Conductors sue railroad, allege responsibility for illness

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) – Two rail conductors who formerly worked for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad are suing the train company in Idaho state court, claiming they became ill after being exposed to dangerous materials on the job.

The Coeur d’Alene Press reports John Hluboky and Hal Chapman filed the lawsuit in First District Court alleging that the BNSF Railroad is responsible for their cancer and related illnesses.

Both men were stationed in Hauser for several years, and both now live in Spokane, Washington.

According to the lawsuit, Hluboky has colon cancer and Chapman has kidney cancer, and the men say the railroad was negligent when it allowed them to be exposed to diesel fuel and exhaust, benzene, creosote, silica dust, asbestos and other harmful materials on the job.

BNSF has denied the claims and asked the court for a jury trial to be held next spring.

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Information from: Coeur d’Alene Press, http://www.cdapress.com