After a jury awarded $48 million to a former Union Pacific Railroad signalman who suffered paralysis, Union Pacific filed all kinds of legal motions to set aside the California jury’s verdict. But the Judge upheld the jury’s verdict in favor of Eric Doi, who received the largest verdict ever for a plaintiff under the FELA (Federal Employers Liability Act, a federal law that protects railroad workers are hurt on the job). UP’s lawyers indicate they intend to appeal the verdict to a higher court despite being rebuffed on post trial motions.
The 30-year-old UP signalman, was a passenger in a company-owned truck, when his co-worker became distracted and lost control of the vehicle and rolled down a bank, and crashed into oncoming traffic on the highway. The signalman was left a quadriplegic (paralysis of all limbs, at least to some extent) and now needs care, rehabilitation, and relies on nurses and other medical providers to assist with his daily activity.
“In that split second – it happened so fast – my life changed,” said Doi, a railroad signalman who had traveled from his home in the San Gabriel Valley to Tucson for work. A certified emergency medical technician, Doi said “I couldn’t move my legs, and my arms were kind of flailing…I knew what the injury was, but at the same time I was hoping I was just in spinal shock … I was hoping for the best.”
According to various reports UP tried every argument to avoid liability, even though its fault was fairly obvious because under the FELA any co-worker negligence is considered negligence of the railway itself. In any quadriplegia/paralysis case, an attorney representing a victim must interview and organize all the medical professionals and experts to prove the past and future medical requirements of the paralyzed worker. Also, consultants must be retained to prepare what is called a life care plan, which essentially is a plan designed by a nurse or medical expert to consider all expenses for various types of medical necessities, nursing care, wheelchairs and other appliances necessary to the best possible medical care, as well as consider and prove the extreme psychological and psychiatric issues always associated with such cases. His lawyer, Donald Britt, did a fine job of representing this worker and in proving UP’s liability and responsibility.
In the mid-90s, our Virginia-Carolina railroad injury law firm represented a conductor who became a quadriplegic after suffering a terrible accident in Virginia at a railroad yard. After a tremendous legal battle against the railroad, we obtained a (record) confidential settlement for the worker and his family, but the railroad involved and the amount is confidential. Our injury law firm worked on that case, and dozens of major injury settlements/verdicts since, with life care planners, rehabilitation experts, nurse consultants, surgeons and medical doctors, as well as with medical illustrators who create custom images to demonstrate the extent of injuries suffered.

Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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