Railroad worker injuries are covered under the Federal Employees Liability Act which requires that a railroad maintains their fleet, ensuring that their trains are in good working order and free of defects. If a railroad does not comply with these standards, they may be liable for injuries to their workers. Damages railroad workers may receive include medical treatments, present and future lost wages and mental trauma. An injury on the railway can range from a minor sprain to a spinal injury so severe that it leads to death. Some of the most common injuries that affect railway workers are head trauma, knee injuries, back injuries, neck injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, brain trauma or spinal cord injuries. The Federal Employees Liability Act protects railroad workers and others as diverse as clerical employees whose day-to-day functions do not directly involve trains or outdoor activity.
West Friendship is an unincorporated community in north central Howard County, Maryland, that carries the zip code of 21794. It maintains its roots as a rural farming community but is seeing a steady replacement of farms for residences, like most areas within an hour's drive of the Baltimore-Washington corridor. It is the site of the Howard County Fairgrounds and the home of the Howard County Fair the best fair ever. West Friendship is located at the junction of Interstate 70/U.S. Highway 40/Maryland Route 144 and Maryland Route 32. It is home of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. There is the West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. which has been in service since 1944. The community has a small shopping center which houses a bank, the US Post Office, two sandwich shops, a dentist, and a gas station. West Friendship is also home to regionally-acclaimed Bluegrass hangout, The Friendly Inn.