Getting legal help after your mesothelioma diagnosis is an important step toward protecting your legal rights. Most mesothelioma victims, however, have difficulty enough just dealing with the diagnosis—much less its legal implications. We can help. Contact us today to arrange a complimentary consultation to learn more about your legal options and get the legal help you need.
Recovering the Costs of Mesothelioma
The human costs of a chronic and life-threatening disease such as mesothelioma can be staggering. Years of mesothelioma treatment, medical costs, and hospice care can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, and few patients and their families are able to pay these costs on their own. Health insurance may not cover all the costs. In addition, the loss of a patient's income can be particularly burdensome, and the emotional costs of a potentially fatal disease are difficult to estimate.
Thousands of Americans have contracted mesothelioma after working with or being exposed to products that cause this pernicious disease, and if you are one such victim, you may be eligible for monetary damages from the product's maker or from your employer.
How an Attorney Can Help
Mesothelioma cases are complex matters. It is not necessarily obvious that there is a cause-and-effect link between a product or environment and someone's mesothelioma. An experienced mesothelioma attorney or law firm can help unravel the link between your mesothelioma and its cause.
Losses Due to Mesothelioma
An attorney's guidance is also very helpful when estimating a mesothelioma patient's losses. Such losses often involve:
* Medical costs including hospital care
* Loss of wages and/or earning capacity
* Loss of companionship or a spousal or parental relationship
* Loss of financial support
* Pain and suffering
* Funeral and burial costs
* Out-of-pocket expenses
Protecting Your Legal Rights
The maker of the asbestos product that caused your mesothelioma or the employer where you worked and contracted mesothelioma may not be agreeable to the idea that they should pay the damages you've incurred due to this disease. In such cases, representation by an attorney or law firm can make all the difference in the outcome of your case.
Just as in other types of personal injury cases, a mesothelioma attorney can:
* Investigate your case, including interviewing witnesses and getting documents
* Show the causation between the product or environment and your mesothelioma
* Help you estimate your total losses due to mesothelioma
* Negotiate with the defendant company on your behalf
* Represent you in court and other forums
* Help recover a settlement or verdict award
Get the Answers and Legal Help You Need
Whether you're experiencing the early symptoms of mesothelioma or are at a more advanced stage of the disease, or if you’ve lost a loved one to this devastating disease, consulting an experienced mesothelioma attorney will give you more insight into your options and your best course of action.
Contact a mesothelioma lawyer today to arrange a private consultation, and get the answers and legal help you need.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
What is Asbestosis?
Asbestosis is a debilitating and sometimes deadly respiratory disorder caused by inhaling high levels of asbestos fibers, which leads to scarring of the lung tissue and diminished breathing capacity.
Asbestosis Risks
Asbestos fibers were commonly used in insulation and other building materials prior to 1975 when it was discovered to cause serious and potentially fatal diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Individuals with prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers are among those most likely to develop asbestosis and/or other asbestos-related diseases. Also, those who work around asbestos fibers may carry the fibers home on their clothing, increasing the risk to their family members. Not all individuals with a history of asbestos exposure develop asbestosis. However, the key to diminishing the risk is to stop asbestos exposure altogether.
Asbestosis Symptoms
Common symptoms of asbestosis include:
* Coughing
* Chest pain
* Shortness of breath
* Tightness in chest
Other less common symptoms may include nail abnormalities and clubbing of fingers.
Asbestosis Diagnosis and Treatment
The first step a doctor usually takes in diagnosing asbestosis is to listen for a crackling sound in the patient's chest. The doctor may then use a chest x-ray, CT scan of the lungs, or pulmonary function tests to definitively establish a diagnosis of asbestosis.
While no cure for asbestosis is currently available, a number of mesothelioma treatments can help to alleviate symptoms. Some of these supportive treatments include postural drainage, chest percussion, and vibration - all of which serve to remove secretions from the lungs.
To further aid respiration, doctors may prescribe aerosol medications that thin lung secretions or employ the use of oxygen masks.
The prognosis for individuals diagnosed with asbestosis depends on the duration and extent of their asbestos exposure as well as the progression of the disease. Some patients with asbestosis develop complications such as malignant mesothelioma and pleural effusion. Developing mesothelioma significantly decreases an individual's chances of survival. Seventy-five percent of those also diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma die within one year.
Asbestosis Risks
Asbestos fibers were commonly used in insulation and other building materials prior to 1975 when it was discovered to cause serious and potentially fatal diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Individuals with prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers are among those most likely to develop asbestosis and/or other asbestos-related diseases. Also, those who work around asbestos fibers may carry the fibers home on their clothing, increasing the risk to their family members. Not all individuals with a history of asbestos exposure develop asbestosis. However, the key to diminishing the risk is to stop asbestos exposure altogether.
