Railroad Worker with 'Mild' Silicosis Awarded $1.5 Million

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - A jury in Virginia has awarded more than $1 million to a 43-year-old railroad worker who claimed he developed silicosis as a result of his exposure to silica dust. Rogers v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., No. CL03002489 (Va. Cir. Ct., Portsmouth Cty.).

The Portsmouth County Circuit Court jury returned the verdict Aug. 12, ordering Norfolk Southern Railway Co. to pay $1.5 million in damages to Dale Rogers, who has been employed for 16 years as a Norfolk Southern maintenance worker.

Rogers alleged that he was exposed to silica used in rail line beds, that he showed early …