Thursday, January 28, 2010

Asbestos Settlement.

By Thomas Goldman

An asbestos settlement can sometimes be a large amount of money. Some claims receive more than tens of millions of dollars. Asbestos exposure causes a particular variety of cancer known as mesothelioma and sometimes other medical problems. It has been known since 1960 that there is a link between exposure to this chemical and this type of cancer, and legal proceedings take the perspective that any employer should know about the risks and protect their employees.

The first asbestos settlement was in 1929 and many settlements have been processed since 1960. Compensation can be obtained for many aspects of the disease, including loss of earnings, compensation from care provided whether paid-for or not, items purchased due to the disease, loss to other family members as well as travel to medical and healthcare facilities as well as for the disease itself.

The disease of mesothelioma is most common in people working directly with asbestos, which includes shipbuilders, boilermakers and laggers because asbestos was often used as lagging to insulate boilers, also electricians, joiners, carpenters and builders who might cut or drill into asbestos insulation as they do their work, motor mechanics who have been exposed to asbestos in brake pads and clutches, pipe fitters and plumbers who come in contact with asbestos pipe insulation, as well as fire fighters, police officers, managers and other professions. Also, mesothelioma is sometimes contracted by people with secondary contact with asbestos, such as people washing the clothing of those who worked with asbestos, or even children playing on playgrounds where asbestos mine wastes were dumped.

Many legal cases in this field are taken on by lawyers and attorneys on a "no win no fee" basis which thus saves the claimant from having to pay any legal fees upfront. Most cases tend to reach a settlement before going to the final hearing so the patient usually does not have to make a personal appearance in court. An asbestos settlement can still usually be made even if state benefits have been claimed for, although the amount of the claim might be adjusted.

An asbestos settlement is sometimes vital for a patient to get the best treatment, as some treatments can total close to a million dollars.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment