45 U.S.C. § 59 — Survival of right of action of person injured

This section keeps an injured worker's legal claim alive even after the worker dies. Normally, a right to sue could end when the injured person dies. This law says that any right to sue this chapter, a federal railroad-worker injury law, gives to an injured person survives to that person's personal representative — the person legally handling their estate. The representative brings the claim for the benefit of specific people, in order: first, the surviving spouse, described as widow or husband, and children. If there are none, then the employee's parents. If there are no parents either, then the next of kin who depended on the employee. Even though several people might benefit, the law allows only one recovery for the same injury — the money is not multiplied because there are multiple possible beneficiaries.