Doyle Dennis Avery LLP and Sara Youngdahl of The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. have filed a lawsuit against BNSF Railway Company on behalf of a railroad worker who suffered serious injuries to his lower back and groin when a defective railcar handbrake failed to release properly during operations in El Paso, Texas. The lawsuit asserts claims under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) and the Federal Safety Appliance Act (FSAA), holding BNSF accountable for failing to inspect, maintain, and repair the handbrake in compliance with federal law.
For railroad workers, handbrake operations are a fundamental part of the job — performed routinely, often dozens of times per shift. Workers rely on the handbrake mechanism to function as designed, applying and releasing with predictable resistance. When a handbrake is defective and fails to release despite proper technique, the worker who is attempting to operate it is placed in an impossible position — and the resulting strain, torque, and unexpected physical forces can cause serious and lasting injuries. This is exactly what happened to our client on December 26, 2025.
Firms Representing the Injured Worker: Doyle Dennis Avery LLP (Michael P. Doyle, Patrick M. Dennis, Jeff Avery) and Sara Youngdahl of The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. Together, these firms have recovered millions for injured workers across the nation.
The December 26, 2025 Handbrake Incident in El Paso
On December 26, 2025 — a holiday that railroad workers nonetheless reported for duty to keep America’s freight network operating — our client was performing his regular duties for BNSF Railway in El Paso, Texas. The El Paso area is a major hub for BNSF operations, serving as a critical transshipment point on the nation’s freight network. Our client was engaged in standard railcar operations, which included the release of a railcar handbrake.
Handbrake operation appears deceptively straightforward: the worker turns a wheel or lever mechanism to apply or release the braking force on a stationary railcar. A properly maintained handbrake will release when operated with normal, appropriate pressure. What our client encountered on December 26 was anything but normal — the handbrake failed to release when he applied the usual operating pressure.
Faced with a brake that wasn’t responding as it should, our client attempted to turn and release the malfunctioning handbrake. The effort required to overcome the resistance of a defective handbrake placed abnormal mechanical stress on his lower back and groin. The resulting injuries required immediate medical attention and have affected his ability to perform the physical demands of his railroad job, impacting both his career and his daily quality of life.
This was not a freak accident. A handbrake that seizes and fails to release with normal operating pressure is exhibiting a failure that proper inspection and maintenance would have caught. BNSF’s failure to maintain this handbrake — as federal law requires — is the direct cause of our client’s injuries.
The Federal Safety Appliance Act: BNSF’s Non-Negotiable Equipment Obligations
The Federal Safety Appliance Act (FSAA) is a companion statute to FELA that was enacted specifically to address the high rate of railroad worker injuries caused by defective equipment. The FSAA imposes mandatory equipment standards — including requirements that railcar handbrakes be maintained in proper working condition — and provides for strict liability when those standards are violated.
Under the FSAA, a railroad is strictly liable for injuries caused by equipment that fails to meet the statutory standard. This means that an injured worker does not need to prove that BNSF was careless, that BNSF knew about the defect, or that BNSF failed to exercise due care in its maintenance program. If the handbrake failed to function as required by the FSAA — and our client was injured as a result — BNSF is liable, period. The strict liability standard under the FSAA is one of the most powerful protections available to injured railroad workers, and it applies squarely to this case.
The regulations implementing the FSAA specify that handbrakes must be effective and maintained in proper working condition. A handbrake that fails to release when operated with normal pressure is not effective, and it is not in proper working condition. The defective brake our client encountered on December 26 falls squarely within the statutory prohibition.
FELA Claims: BNSF’s Duty of Reasonable Care
In addition to the FSAA strict liability claim, the lawsuit asserts FELA negligence claims against BNSF. Under FELA, every railroad has an ongoing duty to provide its workers with a reasonably safe place to work. This duty is not satisfied simply by having an inspection program on paper — it requires that the program actually function to identify and correct equipment defects before workers are injured by them.
Railcar handbrakes are subject to visual inspection during car inspections, pre-departure inspections, and during regular maintenance cycles. A handbrake that has seized or is otherwise defective may exhibit warning signs — difficulty in operation, unusual resistance, or other indications of a developing problem — that a thorough inspection should identify. BNSF’s failure to catch this defect before it injured our client reflects either inadequate inspection protocols, inadequate inspector training, or a failure to act on identified defects. Any of these failures constitutes negligence under FELA.
Specific Allegations Against BNSF
The lawsuit filed by Doyle Dennis Avery LLP and The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. asserts that BNSF was negligent and violated federal safety standards in the following specific ways:
- Failure to inspect the handbrake: BNSF failed to conduct adequate pre-departure and periodic inspections of the railcar handbrake, allowing a defective condition to persist to the point of causing our client’s injuries.
