Mesothelioma is a tumor occurring in the linings of the internal organs such as the lungs, heart, and abdomen. The most common form is pleural mesothelioma, occurring on the outer covering of the lungs. There are numerous factors known to increase the risk of mesothelioma in a person’s body. However, exposure to one or many risk factors does not imply that a person will have cancer.
Causes of mesothelioma
So far, the proven cause of mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. There are two major types of asbestos exposure: occupational and secondhand asbestos exposure.
Occupational asbestos exposure
Occupational asbestos exposure mainly occurs in the work setting. In some cases, it can happen at home or due to external pollution. Workplaces with a relatively higher risk of asbestos exposure include power plant workers, boiler workers, auto mechanics, insulators and construction sites. Firefighters can also be exposed to asbestos when working in old homes.
Secondhand asbestos exposure
Other risk factors include living with someone exposed to asbestos. This is why workers should separate their work clothes from their home apparel to avoid becoming asbestos carriers for their families. This type of exposure is also called secondhand asbestos exposure.
Radiation during cancer treatment
Radiation is said to be another cause of mesothelioma. People who undergo radiation treatment for another kind of cancer are often at risk of getting mesothelioma. This is because radiation causes cell damage in the patient’s body, similar to mesothelioma.
No one knew about mesothelioma until the 20th century; the incidents of this deadly cancer rose as companies expanded the use of asbestos since it was cheap and readily available. This led many mesothelioma law firm owners to develop special departments to represent mesothelioma victims and their patients to earn compensation for their damage. However, research is still underway to find other potential causes of asbestos, such as exposure to minerals similar to asbestos and the SV40 virus. To date, no such evidence has been found.
How does someone get mesothelioma?
A person gets mesothelioma when asbestos fibers reach the pleural lining of the lungs through the airways upon inhalation. These fibers cause scarring, inflammation, and damage to the cells in the body. This cancer has a long latency period and may take 10 to 15 years before the symptoms appear in the body. But, the more your asbestos exposure, the more is your chance to have mesothelioma. So far, most mesothelioma patients got exposed to asbestos during their blue-collar jobs or military service.
How to proceed after being diagnosed with mesothelioma?
Taking care of one’s health should be the utmost priority after being diagnosed with mesothelioma. But it is also your right to hold the culprits accountable for their negligence, costing someone their health and life. Therefore, following a mesothelioma diagnosis, one priority task is to get legal help and file a claim.
Mesothelioma legal help aims to help the victims win compensation for the loss of their health. The victim or their family can use the compensation money to pay for medical treatment. Therefore, the right time to seek legal help is after discovering your mesothelioma diagnosis.
As a victim or family member, you can file different claims to acquire compensation based on the circumstances of the affected person. For instance, you or your family can file for personal injury, asbestos funds, wrongful death, or veteran affairs benefits claims. Your lawyer will guide you about your eligibility for a specific claim type.
How to get legal help for your mesothelioma claim?
The victims can seek legal help through mesothelioma attorneys. A mesothelioma attorney specializes in asbestos and mesothelioma-related cases. They have years, sometimes decades of experience working on such cases and winning compensation for their clients. Most mesothelioma attorneys are good-natured people who treat their clients with empathy and not a number in their legal portfolios.
Upon contacting a mesothelioma lawyer, they will most likely discuss your situation with you. They may discuss the steps to be taken and compensation options open to you. After consulting with your lawyer, you might be in a better situation to decide whether you want to proceed with a court trial or close the case with a settlement. Often, mesothelioma lawyers go for a mesothelioma settlement. This is where the defendants offer compensation to the victim or their families outside the court. Going for a settlement is also less time-consuming, and the victim generally gets the compensation in a few months. In contrast, a court trial can be long and offers no surety of getting the payment in the end.
Choosing the right mesothelioma lawyer
Choosing the right lawyer is a major step to enhance your chances of filing and winning a mesothelioma claim. Before going for a lawyer or law firm, you must ensure that they have enough resources at their disposal to collect the evidence and make a strong lawsuit for you. Because of the long latency period of mesothelioma, you might not know how to get all the evidence once you are diagnosed with the disease. An experienced lawyer is necessary because they do all the leg work and dig out all the proof to strengthen your claim.
If you are unsure about identifying the right lawyer, the easiest way is to interview some of them. You must ask every question that comes to your mind and see if the candidate satisfies your concerns. Important questions may include their working experience, the number of cases they have won, and the maximum settlement for their clients.
Moreover, you can also ask the total time your case will take to conclude and the chances of winning if asbestos exposure happened a long time ago. If you are a veteran, you must make sure your procedure to file the claim is different from others. These are a few of the many potential questions you can ask, so brainstorm before meeting the lawyer. You can write down all your important concerns on a piece of paper. Go for the lawyer that makes you feel valued, respected, and understands your predicament.
Conclusion
It is the right of a mesothelioma victim or their family to get legal help for the wrongs committed against them. An asbestos claim is the only way to get justice and hold the culprits responsible. Meanwhile, the compensation amount is also a source of legal help for the victim and their family. Therefore, a person must consult a mesothelioma lawyer after their tumor diagnosis and hire a lawyer to look after their case.