Personal injury lawsuits are not only for those who suffer a visible physical injury, but also for those whose health has been impaired by poor or unsafe conditions. If you have been exposed to asbestos at your work place or in any other way, this legal recourse is an option you can consider. In fact, the dependents of a deceased individual who suffered from asbestos exposure may be able to claim compensation by filing a lawsuit for personal injury. Florida, like many other states, has good attorneys who can help you
Who Can You Sue?
As a victim of asbestos poisoning at your workplace, you can file a Workplace Compensation suit against your employer. The laws vary from place to place, but since the employer may not be directly responsible for the asbestos used in their premises, the law does provide them some degree of protection. You can also file a similar case for asbestos exposure at your home or elsewhere.
When you file a lawsuit for personal injury to claim compensation for asbestos poisoning, the defendant is usually the company that manufactured the toxic material or other third parties that were responsible for the use of asbestos.
If you are not sure how and where you were exposed to asbestos, you can have your attorneys carry out an investigation to determine this. If more than one company was at fault for your exposure, the damages you claim and win may be split among all of them. For those who were exposed to this toxic material during their stint in the military, the Veterans Department is a good starting point for information on how to file these claims.
Is Asbestosis the Same as Mesothelioma?
Before filing a lawsuit for asbestos exposure in Florida, you should be aware of the important facts related to these claims. Often, you will find the terms asbestos poisoning or asbestosis being used interchangeably with Mesothelioma. However, these two are not exactly the same. Asbestosis is the result of scar tissue build-up in your lungs, which causes serious lung ailments.
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is caused because you inhaled fibers from materials containing asbestos. This cancer may occur both in individuals exposed to the toxin at home or at work. In fact, even the family members of those working in asbestos polluted workplaces may develop Mesothelioma from the remnants of the materials that are brought home unknowingly by the worker, on his clothes or belongings.
Mesothelioma may take a long time to make an appearance in the victim and this often makes it very difficult to trace back where the actual exposure has taken place. Stringent restrictions on use of asbestos were placed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the 1990’s. So it is possible that those diagnosed with this cancer today were exposed to the material before restriction was implemented.
What Kind of Compensation can you Receive?
Apart from compensation for medical expenses for treatment of asbestosis or Mesothelioma, you can also claim losses that you have incurred as a result of the illness. The suffering you are experiencing owing to the disease and the wages you have lost because the ailment has rendered you unable to work may both be claimed in the form of compensation.
Personal injury is a very wide subject and mesothelioma or asbestos poisoning is just one of the instances when you can claim compensation with its help. Even car crash injuries come under its purview. To ensure that you can pay for quality treatment you should claim the compensation for personal injury. Florida has many experienced doctors who can treat you back to health and attorneys who can ensure that you get the compensation to take care of your treatment.