Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. Zeagler
Annotate this CasePlaintiff William Zeagler was employed by the defendant Norfolk Southern Railway Company when he was injured on the job: the train on which he was working collided with a logging truck at a grade crossing. He sued Norfolk Southern under the Federal EmployersÕ Liability Act (FELA), claiming that the railroad negligently failed to train him on how to avoid or mitigate injury in the event of a grade-crossing collision. The trial court granted summary judgment to Norfolk Southern after concluding that the railroad had no duty to train its employees on what to do when a grade-crossing collision is imminent. The Court of Appeals reversed that judgment. Two issues were presented to the Supreme Court on appeal: (1) whether the Court of Appeals erred in reversing the trial courtÕs order granting summary judgment in favor of Norfolk Southern; and (2) whether ZeaglerÕs failure-to-train claim was preempted or precluded by Federal Railroad Administration regulations. The Supreme Court concluded that the answer to both questions was no. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the appellate court's order.
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