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.
"Tamassee" is an unincorporated community located in northwestern Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. The Tamassee area is located in and very near the Blue Ridge Mountains. A large part of the community occupies the scenic Cheohee Valley, “a beautiful rolling meadow framed by mountains and a wide triangle of sky. ” The valley, in fact, is surrounded by a portion of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains called the “Chattooga Escarpment” in reference to a Federally Designated Wild and Scenic River, the Chattooga, which flows just beyond these mountain ridges. Tamassee is bordered on the West and North by the Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest. This area of national forest is characterized by a portion of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, rivers, waterfalls and hiking trails. The area is noted for it’s extremely rich biological diversity; which is said to owe to unique soil characteristics and elevated annual precipitation levels.