Texas contains more than 10,539 miles of railroad track – more than any other state in the U.S. It has long been a major hub for railroad giants such as BNSF, Union Pacific, and Kansas City Southern. These railroads have operations in cities throughout Texas, including:
- Arlington, Texas: Arlington Yard (Union Pacific)
- Beaumont, Texas: Beaumont Yard (Union Pacific)
- Fort Worth, Texas: Davidson Yard (Union Pacific)
- Fort Worth, Texas: Tower 55 (Union Pacific /BNSF)
- Garland, Texas: Garland Yard (Kansas City Southern)
- Houston, Texas: Englewood Yard (Union Pacific)
- Kendleton, Texas: Kendleton Yard (Kansas City Southern)
- Mesquite, Texas: Mesquite Intermodal Facility (Union Pacific)
- Slaton, Texas: Slaton Yard (BNSF)
It is no surprise that as of 2019, Texas employed the largest number of workers in the freight rail industry. At that time, the railroads employed over 17,200 Texans, which is close to 11 percent of the total United States freight railroad workforce.
Unfortunately, many Texas railroad workers were unknowingly exposed to many dangerous substances such as asbestos, silica dust, diesel exhaust, solvents, herbicides, creosote, welding fumes, and lead paint throughout their careers. These exposures can lead to a broad range of cancers such as lung cancer, colorectal cancer, throat cancer, blood cancer (leukemia), kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and mesothelioma. Even more troubling, most major Texas railroad companies KNEW about the dangers that their workers faced, and failed to take the necessary precautions to protect them.
For over 30 years, the lawyers at Doran & Murphy have been successful in holding Texas railroad companies responsible for putting workers’ lives at risk under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA). We have obtained financial compensation for Texas railroad workers such as engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen, carmen, trackmen, machine operators, machinists, mechanics, pipefitters, electricians, welders, laborers, signal maintainers, bridge and building workers, yardmasters, and clerks.
If you or a loved one is a Texas railroad worker who has developed cancer, please call us today to discuss your exposures and your rights under the FELA.