Union Pacific engineer claims injuries from excessive lateral motion

A 41-year veteran employee of Union Pacific Railroad has filed a Federal Employers' Liability Act suit claiming he suffered injuries to his neck, back, spine, knees and body while he worked for the company from 1965 through 2006.

Rodney D. Scheper, an engineer, filed suit in St. Clair County Circuit Court on July 7, alleging the railroad failed to provide him with a reasonably safe place to work.

Union Pacific "permitted the use of an engine which produced excessive lateral motion," the complaint states.

Represented by Terry N. Brown of Brown & Associates in Belleville and Rathmann & O'Brien in St. Louis, Scheper is seeking in excess of $100,000 in damages.

He also claims his employer violated the Locomotive Boiler Inspection Act by permitting the use of an engine that was not safe to operate, endangering the crew's safety.