There are times when your illness may also require you to take a legal stance. You should not handle a condition like mesothelioma alone without standing up for your rights. Mesothelioma is a peak example of the neglect of large-scale corporations regarding employee or consumer safety. While the legal system is here to help, it runs on a timeline. When you miss crucial deadlines and fail to get appropriate representation for yourself in court, your lawsuit falls apart. So, protect your legal case and file a claim adequately while getting treated.
How To Navigate Through Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma stems more from your surroundings than your genetics. Therefore, you get a margin to save yourself from the illness. Whether it’s protecting yourself at work or home, you can subside the risk of mesothelioma with the following tips.
Monitor Your Health
You will need to monitor your health when you’re sure that you have had substantial exposure to mesothelioma. This cancer can target the lungs, heart, abdomen, and testicles. However, over 70% of mesothelioma cases in American patients occur in the lungs. You should go for a checkup in which a doctor will conduct a blood test, do a biopsy and run you through an X-ray.
When the doctor confirms your diagnosis, you should learn more about treatment options and start them immediately. These include getting chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation to clear cancer cells. You should also be observant about your symptoms while receiving care, paying attention to your symptoms.
Avoiding Asbestos At Work
You should push your employers to provide you with protective gear while working with asbestos. This includes a respirator with a fitted cartridge that prevents even the smallest microbe from entering your nasal passage. You will need disposable coveralls, rubber gloves, and rubber boots that you can easily wash off once you get finished for the day.
You should also clean and protect the area you will work on to minimize the asbestos fibers from spreading into the atmosphere. After the work culminates, you should remove and safely dispose of your protective gear in biohazard plastic bags.
Practicing Precaution At Your House
If you live in an old house made back in the 1980s, you should know that the floors, ceilings, insulation, and pipes all have asbestos. This means you should never attempt your hand at DIY, which requires scrapping and drilling. Your desire to fix your house may release the microscopic fibers into the atmosphere and make them cling to your clothes.
Whenever your house needs to go renovated, you should hire a professional contractor who has worked with asbestos houses before. You will need to vacate your home for a while, so ensure that your clothes and daily usage items go into storage away from the fibers.
How To File A Claim?
Even though cancer impacts less than 0.3% of the American population, the illness is still hefty on the pocket to treat. So, if you get a positive diagnosis, you should also look into filing a claim. While the process varies according to the state, generally, this is the overview of the legal procedure:
Consult A Seasoned Lawyer:
You will need to go through the lucrative process of finding a good mesothelioma lawyer. You may go online and use the online lawyer directory, ask for referrals from other professionals, or seek reconditions from friends and family. The first consultation session is always free, so don’t hesitate to share all the details.
Follow The Statute Of Limitations:
Every state has its statute of limitations. This is the maximum time you give after you learn about your diagnosis. For example, in New York, you should file within three years of learning about your diagnosis, while in Texas, the Limit is two.
Make Your Case Eligible:
When you fall within the timeline, you should look into building your case. You will need to show your employment contract, medical diagnosis, biopsy reports, medical treatments, and income statements. You will also need to confirm the level of exposure you faced, which is deduced by how long you worked with asbestos. Once your case gets set, your lawyer will file it for you.
Discovery Period:
The opposing party or the defendants, the company you are suing, will need to gather their evidence. Personal injury claims can take up to a few months during this period. However, most defendants need at least a month before they can respond to your lawsuit.
Compensation Process:
Most mesothelioma cases end with settlements and rarely go into trials. Most asbestos companies have trust funds through which they will settle your injury lawsuit. The amount you receive will depend on the severity of your illness. This money went into your medical expenses and the time it took to prepare your claim.
Conclusion
If you feel like you have been exposed to asbestos, you should consult a doctor and get a checkup to prevent cancer from spreading. Despite your precautions, if you still get mesothelioma, you should look into filing a legal case. A qualified lawyer will guide you through the hurdles of filing a claim, including helping you gather evidence, inform you of the statute of limitations, and file your claim.