(a) (1) Any company owning or operating a railroad over thirty (30) miles in length in whole or in part within this state shall not permit or require any conductor, engineer, fireman, brakeman, or any trainman on any train, who has worked in his or her respective capacity for sixteen (16) consecutive hours, to again be required to go on duty or perform any work until he or she has had at least eight (8) hours' rest, except in cases of wrecks or washout.
(2) However, at the expiration of the sixteen (16) hours' continuous service, the engineer and trainmen on any train which is at a distance not exceeding twenty-five (25) miles from any division terminal or destination point shall be permitted, if they so elect, to run the train into the division terminal or destination point. The additional service permitted under this subdivision (a)(2) shall not be so construed as to relieve any railroad corporation from liabilities incurred under subsection (c) of this section.
(b) Any railroad company or corporation knowingly violating any of the provisions of this section shall be liable to a penalty of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200) for the first offense. For any subsequent offense, it shall be liable for a penalty of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) nor more than three hundred dollars ($300). The monetary penalty shall be recovered in a civil action in the name of the state.
(c) In addition to the penalty prescribed in subsection (b) of this section, any corporation violating the provisions of this section shall not be permitted to interpose the defense of contributory negligence in the event of action being brought to recover for damages resulting from any accident which shall occur and by which injury shall be inflicted on any employee who may be detained in service more than sixteen (16) hours, notwithstanding that the negligence of the injured employee may have caused his or her own injury. Nor shall the defense of contributory negligence be interposed if the injury resulted in the death of the employee and the action is brought for the benefit of his or her next of kin.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to passenger trains.
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