A southwest Missouri man who was injured twice at the BNSF Railway Co. rail yard in Springfield has been awarded more than $5 million in damages.
A Greene County jury found for former conductor James Mitchell last week after a week-long trial.
BNSF spokesman Andy Williams says the company will appeal the decision.
The Springfield News-Leader reports Mitchell was injured in August 2015 when a handrail on a rail car ladder broke, causing him to fall and injure his back and shoulder. He returned to work in 2017, and was injured in February of that year while operating a defective lever that separates rail cars.
BNSF denied liability in the case.
An orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Paul Olive, testified Mitchell will require several spine infusions and cannot return to railroad work.
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