Diesel Injury Law

Who We Serve

Railroads have cut corners on old equipment, cheap fuel and unsafe practices for years, prioritizing stockholder profits over their workers safety. Hughes Law Offices is a railroad toxic tort law firm that serves railroad workers diagnosed with occupational illnesses.

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    Illnesses such as lung cancer and leukemia are the frequent legacies of the hard work and everyday grit offered by railroad workers. At Hughes Law Offices, we seek justice on behalf of railroad workers sickened by years of toxic railroad exposures.  We are a railroad toxic tort law firm and we proudly serve:

    Whether you worked in the locomotive shops, car shops, or on board locomotives, you likely experienced regular toxic exposures. The Association of American Railroads identified diesel exhaust as a possible cancer-causing source in the 1950’s. Despite that, railroad workers have been sent into improperly ventilated shops and locomotives with no training, no warnings and no personal protective equipment and been forced to breathe in diesel exhaust. These railroad workers endured chronic exposures and recurring symptoms like throat irritations, lightheadedness, headaches, nausea and chest tightness as “part of the job” and they are now left to pay the price. The everyday diesel exposures, the symptoms of which may have only been temporary, lead to more serious illnesses down the line such as lung, throat, stomach, kidney and bladder cancers and many pulmonary problems, like asthma and COPD.

    Hughes Law Offices is a railroad toxic tort law firm that represents every craft of railroad workers, including track department, car department, locomotive shop workers and transportation employees.

    Unfortunately, many treating doctors are not aware of the dangers of railroad toxic exposures and often attribute a worker’s illness to an alternative cause, such as a smoking history. These same doctors make these findings without visiting their patient’s workplace. The doctors never come to learn that the patient on their examining table endured decades of exposures to carcinogens at the railroad. As a result, many sickened railroaders simply accept their fate and fail to pursue their legal options. Our mission at Hughes Law Offices is to shed light on these worthy FELA claims.

    For instance, diesel exhaust is made up of hundreds of different compounds, many of which have been known cancer-causing agents for decades. In 2012, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer declared that diesel fumes cause cancer. This 2012 finding will make it very difficult for railroads to deny that your illness was caused by diesel exhaust.

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    Railroad Toxic Tort Law Firm – Hughes Law Offices – focuses its practice on serving railroad workers diagnosed with cancer as a result of diesel exhaust, asbestos, solvent, creosote and many other toxic exposures.

    We will file a claim under the Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA). Under the FELA, workers are entitled to recover damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life following a cancer diagnosis.  Railroad workers may also recover economic damages to help cover things like lost wages and medical expenses.

    There will be no attorney fee unless Hughes Law Offices recovers money on your behalf.

    Hughes Law Offices will cover the expenses associated with proving up your case, including court filings, expert fees, obtaining medical records and deposition costs. Hughes Law Offices will be reimbursed for those amounts only if money is recovered on your behalf. Case consultations are always free and we are happy to talk over the phone, in our office or we can even have a lawyer travel to you.

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    We do not have a long list of practice areas. The firm was founded on the principal that attorneys who focus their practice on a specific subject matter are more knowledgeable and better prepared. Call 312-877-5588 to learn more today.

    Questions? We Can Help! Contact Us Today!

    Client Testimonials

    Real People. Real Cases.

    53 West Jackson Boulevard Chicago IL 60604 US
    (312) 877-5588
    5/5 based on 4 reviews

    Wrongful Death Case

    My family hired attorney Hughes for the wrongful death of my brother. Mr. Hughes worked very hard on our case, the results were excellent. I would recommend him to anyone needing an attorney, he is a very fair and kind person.

    Unique Expertise

    Andrew took over my asthma claim with the railroad after a different law firm failed to meet expectations. Andrew’s unique expertise in the field of diesel related injury gave him the ability to build my case exceptionally well. When Andrew presented...

    Professional and Trustworthy

    From my very first contact with Andrew we have found him to be compassionate, hard working and trust worthy. In the eight months we were associated with Andrew we feel he has also become a friend of ours...

    Worked Diligently

    For the past two years Andrew Hughes has worked diligently in helping me with my case against the Norfolk Southern R.R. During this time he has kept me thoroughly informed about my case his expertise led to me getting a generous settlement...

    Verdicts and Settlements

    Survey of Railroad Cancer Claims

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

    Verdict

    $19.1M

    Railroad carman died of pulmonary fibrosis following 18 years of welding.

    Verdict

    $2.6M

    Locomotive engineer in his early 60’s developed diesel asthma.

    Verdict

    $3.3M

    Railroad mechanic diagnosed with squamous cell oropharyngeal cancer.

    Verdict

    $5.7M

    Trainman died of nasopharyngeal cancer as a result of working on-board locomotives filled with diesel exhaust.

    Verdict

    $3.5M

    Retired railroad employee died of lung cancer as a result of workplace asbestos exposure.

    Verdict

    $3.5M

    61 year old railroad conductor diagnosed with interstitial fibrosis and an increased risk of lung cancer as a result of exposure to diesel exhaust.

    Questions? We Can Help! Contact Us Today!