Big Jury Awards Spark More Railroad Cancer Lawsuits

A lawsuit has been filed against CSX Transportation Inc. by the widow of a railroad worker named Marvin Frieson. He was exposed to asbestos-containing materials that allegedly caused stomach cancer, colon cancer, and his death in 2014.

The lawsuit was filed on December 12, 2016 in St. Clair County Circuit Court — In RE: Rutha Frieson v. CSX Transportation, Inc.Case No. 16-L-658.

In June 2016, another railroad cancer lawsuit was filed by Clarence Mayberry, a man who says he was exposed to creosote and solar radiation from 1968-2009. He claims a lack of protective equipment caused him to develop basal cell carcinomas on his face, ears, head and neck — Case No. 16-L-319.

In September 2016, a jury in Madison County awarded $7.5 million to James Brown, a railroad worker who developed cancer after decades of exposure to toxic chemicals, creosote, degreasing solvents, and lead.

The jury awarded him $3 million for medical expenses, $1 million for pain and suffering, $1.5 million for disability, $700,000 for lost earnings, and $1.3 million for decreased quality of life.

He was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia in 2008. In December 2010, he filed a lawsuit blaming Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago & North Western Railway (CNW) for failing to provide protective equipment — Case No. 10-L-1213.

Source: Madison-St. Clair Record