Case Results
Poolson | Oden Railroad & Serious Injury Attorneys has decades of experience litigating railroad injuries and personal injury cases throughout the Gulf South and nationwide. Our record demonstrates our commitment and dedication to our clients.
$5,750,000
Railroad Burn Death Result
A husband, father of two sons, and railroad conductor lost his life after the train he was working on collided with a gasoline truck in Chalmette, Louisiana. The train wreck resulted in a massive explosion causing third-degree burns over his entire body. Suffering for 10 hours before his death, this husband and father never made it back home from his railroading work that day. His widowed wife and sons brought wrongful death and survival actions against the railroad, the trucking company, and the companies in charge of the highway design. The settlement obtained in the case provided the railroad conductor’s widow and sons with the wages and benefits he would have earned over the rest of his railroad career.
For Carisa Oden, the magnitude of this railroad worker losing his life while working a job that he loved fueled her desire to earn her law degree to continue protecting railroad workers and their families. When Carisa started working on this case as a paralegal and then as a law clerk during law school, she was tasked with evaluating the life of her husband, father, and railroad worker. Her research and work on this case helped compensate the widow and her sons after their father’s untimely death. Once Carisa became an attorney, she helped finalize the settlement for this railroader’s family. After spending 17 years at her previous firm, Carisa opened Poolson | Oden with her partner Danny Poolson to focus on the lives of railroad workers and helping those workers and their families through the most difficult of situations imaginable.
$5,000,000
Wrongful Death Verdict
A father lost his daughter in Louisiana’s pedestrian/motor vehicle accident. The Louisiana Democratic party sent a young worker to walk dangerous rural roads and knock on doors to encourage residents to vote for a candidate. The Democratic party made no efforts to determine if the road was safe for pedestrians. Despite a $20 million campaign budget, the Democratic party refused to purchase high-visibility vests, also known as personal protective equipment (PPE).
The accident happened when a distracted, intoxicated, and impaired driver drove 12-18 inches off the roadway striking the young worker in the back. The Democratic Party blamed the death entirely on the truck driver, who had narcotic medication in her system. The jury ultimately disagreed, returning a verdict of $5,000,000, holding the Democratic Party partially responsible for the young worker’s death. Following the ruling, the victim’s father was able to purchase a family home where the father’s three other children and their children could spend time together as a family.
$4,000,000
Burn Death Explosion Result
A 40-year-old father and Jones Act seaman lost his life when the offshore diving vessel he was working on as a chief engineer exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. His family brought wrongful death and survival actions against the owner of the vessel and the seaman’s employer. The engineer miraculously survived the explosion but suffered for 38 hours before dying from his burn injuries at the Baton Rouge Burn Unit. It was discovered during the case that the seaman’s employer had violated several federal regulations during the pipe project where the Jones Act seaman was a part of the crew. A settlement was reached before trial helping the seaman’s only son buy a family home and car.
$2,200,000
Highway Car Accident Settlement
A husband and father were involved in an accident when another driver pulled out in front of him on a busy highway. The injured driver suffered foot and ankle injuries requiring multiple ankle surgeries. The case, pending in Dallas County, Texas, was settled following mediation before trial. With the settlement, the injured driver could buy a family home and provide for his family the wages lost due to the accident.
$1,525,000
Railroad Conductor Brain Injury Result
A husband and father of three sustained an electric shock injury while working as a railroad freight conductor in an auto distribution lot in Louisiana. While trying to throw a switch in the yard, he was shocked by a 7,000-volt electric fence that surrounded the auto facility. He immediately experienced amnesia for almost an hour, and his co-worker engineer observed him acting unusual, shaking, and sweating. Over the next several weeks, the railroad conductor experienced debilitating headaches, nausea, and personality changes. This caused his pregnant wife considerable concern and stress trying to care for her husband and two small children with a third on the way. Eventually, the railroad conductor was admitted to a facility to address his brain injury, being treated in-patient and forced to be away from his family for almost two years.
$1,515,000
Railroad Bridge Worker Verdict
A railroad bridge worker was injured while renovating a railway bridge in Louisiana when struck by a 1,000-pound railroad wooden timber swung by a track hoe operator. The railroad bridge worker was thrown onto the bridge’s surface, where the railroad timber fell on him, crushing his right leg. Due to his injuries, the railroad bridge worker underwent surgery to fix his crushed leg by inserting a rod and screws into his tibia and fibula. A lawsuit was filed against his railroad employer and the bridge repair contractor. After a three-day trial in federal court in New Orleans, the jury returned a unanimous verdict for the railroad bridge worker.
Mr. Poolson was as professional as they come. We had a situation where a family member had an accident and their insurance company sent a letter questioning whether or not the incident was merely an accident or the responsibility of a third party. In other words, did they have to pay, or did my family member have to go to the third party for coverage. Danny carefully listened to the situation, asked relevant questions to ascertain the facts that mattered, and provided extremely useful guidance. He explained everything in easy to understand terms without all the legalese that often over-complicates things. With his advice we were able to quickly and easily resolve the matter with the insurance company – without the need to go to court or engage in any prolonged negotiation with them or a third party. I would not hesitate to use his services again should the need arise.
Daniel S.