- Failure to maintain the handbrake: BNSF failed to implement and follow maintenance protocols sufficient to keep the handbrake in the functional condition required by the Federal Safety Appliance Act.
- Failure to repair the defective handbrake: Even if BNSF’s inspection program had identified issues with the handbrake, the railroad failed to ensure that the defective equipment was taken out of service and repaired before our client was required to operate it.
- Failure to implement proper safety procedures and training: BNSF failed to establish and enforce adequate policies governing handbrake inspection, maintenance, defect reporting, and equipment removal from service.
- Violation of the Federal Safety Appliance Act: BNSF’s failure to maintain the handbrake in proper working condition constitutes a direct violation of the FSAA, triggering strict liability for our client’s resulting injuries.
Lower Back and Groin Injuries: Understanding the Medical Impact
Lower back injuries are among the most common and most disabling conditions affecting working-age adults, and they are particularly common among railroad workers who perform physically demanding tasks. The lumbar spine — the lower five vertebrae of the spine — bears the majority of the body’s load during lifting, bending, and twisting activities. When abnormal force is applied to the spine — as happens when a worker struggles against a seized handbrake — the results can include muscle strains and ligament sprains, intervertebral disc herniation or bulging, nerve root compression causing radiculopathy, facet joint injury, and in severe cases, structural damage requiring surgical intervention.
Groin injuries sustained during forceful exertion can involve muscular strains of the hip flexors and adductor muscles, inguinal ligament or hernia conditions, and other soft tissue injuries that are painful, slow to heal, and may require medical or surgical management. The combination of lower back and groin injuries can profoundly affect a railroad worker’s ability to perform the physical tasks their job demands — including the very handbrake operations that caused the initial injury.
Our client’s injuries required medical treatment and have affected his capacity to continue working in the railroad industry. The lawsuit seeks to recover all damages arising from those injuries, including medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and any permanent impairment resulting from the December 26 incident.
Injured by a defective railcar handbrake or any railroad equipment failure? Contact our FELA attorneys for a free consultation.
(713) 571-1146About the Firms
Doyle Dennis Avery LLP — with attorneys Michael P. Doyle, Patrick M. Dennis, and Jeff Avery — is a nationally recognized personal injury firm with a proven track record of success in FELA railroad injury cases. The firm has recovered millions for injured clients and is known for its thorough case preparation, strategic acumen, and commitment to obtaining maximum compensation for railroad workers injured by employer negligence.
Sara Youngdahl of The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. brings specialized expertise in railroad law — including FELA, the Federal Safety Appliance Act, and the Locomotive Inspection Act — to every case she handles. Together, these firms offer injured railroad workers a uniquely powerful legal team with the knowledge, experience, and resources to take on BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and any other major railroad in the country.
Both firms work exclusively on a No Win, No Fee contingency basis. Call (713) 571-1146 or toll-free at (888) 571-1001 to speak with our team about your rights under FELA today.
Frequently Asked Questions: FELA and FSAA Claims Involving BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway Company is one of North America’s largest freight railroad networks, operating approximately 32,500 route miles across 28 states. As an interstate railroad, BNSF is fully subject to the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), which gives BNSF employees the right to sue the railroad for injuries caused by its negligence. FELA applies to all BNSF workers — engineers, conductors, brakemen, track workers, mechanics, and other crew members — injured in the course of their employment. BNSF’s size and profitability do not reduce its legal obligations to workers; if anything, the scale of its operations increases the importance of rigorous safety compliance.
The Federal Safety Appliance Act (FSAA) is a federal statute that requires railroads to maintain specific safety equipment — including handbrakes, couplers, and related appliances — in proper working condition on all railroad cars. The FSAA imposes strict liability, meaning that if a railroad’s equipment fails to meet the statutory standard and a worker is injured, the railroad is liable regardless of whether it knew about the defect or exercised care in its maintenance program. When both FELA and FSAA claims are available, the worker has two separate paths to recovery — the FSAA strict liability claim and the FELA negligence claim — which can significantly strengthen the overall case.
A railcar handbrake is a mechanical device that applies braking force to a stationary railcar to prevent it from rolling. When properly functioning, the handbrake engages and releases in response to the worker’s applied force — operating smoothly and predictably within a normal range of physical effort. A handbrake that fails to release with normal operating pressure has a mechanical defect — it may be seized, improperly adjusted, corroded, missing lubrication, or otherwise compromised. The Federal Safety Appliance Act requires railroads to maintain handbrakes in “effective” condition; a brake that won’t release is definitionally not effective, and its presence on a car in active service is a violation of federal law.
