Four years after their loved ones died of malignant mesothelioma, two Libby, Montana families have each been awarded $4 million in damages to be paid by BNSF Railway. Joyce Walder and Thomas Wells both lived near the company’s railyard and died of the asbestos-related disease. The families accused the company of negligently exposing their loved ones to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite kept there before it was shipped to other locations.
Mesothelioma Victims’ Families Prevail Against Railroad
The federal jury hearing the mesothelioma lawsuit against BNSF Railway heard significant evidence about asbestos-contaminated vermiculite that spilled in the railyard. Experts explained that it contained high concentrations of naturally occurring asbestos and blew from the yard to nearby areas in town where the two victims worked, lived, and recreated.
Though the jury rejected assertions that the company had acted intentionally or with indifference, they did find that their failure to clean the yard or prevent the dust from blowing through town was directly tied to the victims’ mesothelioma. The railway’s representative referred to the claim as a “very sad case” and said the company was considering an appeal. Several more claims are pending against the company.
Libby, Montana Residents Sickened by Asbestos Continue to Seek Justice
It has been decades since W.R. Grace & Co. operated a vermiculite mine on a mountain above Libby, Montana, but people continue to be diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases from exposure to the product. The vermiculite was loaded into rail cars and sent to the Libby rail yard, and the negligent way that it was stored in that yard is at the heart of the lawsuits filed against the company.
Hundreds of residents of Libby were sickened or killed by asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, and in preparing their lawsuits many recall playing in piles of vermiculite kept at the railyard or adding them to their family gardens. The next trial is scheduled for May.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or in some other way harmed by exposure to asbestos, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
