Compensation from the Asbestos Industry

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If you have been exposed to asbestos and have developed an asbestos related disease, there is a good probability that it was due to exposure to asbestos on the job, from products you’ve used that contained asbestos and may have been deteriorating, or from an environmental exposure caused by manufacturing with asbestos near your community. With few exceptions, asbestos-caused diseases appear to have originated as a result of the negligence of a for-profit company who chose not to enforce safe work practices or take steps to protect its employees, their families or community members from contamination. Consequently, innocent people have lost their health, lives, quality of life, family members, income, and ability to live a normal, healthy life because of an asbestos-related disease.

Where there is evidence of contributing negligence from the asbestos industry, the offending company(ies) can be held liable for all or part of your losses, as well as the cost of your medical care. Substantial settlements are not unusual, as the cost of care and value of losses are substantial.

Medical bills can be substantial beginning with diagnostic procedures, and covering all costs of treatment, surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, home care, hospitalizations, medications and more. You might be eligible for some government financial support from one of several sources of assistance.

You and your family may be entitled to for the financial security lost as a result of your disease. You may have lost income due to your illness, and if you lost a job, you probably lost your health care coverage for you and your family, and possibly your retirement benefits. You may have gone through your savings, and most importantly, you have lost the quality of your life, and your family will lose a loved one, parent, companion, or friend.

You may be entitled to compensation for the loss of these benefits, and in the case of a death of a family member, the loss of that person from your life.

But there are steps you must take to qualify for compensation, starting with filing a claim within the time permitted by the statute of limitations. Statutes of limitations vary by state, but usually begin with the date of diagnosis. There are other factors that must be considered to know exactly how to apply the right statute of limitations in each case.