Asbestosis Symptoms
Common symptoms of asbestosis include:
* Coughing
* Chest pain
* Shortness of breath
* Tightness in chest
Other less common symptoms may include nail abnormalities and clubbing of fingers.
Asbestosis Diagnosis and Treatment
The first step a doctor usually takes in diagnosing asbestosis is to listen for a crackling sound in the patient's chest. The doctor may then use a chest x-ray, CT scan of the lungs, or pulmonary function tests to definitively establish a diagnosis of asbestosis.
While no cure for asbestosis is currently available, a number of mesothelioma treatments can help to alleviate symptoms. Some of these supportive treatments include postural drainage, chest percussion, and vibration - all of which serve to remove secretions from the lungs.
To further aid respiration, doctors may prescribe aerosol medications that thin lung secretions or employ the use of oxygen masks.
The prognosis for individuals diagnosed with asbestosis depends on the duration and extent of their asbestos exposure as well as the progression of the disease. Some patients with asbestosis develop complications such as malignant mesothelioma and pleural effusion. Developing mesothelioma significantly decreases an individual's chances of survival. Seventy-five percent of those also diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma die within one year.
Asbestos Lawsuits
Asbestos lawsuits are filed by plaintiffs who have suffered as the result of asbestos-related illness. Plaintiffs in asbestos lawsuits can include the victims of asbestos exposure, or their families or loved ones. Defendants against asbestos lawsuits are those parties considered responsible for the asbestos exposure. In the past, targets of asbestos lawsuits have included:
* Employers
* Asbestos manufacturers
* Asbestos installers
* Landlords
* Leasing agents
Financial Recovery
The purpose of asbestos lawsuits is to recover financial damages that result from asbestos related illness. Possible financial recoveries from asbestos lawsuits include:
* cost of medical bills
* lost wages
* other associated costs
In some asbestos lawsuits, punitive damages (designed to punish the defendant) are also awarded. A few states permit asbestos lawsuits to be filed by people who reasonably expect to develop asbestos-related illnesses. These asbestos lawsuits regulations allow individuals exposed to asbestos to attempt to prepare financially for likely diseases. Many asbestos lawsuits have served to help publicize the adverse health effects of asbestos exposure; increasing numbers of asbestos lawsuits are decided for the plaintiffs as information about asbestos exposure becomes common knowledge.
Although asbestos lawsuits can be complicated at first glance, a number of individuals have benefited from asbestos lawsuits, including families of victims, left with enormous medical and funeral costs. For more about asbestos lawsuits and whether your situation is appropriate for this proceeding, an attorney familiar with asbestos lawsuits may be the appropriate person to consult.
How Can a Mesothelioma Attorney Help?
Mesothelioma attorneys can help victims in recovering funds related to asbestos-caused mesothelioma. Many of the mesothelioma attorneys with experience in this field have successfully claimed costs from those responsible for asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma attorneys can regain medical costs, lost wages, and punitive fees for victims and their families.
A mesothelioma attorney can meet with victims to discuss liability in mesothelioma cases; using their prior experience, mesothelioma attorneys can often predict the likelihood of success of a particular case. A good mesothelioma attorney will have the legal knowledge and connections to pressure reluctant parties into accepting accountability; many mesothelioma attorneys end up enabling their client to collect without ever having to go to trial. Mesothelioma attorneys can also help put their clients in touch with the clients of other mesothelioma attorneys if both parties agree, so that the parties represented by both mesothelioma attorneys may exchange information and supportespecially important with such a rare disease.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
If you or a loved one has suffered from mesothelioma, please Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney to learn more information on mesothelioma and your legal rights!
* Employers
* Asbestos manufacturers
* Asbestos installers
* Landlords
* Leasing agents
Financial Recovery
The purpose of asbestos lawsuits is to recover financial damages that result from asbestos related illness. Possible financial recoveries from asbestos lawsuits include:
* cost of medical bills
* lost wages
* other associated costs
In some asbestos lawsuits, punitive damages (designed to punish the defendant) are also awarded. A few states permit asbestos lawsuits to be filed by people who reasonably expect to develop asbestos-related illnesses. These asbestos lawsuits regulations allow individuals exposed to asbestos to attempt to prepare financially for likely diseases. Many asbestos lawsuits have served to help publicize the adverse health effects of asbestos exposure; increasing numbers of asbestos lawsuits are decided for the plaintiffs as information about asbestos exposure becomes common knowledge.
