Englewood Yard Diesel Exposure | Railroad Cancer Claims

Railroad Toxic Exposure Lawyers

For almost a hundred years, railroad workers have been employed at challenging work sites, full of toxic materials like creosote, diesel exhaust, asbestos, welding fumes and silica. Many workers have been diagnosed with cancer and other occupational lung diseases years after working at a rail yard.

Our legal team is investigating diesel exhaust cancer claims on behalf of former UP workers at Houston’s Englewood Yard

It is not as uncommon as one might think: working hard for years and finally reaching retirement age, only to fall ill and get a confirmed cancer diagnosis. This is the terrible fate of many former Union Pacific workers at the Houston, Texas Englewood Yard and hundreds of other rail yards across the nation.

When these employees do come down with a proven occupational illness, they look for answers and often file lawsuits to help recover compensation for long-term disability, medical expenses and lost wages. Anyone diagnosed with a related cancer after working for a rail company may have the option of filing FELA claims and a personal injury lawsuit.

It is prudent to find an experienced toxic exposure lawyer to review your unique diesel cancer case. Our attorneys offer free consultations and case reviews for any railroad staff who has fallen ill. Contact us to learn more about the legal process and to begin filing your claims.

What is Included in a Railroad Diesel Cancer Settlement?

Every individual case is different, but there are commonalties among the railroad diesel cancer lawsuits filed on behalf of former Union Pacific workers. Your ultimate compensation package will depend on your current health status and your past work history. We are confident that if you have a recent confirmed lung cancer diagnosis after working for years at Englewood or another rail yard, you will be entitled to the following:

• Lost Wages: When an employee of a rail company is diagnosed with cancer, they will have to leave the work force to focus on their health. However, this leaves a huge gap in household finances, which is why it is necessary to seek compensation for lost past wages and also future earnings. Many workers who battle cancer are unable to return to the same position or work in the same capacity. Some lawsuits also dictate that victims receive new job training and long-term disability.
• Medical Costs: Medical bills can accumulate very quickly, overwhelming many cancer patients. Some insurance plans do not cover all the bills, and it is important to preserve our client’s savings by reaching a settlement that pays for ALL medical bill, hospital visits, treatment costs, rehabbing and any other related expenses.
• Non-material Damages: Families may struggle when a cancer diagnosis hits so close to home. This is why there are damage claims like pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, loss of companionship. emotional distress and wrongful death.  

What Cancers Are Linked to Benzene & Diesel Exhaust?

There are a number of serious illnesses and cancer linked to chronic exposure to diesel exhaust and other substances that contain benzene, a known carcinogen. The following diseases and cancers may be caused by diesel exposure at a rail yard:

• Lung Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Nasopharyngeal Cancer
• Stomach Cancer
• Kidney Cancer
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
• Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Multiple Myeloma
• Aplastic Anemia
• COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• Emphysema
• RADS (Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome)
• Interstitial Lung Disease
• Pulmonary Fibrosis

Englewood Yard and other Union Pacific employees may be entitled to workers comp as well as further compensation under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA). When these claims are not sufficient, victims of railroad cancer may file an individual personal injury lawsuit to help pay for mounting medical bills.

Who is at Risk at Englewood Yard?

Almost any employee who worked at Houston, Texas rail facilities at Englewood Yard or another Union Pacific site may have been exposed to creosote, benzene, solvents, diesel fumes, asbestos, welding fumes or silica. Those most at risk include rail shop employees who worked in poorly ventilated areas, or those who directly handled toxins on a daily basis.

There is evidence that mechanics, conductors, yardmen, brakemen, engineers, pipefitters and plumbers, electricians, and others in the yard around diesel locomotives could later develop lung cancer and other related adverse lung conditions.

There have also been reports that due to large swaths of contamination in the Houston area from Southern Pacific Railroad, many residents that live nearby rail yards could also be at risk.

The Houston Chronicle has written about the extensive efforts of Houston residents to get the contaminated rail yard in the Fifth Ward cleaned up. The Chronicle published a story about workers at the site mixing hazardous industrial waste with creosote. Other chemicals found included polychlorinated biphenyls, vinyl chloride, mercury and lead.

Rail workers allegedly dried out wood for rail ties with boiling naphtha, another harmful substance. Southern Pacific treated wood at the rail yard until 1984. Union Pacific merged with the company in 1997, acquiring the contamination. Texas Department of State Health Services researchers have since identified higher rates of certain adult and childhood cancers in the community.