$10 Million Settlement for Electrocuted Railroad Employees

In pre-trial mediation conferences, attorneys for the families of three railroad workers who died on the job reached settlement agreements with the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad Company, Taylor Machine Works and Commonwealth Edison totaling $10 million. Corboy & Demetrio represented the family of Robert Reed who received $3.4 million. The three workers were stacking railcar containers in the Corwith Yard in Chicago. As one man was working a crane and attempting to place one container on another container, the crane came into contact with overhead electrical wires. The surge of high voltage and the wet snow-covered ground created a “hot zone.” Reed, who was standing near the area, was electrocuted. The crane operator was electrocuted when he attempted to leave the crane. The third man was electrocuted when he came to help the other two men.