Although asbestos lawsuits can be complicated at first glance, a number of individuals have benefited from asbestos lawsuits, including families of victims, left with enormous medical and funeral costs. For more about asbestos lawsuits and whether your situation is appropriate for this proceeding, an attorney familiar with asbestos lawsuits may be the appropriate person to consult.
How Can a Mesothelioma Attorney Help?
Mesothelioma attorneys can help victims in recovering funds related to asbestos-caused mesothelioma. Many of the mesothelioma attorneys with experience in this field have successfully claimed costs from those responsible for asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma attorneys can regain medical costs, lost wages, and punitive fees for victims and their families.
A mesothelioma attorney can meet with victims to discuss liability in mesothelioma cases; using their prior experience, mesothelioma attorneys can often predict the likelihood of success of a particular case. A good mesothelioma attorney will have the legal knowledge and connections to pressure reluctant parties into accepting accountability; many mesothelioma attorneys end up enabling their client to collect without ever having to go to trial. Mesothelioma attorneys can also help put their clients in touch with the clients of other mesothelioma attorneys if both parties agree, so that the parties represented by both mesothelioma attorneys may exchange information and supportespecially important with such a rare disease.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
If you or a loved one has suffered from mesothelioma, please Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney to learn more information on mesothelioma and your legal rights!
Mesothelioma Lawsuit
A mesothelioma lawsuit is filed by a victim of mesothelioma in order to recover damages associated with their development of this asbestos related cancer. A mesothelioma case can help a victim seek reparations for medical expenses, lost income and pain and suffering. Mesothelioma develops almost exclusively as a result of toxic exposure to asbestos. This disease can remain latent in a victim for up to forty years; therefore people who were exposed to asbestos in the environment in the 1950s may still be at risk for developing this disease.
Who Is At Risk?
Asbestos has been used to make more than 5000 products in the last few hundred years. Asbestos is a naturally occurring group of minerals that is used to make products such as vehicle brakes and building materials. Asbestos is added to these products because it aids in heat and corrosion resistance. The deadly effects of asbestos have been known for over sixty years, though it continues to be used in a variety of industries. People in the construction, automotive, factory, railroad, shipyard, and custodial industries may all be at risk for the serious health consequences resulting from toxic exposure to asbestos.
What Is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a rare but fatal cancer that is caused by this harmful exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma affects the mesothelium that surrounds and protects the internal organs of the body and can affect any organ in the body including the brain, heart and reproductive organs. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common and affects the lining surrounding the lungs. This lining can become cancerous when asbestos is inhaled at toxic levels. Many times the disease is asymptomatic, though symptoms may include a persistent cough, pain in the chest area or shortness of breath.
Mesothelioma also affects the peritoneal lining of the organs in the abdominal cavity. This type of mesothelioma can also remain latent and asymptomatic for several years. If symptoms do develop they might include pain and swelling of the belly, nausea, bowel problems, weight loss, swollen feet, and anemia.
More Common in Men
Mesothelioma affects men three to five times more often than it affects women. It is diagnosed in patients at an average age of 50 to 70 years. Once diagnosed, mesothelioma is fatal. The average survival time after diagnosis is only one year, because the cancer is usually in its advanced stages by the time it is discovered. For people who are diagnosed earlier, about one half survive for two years and twenty percent make it to five years.
Why File a Mesothelioma Lawsuit?
A mesothelioma lawsuit can be filed in the legal system in order to seek reparations for medical expenses, loss of income and pain and suffering associated with the development of this disease. Employers and manufactures of asbestos containing products can be held liable for the injuries that develop as a result, especially when they were aware of the risks associated with the level of exposure they caused or permitted. Contacting a qualified lawyer is often the first step in discovering what your legal rights and options might be in a mesothelioma lawsuit. For more information on a mesothelioma lawsuit, please Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney who is familiar with other mesothelioma cases.
Who Is At Risk?
Asbestos has been used to make more than 5000 products in the last few hundred years. Asbestos is a naturally occurring group of minerals that is used to make products such as vehicle brakes and building materials. Asbestos is added to these products because it aids in heat and corrosion resistance. The deadly effects of asbestos have been known for over sixty years, though it continues to be used in a variety of industries. People in the construction, automotive, factory, railroad, shipyard, and custodial industries may all be at risk for the serious health consequences resulting from toxic exposure to asbestos.
What Is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a rare but fatal cancer that is caused by this harmful exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma affects the mesothelium that surrounds and protects the internal organs of the body and can affect any organ in the body including the brain, heart and reproductive organs. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common and affects the lining surrounding the lungs. This lining can become cancerous when asbestos is inhaled at toxic levels. Many times the disease is asymptomatic, though symptoms may include a persistent cough, pain in the chest area or shortness of breath.
