A railroad accident case is going to be one of two scenarios. Either you are a worker who got hurt on the railroad or a civilian hurt because of a derailment or explosion. In both cases, we’re going to start by meeting with you to get to know your case and explain your legal rights.
Our first meeting can be in our office, your home, or in the hospital or rehab center in which you’re recovering. You need to get your questions answered at this time. Ask us about experience with cases like yours. Make sure we know what we are doing and how to use the legal system to protect you.
You’ll also see a contingency fee contract make its first appearance at this meeting. If you decide that I’m the right lawyer for your case, then we’ll both sign this contract that says that I only get paid attorney’s fees if I win you a settlement or jury verdict. You’ve got to make sure you hire a lawyer who has those agreements in writing.
As for where we’ll file your case, that depends a bit more on the circumstances of the accident. If you are a railroad worker, your case can be filed in any county where the train company has tracks. So you’ve got a lot of choices. You could also go to federal court. The law that protects railroad workers permits federal or state court.
If you are a citizen who has been hurt, there’s probably going to be an investigation by the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board; it’s an arm of the federal government. These investigations take a long time, and you’ll want to call us before you get that final accident report. We’ll probably file your case in the state court closest to where you got hut and then proceed from there. It’s crucial that we do this before your statute of limitations runs, so please don’t wait to hear from the NTSB. Call us first.
Evidence doesn’t get better in cases like these- it disappears. So you’ll want to make sure you call us at The Segal Law Firm right away so that we can begin taking steps to assure your legal protection. Call us toll free to set up that first meeting at 855-344-9100.