly. As legal counsel approved by your union and FELA attorneys in Chicago, we have agreed to provide you advice free of charge. We hope you will never suffer from an injury while working for the railroad, but if you do, you can rest assured that your union has appointed legal counsel who are trained and qualified.


You may recover damages under the FELA even if your own negligence is proven to have contributed to the cause of your injury. However, the railroad may be entitled to a set off of damages caused by your proportion of the fault. In some cases, your contributory negligence may not cause any reduction in damages e.g. when the carrier is found to have violated certain safety statutes such as the Locomotive Inspection Act or the Safety Appliance Act. It is the carrier’s responsibility to provide a safe place in which to work, safe instrumentalities with which to do the work, safe methods of operations, to refrain from negligent actions or negligent failures to take action which cause you injury, and to comply with various safety statutes and rules.


The FELA was enacted for your benefit and although its purpose is to protect railroad workers, you must act in accordance with your own best interests and common sense in order to secure the benefits that the Law was intended to provide you. When you become injured on the railroad, the claim agents, the officials, and the lawyers the railroad hired in anticipation of injuries caused through its fault are your adversaries and will do all in their power to protect the carrier’s interests and prevent you from receiving the compensation you are entitled to recover under the FELA. Do not place yourself in the hands of your adversaries. Call the FELA attorneys in Chicago at (312) 655-7660 for free legal advice.