Mesothelioma also affects the peritoneal lining of the organs in the abdominal cavity. This type of mesothelioma can also remain latent and asymptomatic for several years. If symptoms do develop they might include pain and swelling of the belly, nausea, bowel problems, weight loss, swollen feet, and anemia.
More Common in Men
Mesothelioma affects men three to five times more often than it affects women. It is diagnosed in patients at an average age of 50 to 70 years. Once diagnosed, mesothelioma is fatal. The average survival time after diagnosis is only one year, because the cancer is usually in its advanced stages by the time it is discovered. For people who are diagnosed earlier, about one half survive for two years and twenty percent make it to five years.
Why File a Mesothelioma Lawsuit?
A mesothelioma lawsuit can be filed in the legal system in order to seek reparations for medical expenses, loss of income and pain and suffering associated with the development of this disease. Employers and manufactures of asbestos containing products can be held liable for the injuries that develop as a result, especially when they were aware of the risks associated with the level of exposure they caused or permitted. Contacting a qualified lawyer is often the first step in discovering what your legal rights and options might be in a mesothelioma lawsuit. For more information on a mesothelioma lawsuit, please Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney who is familiar with other mesothelioma cases.
Mesothelioma Attorney
The mission of a mesothelioma attorney is to help obtain compensation for individuals with this life-threatening cancer. The vast majority of cases of mesothelioma are due to exposure to the carcinogenic mineral asbestos, which was used in thousands of products dating from the 1880s through 1989. Every mesothelioma attorney knows of the devastation that this cancer wreaks on patients and their families.
Asbestos Exposure Is the Culprit
It’s estimated that since the early 1940s, at least three million Americans received high-level exposure to asbestos, often at their workplaces. Others have been exposed to asbestos at home, whether by washing asbestos dust-laden clothing or from the many building materials that contain asbestos. Still others grew up attending schools where asbestos was used in walls, ceilings, flooring, even bricks.
The asbestos industry was aware for over 60 years that their product caused mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, but the management of the asbestos companies routinely kept that information from their employees, choosing to maximize company profits and savings at the expense of the employees.
Compensation from Defendant Companies
The medical bills alone for mesothelioma often run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Years of lost income or reduced earning capacity further add to the losses. When a loved one with mesothelioma passes away, the loss of support and companionship and the emotional pain and suffering can all be overwhelming. A mesothelioma attorney understands these losses, having helped other victims and their families obtain compensation for their damages.
In fact, mesothelioma attorneys have helped asbestos victims across the country receive millions of dollars worth of compensation for:
* Medical treatments including surgery and chemotherapy
* Hospice and/or palliative care
* Funeral/burial expenses
* Pain and suffering
* Loss of companionship
* More
If you are one of the thousands of patients who have not received fair compensation for your losses, a mesothelioma attorney can help you.
Contact an Experienced Mesothelioma Attorney
Attorneys who represent mesothelioma patients are prepared to discuss your circumstances with you and advise you of your legal rights. Whether you simply have questions or need full legal representation, the first step is to contact a mesothelioma attorney today for a complimentary consultation.
Asbestos Exposure Is the Culprit
It’s estimated that since the early 1940s, at least three million Americans received high-level exposure to asbestos, often at their workplaces. Others have been exposed to asbestos at home, whether by washing asbestos dust-laden clothing or from the many building materials that contain asbestos. Still others grew up attending schools where asbestos was used in walls, ceilings, flooring, even bricks.
The asbestos industry was aware for over 60 years that their product caused mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, but the management of the asbestos companies routinely kept that information from their employees, choosing to maximize company profits and savings at the expense of the employees.
Compensation from Defendant Companies
The medical bills alone for mesothelioma often run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Years of lost income or reduced earning capacity further add to the losses. When a loved one with mesothelioma passes away, the loss of support and companionship and the emotional pain and suffering can all be overwhelming. A mesothelioma attorney understands these losses, having helped other victims and their families obtain compensation for their damages.
In fact, mesothelioma attorneys have helped asbestos victims across the country receive millions of dollars worth of compensation for:
* Medical treatments including surgery and chemotherapy
* Hospice and/or palliative care
* Funeral/burial expenses
* Pain and suffering
* Loss of companionship
* More
If you are one of the thousands of patients who have not received fair compensation for your losses, a mesothelioma attorney can help you.
Contact an Experienced Mesothelioma Attorney
Attorneys who represent mesothelioma patients are prepared to discuss your circumstances with you and advise you of your legal rights. Whether you simply have questions or need full legal representation, the first step is to contact a mesothelioma attorney today for a complimentary consultation.
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