*Under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (or FELA), a railroad company can be sued by an employee whose injury or illness was caused or contributed to by the company’s negligence. Claimants under FELA may recover compensation for the considerable costs of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy, as well as for lost income and loss of earning power. Unlike workers’ compensation claims, FELA allows the plaintiff to seek damages for pain and suffering. Additionally, surviving family members can bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the railroad company for loved ones who have passed.
No one can undo a cancer diagnosis, but what can be done is to bring a sense of satisfaction of holding the negligent party accountable and making them pay.
​
These types of occupational cancers are completely preventable if railroad companies simply adhere to government regulations already in place to provide a safe workplace. Each individual railroad cancer lawsuit is an opportunity to make a statement that failure to protect workers against known carcinogens will not be tolerated and will extract a heavy toll on their corporate bank account.