Minnesota Railroad Cancer Law Firm

Chicago-based Hughes Law Offices serves current and former railroad employees diagnosed with cancer, leukemia and pulmonary issues as a result of their work for the railroad.  Whether you worked in engine service, on the track, or in the shops, we will analyze your craft’s unique exposures and determine whether they contributed to causing your illness.  We handle railroad cancer lawsuits in Minnesota and throughout the United States.

Chronic railroad exposures to diesel exhaust, asbestos, creosote, welding fumes, silica sand, benzene-containing solvents and degreasers, herbicides, and secondhand smoke can lead to numerous conditions, including:

Cancer:

• Lung Cancer
• Laryngeal Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Kidney Cancer
• Stomach Cancer
• Colorectal Cancer

Leukemia:

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL)
• Multiple Myeloma (MM)

Pulmonary:

• Diesel Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Reactive Airway Disease (RADS)
• Pulmonary Fibrosis
• Emphysema

Neurological:

• Toxic Encephalopathy
• Parkinson’s Disease

We serve all railroad employees in crafts with historical exposures to toxins, including the following:

• Locomotive Engineer
• Brakeman/Conductor
• Track Department/Trackman
• Locomotive Machinist/Electrician/Pipefitter
• Car Department/Carman
• Bridges & Buildings

In proving up your railroad cancer lawsuit, Hughes Law Offices will take any unique exposures into account. For instance, we have served clients who described leaking underground fuel tanks, serving chemical plants and refineries, exposures from toxic freight etc.  We will bring all of those exposures to bear in proving up your railroad cancer case.  

Class I railroads operating in Minnesota include:

• BNSF Railway – BNSF’s facilities in Minnesota include the Rice’s Point Yard and the Northtown Yard. 
• Union Pacific Railroad – Union Pacific’s Minnesota-based yards, shops and facilities include Hoffman Yard, South St. Paul Yard, and Valley Yard. 
• Canadian National Railway – CN operates Ranier Yard and Virginia Yard. 
• Canadian Pacific Railway – CP operates out of the Rice’s Point Yard, Humboldt Yard, Shoreham Yards, Northfield Yard, and Pig’s Eye Yard. 

Illustrative Minnesota railroad verdicts & settlements:

• $15,340,00 verdict – 49-year-old locomotive engineer was working for BNSF Railway at the Northtown Yard in Fridley, Minnesota when tank cars containing casinghead gasoline vented poisonous fumes where he was working. BNSF covered up the fact that he had been exposed to casinghead gasoline which prevented the Plaintiff from receiving adequate medical care. Following the exposure, the Plaintiff was initially diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, PTSD, and Parkinsonism. As a result of the acute exposure to casinghead gasoline, the Plaintiff suffered a severe degenerative neurological injury. By the time the case got to trial, he could barely walk. The jury awarded $15,340,000 in damages and also ordered BNSF to pay an additional $5,840,000 as a sanction for its misconduct. (Kowalewski v. BNSF)
• $5,240,000 verdict – The Plaintiff worked for the Great Northern Railway (a predecessor to BNSF) as an apprentice carman in Waite Park, Minnesota for a little over two years. During his employment, he was exposed to asbestos fibers from various products. He later developed mesothelioma due to his asbestos exposure. The Jury awarded $3,240,000 for physical pain and an additional $2,000,000 for mental anguish. (Blommer v. BNSF)
• $513,100 verdict – Railroad conductor working for BNSF was exposed to a BETCO toilet cleaning product that had been sprayed on and in a leaking toilet. After the exposure, he developed reactive airways dysfunction syndrome resulting in breathing difficulties that required asthma medication to treat. (Carlson v. BNSF)

Hughes Law Offices is providing case histories to inform visitors about actual case fact patterns and rulings in your area. Unless specifically noted, the cases summarized herein were not handled by attorneys at Hughes Law Offices.  

If you suspect that your illness or that of a loved one could be related to railroad workplace exposures, please call 312-877-5588 to speak to a railroad cancer attorney.