Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co. sued by injured employee

A man is suing his employer after sustaining injury while operating a locomotive engine.

James Blankenship filed a lawsuit Feb. 6 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co., citing the Federal Employers' Liability Act.

According to the complaint, Blankenship was employed by Indiana Harbor as an engineer and stopped in a locomotive engine in Blue Island per his supervisor's orders on Feb. 19, 2011, when a cut of cars violently hit his train, causing serious injury to his neck and back.

Blankenship is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and is being represented in the case by attorney George T. Brugess of Hoey and Farina P.C.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L001218.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.