Omaha grew on the railroad, the river, and meat. Union Pacific’s headquarters and its sprawling shops ran the city; the stockyards and the ConAgra and packing plants fed it; the ASARCO lead refinery worked the riverfront for a century; and Offutt Air Force Base anchored the Sarpy County side. Rail, refining, and packing of this kind reportedly relied on asbestos insulation, gaskets, and materials for most of the twentieth century, and the metro’s trades were reportedly exposed for full careers.
Nebraska allows four years from a mesothelioma or asbestos-cancer diagnosis to file a claim, measured from discovery (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-224, the asbestos discovery rule). Wrongful-death timing should be confirmed with counsel — the general wrongful-death statute (§ 30-810) sets two years from death, while § 25-224’s asbestos discovery provisions may apply. Cases are filed in the county District Court of proper venue; Nebraska has no statewide asbestos MDL.