A former railroad employee is suing his former employer over illness that was allegedly caused by exposure to chemicals at work.
Edward Kirst filed a lawsuit on June 30 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Consolidated Rail Corp. and three other railroad companies engaged in transporting goods, claiming they failed to provide a safe work place.
According to the filing, the plaintiff was employed by the company and its predecessors in St. Clair County as a switchman, brakeman and conductor from 1969 and 1972 and was exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances.
The filing states that as a result of the exposure to the substances, the plaintiff was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2014. The suit alleges that the companies failed to provide a reasonably safe work place.
The plaintiff seeks a judgement in his favor for more than $50,000 plus the cost of the lawsuit. He is represented by William Gavin of the Gavin Law Firm.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 15-L-379.