While the use of asbestos has been highly regulated for years now, instances are still coming to light far too frequently in Ohio of workers from railroads and factories who developed illnesses and cancer from this or other hazardous substances. Even worse, many of these diseases prove fatal. Tragically, in another state, a woman has recently filed a lawsuit alleging that years of exposure to toxic materials in his line of work directly led to her husband’s death.
The lawsuit was filed by the wife of a now-deceased former employee of Conrail. The man worked as foreman and trackman for the company from 1941 to 1984. It was during this time, the lawsuit alleges, that he was exposed to hazardous substances including creosote, benzene, asbestos and diesel exhaust, and this exposure caused him to develop myelodysplastic syndrome.
The plaintiff, his wife, claims that Conrail violated the Federal Employers Liability Act when the railroad company failed to provide its employee, her husband, with a reasonably safe work environment. Other allegations include accusations that the company negligently failed to eliminate or even minimize his exposure to these toxic substances. As a result of this alleged negligence, the illegal, unsafe workplace conditions directly led to the man’s death from myelodysplastic syndrome in 2015.
For the company’s negligence, the plaintiff requests trial by jury and seeks damages of more than $50,000 in additional to all legal fees. Whether in the line of duty at work or simply as an unknowing consumer, Ohio residents have the right to be protected from exposure to toxic materials. When, through an employer or a manufacturer’s negligence, an individual suffers serious injury or illness or even loses a loved one due to such exposure, a product liability lawyer can help offer support and counsel concerning the victim’s legal rights for pursuing just compensation.
Source: pennrecord.com, “Trackman and foreman’s widow says defendants responsible for decedent’s myelodysplastic syndrome“, Nicholas Malfitano, Nov. 14, 2017
