For example, a suit for an injury occurring on a boat may be subject to federal maritime law or to state statutory law, depending on where the boat was in the water at the time of injury. A general practitioner unfamiliar with the dips and turns of maritime law may have difficulty properly representing a client. By law, railroad carriers have a duty to maintain the reasonable safety of their tracks, particularly around railroad crossings. A railroad carrier can be held liable if an accident occurs where there are defective or insufficient numbers of warning lights and signs. Additionally, railroad engineers and crews have a duty to keep a lookout for potential problems and to sound the train's blowhorn when approaching potentially dangerous areas.
Persons crossing or near railroad tracks also have a duty to act reasonably.
Texas recognizes the doctrine of comparative responsibility. If a person is partially responsible for an accident, any damage award he or she receives can be reduced by the extent to which he or she was responsible. FELA is similar to a workers' compensation program for railroad employees. Recovery under FELA is the exclusive remedy for railroad employees injured on the job. While travel by commercial aircraft remains the safest way to travel long distance, accidents do happen, and the litigation that follows an airline crash is notoriously complicated.