BNSF may make this argument, but it is not necessarily dispositive. The most direct evidence of a handbrake’s condition at the time of an injury is the worker’s own account of the failure — supplemented by any available inspection records, maintenance logs, and the testimony of expert witnesses who can opine on what the evidence shows about the brake’s condition. Under FSAA strict liability, if the brake failed to function as required at the time of the injury, BNSF is liable — regardless of prior inspection history. An experienced FELA attorney knows how to handle this defense effectively.
The FELA statute of limitations is three years from the date of the injury, regardless of which railroad is involved. For an injury occurring on December 26, 2025, the deadline to file suit is December 26, 2028. This is a federal deadline that courts strictly enforce — missing it permanently forfeits your right to any FELA compensation. Given that evidence can disappear and witnesses’ memories fade, do not wait until the deadline approaches. Contact a FELA attorney as early as possible after your injury.
Your immediate priorities are: (1) Seek medical attention — even if pain seems manageable, railroad injuries can worsen significantly over the days following an incident; (2) Report the injury to your supervisor and make sure an official incident report is completed; (3) Photograph the defective handbrake and the surrounding area before anyone has a chance to alter or repair the scene; (4) Write down your recollection of exactly what happened while the details are fresh; (5) Collect the names and contact information of any witnesses; (6) Do not give a recorded statement to BNSF’s claims department before consulting a FELA attorney; (7) Contact Doyle Dennis Avery LLP or The Youngdahl Law Firm as soon as possible. The earlier an attorney begins investigating, the better your case will be.
Under FELA, you can recover the full spectrum of compensatory damages arising from your injuries, including: all past and future medical expenses (emergency care, diagnostic imaging, specialist consultations, surgery if needed, physical therapy, and ongoing pain management), wages lost during your recovery period, loss of future earning capacity if your injuries affect your long-term ability to perform railroad work or any other employment, past and future physical pain and suffering, mental anguish and emotional distress, and permanent physical impairment or disability. There is no statutory cap on FELA damages, and an experienced attorney will work to document and present the full extent of your losses.
Do not accept any settlement offer from BNSF without first consulting an experienced FELA attorney. Railroads routinely contact injured workers early — often while they are still receiving initial medical treatment — with settlement offers that are a fraction of the compensation the worker is entitled to under FELA. These early offers are designed to close the claim before the worker understands the full extent of their injuries, the long-term medical costs they will face, and the strength of their legal rights. Once you sign a release, you give up all future claims, no matter how much worse your condition becomes. A free consultation with Doyle Dennis Avery LLP or The Youngdahl Law Firm costs nothing and could save you from accepting far less than you deserve.
No. Depending on the facts of your case, multiple federal statutes may apply in addition to FELA. The Federal Safety Appliance Act (FSAA) applies when a handbrake, coupler, or other safety appliance fails to meet statutory standards. The Locomotive Inspection Act (LIA) applies when a locomotive or its components fail to meet maintenance standards. These companion statutes provide strict liability remedies that complement and strengthen FELA claims. An experienced FELA attorney will evaluate all potentially applicable statutes and assert every viable theory of recovery on your behalf.
The No Win, No Fee arrangement means that Doyle Dennis Avery LLP and The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. only collect attorney’s fees if they successfully recover compensation for you. There are no upfront costs, no hourly billing, and no retainer fees to pay. The firms invest their own time and resources in your case and are compensated only when you receive a settlement or judgment in your favor. This arrangement ensures that you have access to top-quality legal representation regardless of your financial situation — and it aligns the firms’ interests entirely with yours from day one.
Yes. FELA is a federal law that applies to railroad workers throughout the country, and Doyle Dennis Avery LLP and The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. represent injured railroad workers nationwide. The firms have handled FELA cases in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and other states across the country. The location of your injury does not limit your ability to work with these firms — what matters is that you were injured while working for an interstate railroad. If you have questions about your rights, call (713) 571-1146 or (888) 571-1001 for a free consultation.
FELA cases are categorically different from ordinary personal injury claims. They involve unique federal statutory standards, specific causation rules, an intricate interplay of companion statutes (FSAA, LIA), deep knowledge of railroad operations and industry safety standards, and specialized experience in deposing railroad safety officers, maintenance personnel, and expert witnesses. General personal injury attorneys who occasionally handle a FELA case are at a significant disadvantage against the experienced railroad defense counsel that major carriers like BNSF deploy. Doyle Dennis Avery LLP and Sara Youngdahl of The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. are FELA specialists — and that specialization matters when your career, your health, and your family’s financial security are on the line.
Injured by BNSF’s Defective Equipment? Fight Back With Experienced FELA Counsel.
If you or a loved one was injured while working for BNSF Railway or any other railroad, contact Doyle Dennis Avery LLP and Sara Youngdahl of The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. today. We fight hard for railroad workers — and we don’t get paid unless you win.