Railroad Exposure Lawsuit Information
Explore current information about railroad exposure lawsuits, FELA and court developments.
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You Kept the Railroad Running. The Fumes Kept Coming.
Diesel exhaust, welding fume and the railroad's duty under FELA.
Years in the yard.
Engineers, conductors, track crews and shop workers spent decades around idling locomotives.
Diesel exhaust hangs in the air.
It carries fine particles and chemicals. Long exposure is linked to lung and other cancers.
Welding fumes on the track and in the shop.
Welding fumes can contain manganese. Attorneys review Parkinson's diagnoses with a welding history.
Ten years or more of breathing it.
That is the exposure attorneys look for: kidney cancer, lung cancer in non-smokers, leukemia, Parkinson's.
The railroad had a duty.
Under FELA, a railroad that failed to take reasonable steps to keep work safe can be held responsible.
Diagnosed after years on the railroad?
Cancer, COPD or Parkinson's after 10+ years of railroad work. Tell us your job and diagnosis and start your free review.
Free Case ReviewResearchers linked diesel exhaust to lung cancer in railroad workers in 1987.
A 1987 study of 15,059 railroad worker deaths linked diesel exhaust to lung cancer. In 2012 the World Health Organization's cancer agency classified diesel exhaust as a cause of cancer in humans.
Who attorneys are reviewing claims for.
Attorneys are reviewing claims from people who worked 10 years or more for a railroad around diesel exhaust, welding fumes, asbestos or industrial chemicals, and were later diagnosed with a serious illness.
Diagnoses under review include lung cancer (especially in non-smokers), kidney cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, bladder cancer, COPD, and Parkinson's disease with a welding history.
Jobs include engineers, conductors, brakemen and yard crews; track workers and foremen; welders, machinists, electricians and shop workers; and signal, bridge and fueling crews. Families can ask about a worker who has died.
Railroad workers have their own law.
Most railroad workers are not covered by ordinary workers' compensation. Since 1908, a federal law, the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), has let railroad workers seek damages from the railroad itself.
Under FELA, a railroad can be held responsible when its negligence played any part in a worker's illness or injury. A worker's own share of fault, such as smoking, can reduce an award, but it does not end the claim. Families can bring a claim for a worker who has died.
A jury set damages at $21.8 million.
In October 2025 a Virginia jury heard the case of Randall Redford, who worked 38 years maintaining track for Norfolk Southern and died of acute myeloid leukemia after years around diesel exhaust. The jury set damages at $21.8 million.
The jury also found Norfolk Southern 48 percent at fault and Mr. Redford 52 percent, because of a long smoking history, so his family's recovery is reduced. Every case is different, and one verdict does not predict another.
Legal and scientific history
From the diesel era to the courtroom
The law, the science and the recent cases behind railroad exposure claims.
Illustrations, not actual records.
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1908
A law for railroad workers
Congress passes the Federal Employers' Liability Act, letting injured railroad workers sue the railroad for negligence.
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1950s
Diesel takes over
Railroads across the country replace steam locomotives with diesel.
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1987
Railroad deaths are studied
Researchers studying 15,059 railroad worker deaths link diesel exhaust to lung cancer.
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June 2012
A known cause of cancer
The World Health Organization's cancer agency classifies diesel exhaust as carcinogenic to humans.
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January 2024
A family's case is revived
A California appeals court revives a retired trainman's family's toxic-exposure case against BNSF. It is not a payment award.
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September 2025
A widow's case goes back to court
A Florida appeals court sends the Lewis family's diesel-exposure case against Norfolk Southern back to the trial court. Fault is still undecided.
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October 2025
A jury sets damages at $21.8 million
A Virginia jury sets damages for a track worker who died of leukemia, reduced by his own share of fault.
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March 2026
The proof still matters
A Washington appeals court upholds dismissal of a worker's case after his expert's testimony was excluded. Evidence linking work and illness decides these cases.
Explore railroad exposure lawsuit information and attorney review options.
Sources
The law, research and reporting this page draws on. Court decisions and verdicts are specific to each case; a review does not guarantee a case or compensation.
- Federal lawCornell Law School law.cornell.edu45 U.S.C. § 51, the Federal Employers' Liability Act1908
- StudyPubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govGarshick et al., lung cancer and diesel exhaust in railroad workers1987
- StudyPubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govGarshick et al., lung cancer in railroad workers exposed to diesel exhaust2004
- WHO agencyInternational Agency for Research on Cancer iarc.who.intDiesel engine exhaust classified carcinogenic to humansJun 12, 2012
- News reportMissouri Lawyers Media molawyersmedia.comRailroad cancer death verdict nets $21.8M under FELAJan 2, 2026
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