2011 Was The Biggest Year For Asbestosis Case Awards

A Riverside County personal injury attorney explains that whilst some people may feel that the claims for asbestosis are going down and in fact it is fair to say that they are, two of the largest settlement figures seen were awarded recently to those people who had contracted asbestosis through no fault of their own.

In the May of 2011 the jury reached a settlement on the highest ever pay out for an asbestosis case for a Missouri man named Thomas Brown Jr. who as in May of 2011 was 48 years of age. He worked in the Mississippi oilfields as a roughneck from 1979 through to around 1984 and started out mixing drilling mud which was used to cool down the drill bits on the oil platforms when drilling. Before being utilized the drilling mud was mixed with a white powder which came in 50 lb. bags and was said to be the substance that helped to cool the drill bits. The white powder turned out to be pure asbestos. It was mixed with drilling mud from the 1960's through to the 1980's because of its natural heat resistant abilities. Needless to say that for 5-6 years Mr Brown Jr. was breathing in pure asbestos dust without any form of safety gear. He has now been diagnosed with asbestosis and is on oxygen support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. His law team managed to reach a settlement of $322 million dollars.

Although no amount of money can ever replace quality of life, alternatively, a person should never have to suffer in silence. Therefore if you believe that you have contracted asbestosis through no fault of your own, then a team of experienced Riverside personal injury lawyers can help.

It turned out that the mixing dust that was sold by CP Chem and manufactured by Union Carbide was continually marketed even though the companies in question were fully aware that the mixture contained asbestos. The prosecuting lawyer argued the case that the large corporations put innocent victims in danger every single day, solely to ensure a higher profit margin. This was vehemently denied by both companies, however the jury agreed.

In November of 2011, the family of a Kansas woman from Jackson County named Nancy Lopez who died in October 2010 after contracting Mesothelioma was awarded $10 million. It was agreed that she had developed the disease whist working in the Kansas City court house. It was claimed that during that time the US Engineering Co were contracted to remove asbestos from the building but didn't follow proper procedures. Again the jury agreed the verdict of wrongful death and the sum was awarded to the family.

A Riverside personal injury attorney explains that even though the majority of people are now aware of the real dangers of asbestos, unfortunately it can take anywhere between 10 and 30 years to develop in the body. Not only that if any worker has asbestos fibres on their clothing, then they could be potentially taking it home for their family to breath in.

As you can see, there are still cases coming to light and chances are that they will continue to do so. However an experienced attorney who understands the laws surrounding asbestos claims can bring about a case that could see a victim receive the full and fair compensation that they deserve. By being able to call upon a team of professionals they can look into the claim and report their findings back to the representing Riverside personal injury attorney who will be able to move the claim from beginning to the end result. By having faith in an attorney and believing that they can deliver the right result means that the victim can be left to live their life as best as they can.