Active and Retiree RAILROADER Newsletter

OVER $3 BILLION RECOVERED

If you currently work for or were employed by the railroad and have been diagnosed with cancer you may have a claim against the railroad. If a loved one has died from cancer and worked for the Railroad. You may be entitled to compensation. We represent clients across the nation 1-800-LAW-5432

Latest News On:

• Railroad Law/FELA
• Chemical Exposure
• Asbestos Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer
• Other Cancers

RAILROAD LAW, CANCER AND THE FEDERAL EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY ACT (FELA)

In 1908, the U.S. Congress enacted the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) specifically to define and protect the rights of railroad employees. The FELA was enacted as a result of the public outrage towards the railroads due to the railroads’ extreme indifference to the life, health and safety of their workers. If you are injured or disabled while working for a negligent railroad, you have the right to compensation.

Railroaders are not covered by state workers’ compensation laws.

A railroader must make his claim for compensation pursuant to the FELA which is substantially different than state workers’ compensation laws. Under the FELA, the railroads may be responsible not only for your lost wages and medical expenses (both past and in the future) but also for pain, suffering and the loss of enjoyment of life.

The experienced lawyers at the Law Offices of Marc J. Bern & Partners LLP will give you the representation you need to help prove your claim.

“It is critical to have a lawyer who is experienced in handling FELA claims.”

MARC J. BERN & PARTNERS LLP has collectively over 120 years experience in FELA litigation. Our unmatched tenacity and knowledge makes us a formidable and respected adversary to all the major railroads.

Our railroad litigation team is led by our Founding Partner, Marc J. Bern. Marc has decades of experience in litigating Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) cases against railroads, and he has tried numerous FELA cases to verdict.

Senior Partner, Joseph Cappelli, is a nationally recognized trial attorney with almost thirty years of FELA litigation experience. Joe has been instrumental in identifying work place hazards in the railroad industry involving exposure to asbestos and cancer-causing chemicals.

Thomas Joyce is also a member of our FELA team. Tom is a past President of the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA), and is a trial attorney who has represented railroad workers in cases brought under the FELA for nearly 30 years.

Our FELA team is headed up by Shawn Sassaman, who concentrates on representing injured railroad workers. Shawn has spent his legal career litigating against railroads nationwide.

We are honored and proud to have recovered over $3 Billion Dollars. Millions attributable to our FELA clients. Collectively, our FELA team has over 120 years of experience representing railroad workers harmed by the negligence of the railroads and their failed safety policies, which have exposed workers to cancer-causing substances including benzene, creosote, asbestos, and others. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer or mesothelioma, please contact our office immediately for a free consultation.

BENZINE, CREOSOTE AND OTHER TOXIC EXPOSURES

In recent years we have observed a steady increase in the number of railroad employees suffering from forms of brain damage that can be linked to exposure to certain solvents and degreasers.  You may have had long term exposure to these solvents through skin contact and inhalation during your daily job duties.

The worst cases of this type of exposure have resulted in a condition called Toxic Encephalopathy. This is a form of permanent brain damage that results in short-term memory loss, depression and anxiety. Other symptoms of chemical exposure include nausea, headaches and light-headedness. Shop craft employees have often been exposed to work environments with poor or inadequate ventilation. Track workers have also been exposed to rock dust, a known cause of lung disease, while tamping ballast and working rock trains. Furthermore, railroads have either failed to provide suitable respirators or neglected to provide them at all.

ASBESTOS, MESOTHELIOMA AND CANCERS

For decades, railroaders have been subjected to asbestos exposure without realizing the impact and significance it would have on their lives. Asbestos is made up of microscopic fibers that may become airborne when materials containing them become damaged or disturbed. When these fibers become airborne they may be inhaled into the lungs causing significant health problems. Asbestos exposure is linked to diseases including: mesothelioma, lung cancer, colon cancer and asbestosis.

Most people who have developed an asbestos disease have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos.

The symptoms of asbestos diseases include chest pain and shortness of breath. There can also be general symptoms such as weight loss. An initial diagnosis can be made by chest x-rays or a CT scan.

We have represented thousands of workers who have suffered from asbestos related diseases. If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos at the work place and are suffering from any of the symptoms listed above, you should immediately contact a medical doctor for a proper evaluation and call the law offices of Marc J. Bern & Partners LLP at 1-800-LAW-5432.

CANCERS YOU MIGHT GET COMPENSATION FOR IF YOU WORKED FOR THE RAILROAD:

Call us if a family member has been diagnosed with cancer and has worked for the railroad. We represent clients across the nation with offices in: NY, PA, NJ, DE, CA.