Alabama Railroad Injury Lawsuits
If you have worked in any Alabama rail yard, you may have been exposed to a silent killer: toxic materials that could drastically raise your risk of lung cancer and other serious conditions. Diesel exhaust, creosote, industrial solvents, silica dust, benzene, and asbestos have long plagued rail yards across the state, putting workers’ health at stake. The Lyon Firm is investigating new injury claims, and we can file claims to hold negligent railroad companies accountable. If you’re a former or current rail yard worker battling cancer or respiratory illness, you deserve justice and compensation. Call us for a free consultation.
Understanding Toxic Exposure in Alabama Rail Yards
Alabama’s rail industry has been an important part of a thriving agriculture-based economy for over a hundred years. Rail yards like those operated by CSX, Norfolk Southern, and others move goods across the South, but this has come with a great cost to communities. Many former workers—conductors, engineers, machinists, trackmen, and others—faced a daily assault of hazardous fumes that the rail companies often failed to regulate adequately. These toxins are not just an annoying part of the job, they are a serious hazard that can infiltrate the lungs and bloodstream, and can develop into cancer and chronic disease years later. The following toxins are frequently found at rail yards:
- Diesel Exhaust: With nearly all locomotives running on diesel since the 1950s, fumes fill the air in poorly ventilated cabs and yards. These fumes contain benzene and ultrafine particles linked to lung, bladder, and colorectal cancers.
- Creosote: Used to preserve wooden railroad ties, this coal-tar derivative coats workers’ hands and clothes, raising risks of skin, liver, and scrotum cancers.
- Industrial Solvents: Degreasers and cleaners expose workers to chemicals like benzene, potentially causing leukemia and lung cancer.
- Silica Dust: Track maintenance disturbs ballast rock, releasing silica that scars lungs and may lead to lung cancer.
- Benzene: Found in diesel fuel and solvents, this flammable gas is a known carcinogen tied to blood cancers like leukemia.
- Asbestos: Once common in brake linings and insulation, asbestos fibers lodge in lungs, triggering mesothelioma and lung cancer.
- Pesticides: Many maintenance of way workers have been tasked with spraying weeds with herbicides and heavy chemicals on a daily basis.
These occupational hazards aren’t new. Decades of reports highlight cancer clusters among rail workers, yet many companies failed to provide proper safety training and protective gear, leaving scores of workers vulnerable.
The latency period for some related illnesses can span decades and diseases like lung cancer, mesothelioma, leukemia, and asbestosis may be advanced by the time they are discovered. Are you coughing persistently, struggling to breathe, or facing a cancer diagnosis? These could be signs of occupational exposure.
The Lyon Firm is reviewing diesel exhaust cancer claims for former railroaders who worked in the following rail yards in Alabama:
o Birmingham: Boyles Yard (CSXT)
o Birmingham: East Thomas Yard (BNSF Railway)
o Decatur: Oakworth Yard (CSXT)
o Fairfield: Ensley Yard (Birmingham Southern Railroad)
o Irondale: Norris Yard (Norfolk Southern Railway)
o Mobile: Sibert Yard (CSXT)
o Muscle Shoals: Sheffield Yard (NS)
What Can Plaintiffs Recover in Railroad Cancer Lawsuits?
The Lyon Firm can assess your individual case and determine what damages can be sought by former workers and their families. In the past, we have been able to successfully negotiate settlement packages that can include the following:
- Medical expenses (treatments, surgeries, meds)
- Lost wages (past and future)
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death damages for families
Our firm has settled six- and seven-figure cases nationwide, and we’re ready to do the same for injured Alabama railroad workers.
ABOUT THE LYON FIRM
Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.
The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.
NO COST UNLESS WE WIN
The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.
Do I Have a Good Case?
Railroad cancer lawsuits can be pretty straightforward, and rail companies typically want to avoid high-profile, dragging litigation that can take years to resolve with a jury trial. That is why occupational cancer cases usually settle with favorable compensation packages set up for plaintiffs.
Of course each individual case is different, but if you worked at a rail yard for years and you were constantly exposed to toxic materials that have been linked to cancer in medical literature, you have a good case. Call us to review your work history and medical records, and to draw a clear connection between a toxic exposure and a related medical condition.