Train Drivers Injured at Work Claims
Tasked with operating dangerous and heavy machinery on a daily basis, being a train driver is far from being risk-free. Rail accidents can and do occur more often than you think. However, there is the option to submit a railway accident claim should you sustain injuries which weren’t your fault and are caused by someone else’s negligence.
Sustaining an injury while operating a train doesn’t just affect the driver, it can have a knock on effect to those travelling on the train, too – especially if the injury hinders the driver’s ability to control the vehicle.
Common Railway Accident Compensation Claims
It is the duty of your employer to ensure that your work environment is as safe as possible. However, it’s not always possible to predict a risk, especially where machinery is involved.
Brain Injury and Concussion
Depending on the rail accident details, train drivers can be susceptible to sustaining head injuries.
Crashes, derailment or break failure, for example, could result in head injury, while on the whole, they aren’t common injuries. It is up to the employer to ensure machinery is constantly maintained to reduce the risk of malfunction, and proper emergency training undertaken so that staff are able to react accordingly and reduce the possibility of injury occurring.
Crush Injuries
Operating a train places the driver in a dangerous position should a crush occur. As trains run at high speed, the chances of a crash ending in a crush are high, meaning that drivers are more at risk of crush injuries, which could potentially lead to serious – sometimes even fatal – consequences.
From muscle damage, broken bones and spinal injuries, to amputation and even death in some cases, it is important that the structure of the train is constantly maintained and checked so that the potential of being crushed should an accident occur is minimal.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Due to the repetitive nature of driving a train, many drivers often develop RSI, especially where employers haven’t thought about their employees’ comfort and made changes where possible to accommodate more ergonomic solutions.
While RSI isn’t life-threatening it can be debilitating. Employers have a duty of care to ensure that their employees are able to undertake their duties without risk of injury.
Examples of employer negligence or where the fault lies with another party include:
- Faulty safety equipment
- Breaches in Health and Safety
- Signal Failures
- Collisions
- Assault
- Negligent rail track maintenance
- Level crossing accidents, including colliding with cars or pedestrians
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of accidents such as suicide, near misses and road traffic accidents.
If you have sustained a train driver injury which wasn’t your fault and was a result of negligence, you may be able to claim rail accident compensation to cover any costs which you may have lost through sustaining the injury.
Give our expert team of solicitors a call today on 01772562084 or complete our railway accident claim form below and we will get back to you.