Woman Blames Husband's Employer For His Fatal Heart Attack

After her husband’s death from a heart attack while working at age 46, Brenda Boyd filed a wrongful death suit against his employer, Union Pacific.

On August 24, Boyd filed suit, individually and as personal representative of the estate of Calvin Boyd, against Union Pacific Corp. in the Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas, alleging violations of the Federal Employers’ Liability Act and several federal safety regulations.

Court documents say that as Calvin Boyd was working as a machine operator on December 3, 2007, he informed his supervisor that he was not feeling well.

When the supervisor, the only other employee working at the time, reached Calvin Boyd, he noticed that Boyd had vomited all over himself and his machinery and told him to sit in the shade and drink some water.

Brenda Boyd claims that by the time her husband received transport to the nearest hospital, he had suffered complete cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead on arrival. She claims Union Pacific’s negligence caused her husband’s death.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of Union Pacific for violation of the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, failure to provide Calvin Boyd with adequate assistance to perform his assigned duties, failure to provide Calvin Boyd with appropriate and necessary medical care, and failure to exercise due care and caution under the circumstances.