Railroad Worker Injured at Safety Class

A Union Pacific Railroad worker has been awarded $1 million for an injury he sustained during a safety class.

The worker was awarded the amount for medical bills, lost wages, lost earnings and other damages for an injury sustained in 2009. The UP carman was at a work-ordered safety class when his office chair collapsed which led to a fall and debilitating lower-back injuries. The man's attorney said this was all because Mid-Plains Community College of North Platte and Union Pacific--using a taxpayer-funded federal $50,000 grant--outfitted the classroom with a cheaper and less-durable office chairs than it should have.

A carman's room had been established at the college to hold training and education sessions. The attorney said the carmen are all big, big, guys and they do the heavy lifting of repairing the railcars; the worker, for example, stands about 6-foot-7 and weighs 260 pounds. To accommodate those big guys, officials outfitted the room with office chairs that were designed for short-term use and had a weight capacity of 300 pounds--choosing not to purchase more expensive chairs designed for long-term use and 500 pound loads according to the attorney.

On March 12, 2009, the worker was attending a mandatory 8-hour driver safety class. His chair collapsed and he hit the floor. The disks in his lower back were crushed and he suffered persistent pain shooting down his legs. The man underwent a 10-hour surgery in which doctors inserted 2 artificial disks in his back.

The attorney noted that half of the verdict goes to medical bills and lost wages. The other half will compensate for lost earning capacity and what obviously will be a shortened career. The worker and Steelcase, the chair manufacturer, reached a confidential out-of-court settlement. The chairs in the college Carman's Room have since been reinforced.

After years of rehabilitation, the worker was able to return to work as a carman in February but remains limited in what he can actually do.