Georgia Railroad Workers Mesothelioma Lawyer

Railroad Workers Mesothelioma Attorney in Georgia

Rail lines through Georgia have linked ports, distribution centers, and factories for decades, putting locomotives and cars into constant interchange. A Georgia railroad workers’ mesothelioma lawyer helps former employees understand how asbestos exposure in that equipment may relate to a diagnosis years after leaving service.

Determining who is responsible can require knowing where the machinery went, how it was maintained, and which companies supplied parts that workers handled.

Hire a Railroad Workers’ Mesothelioma Lawyer

Wallace & Graham, P.A., has been representing victims of asbestos exposure for almost 40 years in the transportation and industrial sectors. Our lawyers are familiar with the history of rail practices and suppliers, as well as the defenses that manufacturers make when claims are presented. That background allows us to view complex records with the perspective gained from decades of litigation.

Interchange Traffic and Shared Responsibility

Railcars traveling to and from ports and inland shipping points transfer through Georgia. Equipment traveling through other hubs like Savannah or Atlanta could have been traveling with insulation, braking material, or components installed long before it got there.

Asbestos exposure related to a short-term project may not become an issue for years. For example, in 2022, there were 2,669 new cases reported. Tracing liability may, therefore, require an investigation into both where products were shipped from and where a worker may have come in contact with them.

Switching, Staging, and Short-Term Contact With Equipment

Continued and uninterrupted time spent in one shop did not result in all exposures. Some employees may have worked on a car just long enough to inspect, re-route, or stage for departure. Staging operations may also have had workers working on old equipment and piping without knowledge of the materials in the equipment.

Brief, intermittent exposures repeated over thousands of work shifts can also lead to cumulative exposure. These brief contacts may need to be reconstructed at a later date, from memory of work assignments, traffic records, and maintenance practices that governed the equipment when an illness is subsequently diagnosed.

Tracking Product History Across State Lines

Railroad operations rely on equipment that may travel long distances and incorporate components from many different manufacturers. Identifying the manufacturer of an asbestos-containing product used in railroad service may require investigation beyond Georgia.

Once a diagnosis is made, prognosis is often considered to be 12 to 18 months, so gathering files quickly is important. O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 sets forth a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury actions, which generally runs from the time of discovery. A key issue in evaluating a claim is whether the available product and exposure history align with the limitations period.

Contact a Georgia Railroad Workers’ Mesothelioma Lawyer

Railroad work in Georgia can lead to exposure to equipment with a history that predates a particular assignment by years or even decades. Wallace & Graham, P.A., provides consultations to examine those routes, the materials involved, and the potential for a legal claim. Reach out to our office to get started and hire a railroad workers’ mesothelioma lawyer today.