Mesothelioma and Other Railroad Cancers Can Affect Virtually Any Rail Employee

Rick is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

The risks associated with mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure while working for railroads have been in the spotlight for at least a decade as the numerous former rail employees have developed the disease and other cancers after spending their adult lives rail yards and on trains breathing in toxic asbestos fibers. Many retired railrad workers have not discovered that they have mesothelioma -- a horrfic cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos -- until 20 or 30 years after they were exposed. This means the number of workers afflicted with the lung disease continues to grow. This is also true for other forms of railroad-related cancers.

For additional info about mesothelioma and other railroad-related lung cancers, check out these articles:
Workers with Mesothelioma and Another Lung Cancer Can File Separate Claims
Top 3 Things Your Must Know When Filing a Mesothelioma Claim
Report Discussing Your FELA Rights

Many railroad companies try to downplay the risks associated with asbestos exposure. This is not surprising since the companies do not want to spend the money necessary to make their rail yards and locomotives safe for workers. Spending more money on proper safety means making fewer profits. This view is not exclusive to one railroad. Many rail companies were fully aware of the risks associated with asbestos exposure as early as the 1930s but did next to nothing to prevent their workers from getting exposed and potentially contracting a deadly form of cancer.

Below is a list of railroad companies and that routinely battle with mesothelioma victims in court to try to deny sick former employees fair compensation for their work-related illnesses:

Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway Co., Inc.

Amtrak

Belt Railway

Birmingham Southern Railroad Company

BNSF Railway Company

Canadian National/Illinois Central Railroad

Canadian Pacific Railways

Conrail

CSX Transportation

Delta Southern Railroad

Elgin, Joliet & Eastern

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

ICE/DME/Cedar American Rail Holdings

Indiana Rail Road Company

Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd

Iowa Northern Railway Company

Kansas City Southern Railway Company

Long Island Railroad Bulletin Board

Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company

Metro-North Railroad

Minnesota Prairie Line, Inc.

Norfolk Southern

Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. (METRA)

OmniTRAX

Pacific Harbor Line, Inc.

Paducah & Louisville Railway, Inc.

Pan Am Railways, Inc.

Port Authority Trans-Hudson Railroad

Providence & Worcester Railroad

Reading and Northern Railroad

Seminole Gulf Railway LP

Southern California Regional Rail Authority/Metrolink

Transtar Inc.

Twin Cities & Western Railroad Companies

Union Pacific Railroad

Union Railroad Company Pittsburgh PA

Watco Transportation Services, Inc.

Wisconsin & Southern Railroad

Mesothelioma does not discriminate based on the type of railroad work a person has done. Victims were not just track laborers. In fact, many of our Virginia-based FELA law firm's mesothelioma clients have been have been conductors and engineers. An incomplete list of rail employees at risk for asbestos exposure includes

Brakemen
Conductors
Equipment operators
Engineers
Ironworkers
Locomotive machinists
Mechanics
Switchmen.

Keep in mind that if you or a loved one has been stricken with mesothelioma and want to pursue damages against a railroad company, be prepared for a fight. Our attorneys have handled numerous mesothelioma cancer cases, and the railroads routinely employ tactics that are meant to delay and drag out legitimate claims. For example, we represented two fomer employees of a Class I railroad who had worked as conductors and switchmen for more than 20 years. Both were diagnosed with mesothelioma, and both, sadly, passed away before their cases were finally resolved. Fortunately, we were able to secure sizable settlements so their surviving family members were taken care of.

If you would like more information about the risks associated with asbestos exposure and how mesothelioma is a completely preventable form of cancer, take a look at this article written by an experienced attorney for injured railroad workers.

PA

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have handled hundreds of Federal Employers' Liability Act claims for railroad workers hurt or made ill while doing their rail jobs. We also have represented many people injured in train accidents. Please take a few moments to review our railroad injury case results. Our primary offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008, and have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.

In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill. Our attorneys have even been included in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009.

We would like to send you one of our free reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, including Dos & Don'ts When Injured at a Railroad: Your FELA Rights and What Railroad Claim Agents Agents Won't Tell You (But You Must Know).

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call.

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Mesothelioma and Other Railroad Cancers Can Affect Virtually Any Rail Employee