Worker Wins $58 Million in LA Train Yard Injury Case

A Los Angeles train yard worker, Pablo Scipione, was awarded over $58 million by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury for injuries sustained in a 2016 workplace accident. Scipione, who was performing electrical repairs at the Kinkisharyo International train manufacturing yard, slipped and fell, leading to a severe injury that ultimately forced him out of work.

The jury’s total award of $58.35 million includes $54.15 million in compensatory damages and $4.2 million in punitive damages. Despite Kinkisharyo’s arguments that the case should be handled as a workers’ compensation matter, the jury found in favor of Scipione. The lawsuit, filed in January 2018, detailed that Scipione, an independent contractor for Altech Services, was called to work at 2 a.m. on February 2, 2016. Shortly after beginning his task, he slipped and fractured his left foot.

Plaintiff’s attorney Alexander R. Wheeler highlighted the company’s attempts to downplay the severity of Scipione’s injuries, which were later diagnosed as complex regional pain syndrome. This debilitating condition required surgery and forced Scipione out of work after he had initially continued working full-time for nearly a year and a half post-accident.

The lawsuit accused Kinkisharyo of neglecting worker safety and maintaining a demanding work pace, contributing to the hazardous conditions. Attorney Khail A. Parris emphasized that complaints about poor lighting and unsafe working environments were ignored by the company, leading to Scipione’s preventable injury.