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.
Sprankle Mills is a small unincorporated rural community in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located between the boroughs of Punxsutawney and Brookville. Sprankle Mills was founded in 1833 by Frederick Sprankle who owned a mill in the middle of town. Primarily a farming community this town, in the mid to late 1800s, had two general stores, a post office and a one room school house. The post office, which was located in one of the general stores, was a working post office until the late 1980s. While the one-room school house is still standing it is primarily used as a gathering place for residents during occasions such as the first day of fishing season and on voting days. The last class of students to use the building as a school was in 1962. This small farming community consisted of German settlers. Some of the original residents have ancestors occupying the original homesteads. Some of these names include: Raybuck, Mottern, and Mauk.