Mesothelioma

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Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive cancer. It is rarely, if ever, curable and almost always fatal. The settlements range for these cases based on several critical factors. First, how was the person exposed and how many products containing the asbestos can we prove they were exposed to.

That’s a critical part of what we do at the Segal Law Firm. We have literally thousands of workers’ depositions that identify the various types of asbestos that were used in the state of West Virginia in factories, power houses, chemical plants and other industrial facilities. The disease can tragically affect people in their 50s, 60s and 70s. For much older folks, the cases are worth less because their life expectancy at the time they contracted the disease was less than it would be for an individual who is younger.

Generally, you see settlements in Mesothelioma cases where you have very difficult product identifications and much older people. Those cases may only settle in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars whereas younger people with good exposures – that would be people in their 60s and early 70s –will probably settle somewhere in the millions of dollars.

It is a wide range, but we have to look first at what is the experience of this person as far as work and how are we going to prove how they got the Mesothelioma. Then, where they got their Mesothelioma and which asbestos products caused their Mesothelioma. Then we take their age and calculate a range of settlements that they are likely to achieve.

Now if we cannot achieve a number which the individual believes is fair to them and we believe is fair to them, we will go to trial. We have tried Mesothelioma cases at the Segal Law firm throughout the state of West Virginia. If you have questions about a Mesothelioma case of your own, call the Segal Law Firm at 855-344-9100.

West Virginia Mesothelioma Attorney

What is Mesothelioma?

The cancer known as malignant mesothelioma is a malignant permanent condition which, in North America, is most often associated with exposure to asbestos.  Mesothelioma is a very unique and aggressive cancer which affects the lining of the chest and sometimes the lining of the gut.  The lining that develops the cancer is the protective lining that protects the lungs and chest cavity and another lining which protects the stomach and organs in your gut.  These tissues become cancerous and unfortunately the disease, mesothelioma, is not only malignant but very aggressive as far as spreading.

How did I get Mesothelioma?

The most common way people develop mesothelioma in North America is having been exposed to asbestos dust at their place of work.  Interestingly, many workers were exposed while in the United States Navy from 1940 through the early 1970’s.  More traditional exposures occur when people work in power houses, chemical plants or steel mills.  The asbestos was used by insulators on all different types of high heat and chemical pipes and systems, as well as in steel mills and furnaces of all kinds in all industrial settings.

Are any particular types of tradesmen and women or Union members exposed and more likely to develop Mesothelioma?

There is a famous saying amongst people who do mesothelioma cases that “asbestos does not respect a job title.”  Workers from all walks of life, pipe fitters, boiler makers, mill wrights, tin knockers, carpenters, roofers, electrical workers, bricklayers, steelworkers, ironworkers, mechanics and anyone who worked as a laborer in any job in a power house, chemical plant, steel mill or facility with furnaces and high heat systems is at risk for developing mesothelioma. Even people who worked around these industrial facilities such as secretaries and office workers have been known to develop mesothelioma, years after leaving their jobs.

Are there other types of exposure other than for people who worked in industrial facilities?

There are several different types of cases which have been successfully brought by The Segal Law Firm for people who never worked at an industrial facility or worked an industrial job a day in their life.  These cases have involved wives who washed their husband’s clothes, children who hugged their fathers when coming home from work or who would help mom shake the dust off of his overalls before they went into the laundry.  Also, looking way back 30 to 35 years, we have found a person who, although they were not currently working an industrial job, worked a summer job during college or medical school trying to make ends meet.  Although the exposure only occurred for one short summer, the mesothelioma develops 30 or 40 years later as a result of that short period of exposure.  The Segal Law Firm strives hard to figure out where and how each of our mesothelioma clients was exposed to asbestos.

Is there anything that you can do for me as a result of having developed this Mesothelioma cancer?

Mesothelioma cases are handled on a special docket.  This docket includes lists of cases by the West Virginia Courts.  Because of the devastation that mesothelioma causes families, these cases are fast-tracked on a docket so that a trial can be obtained for the victims of this disease typically within one year of the diagnosis.  Although the cases cannot always be dealt with within a year, they are always expedited by The Segal Law Firm.  We handle cases on every single trial setting, which occurs four times per year, as set by the Court.  Because these cases are handled on a fast-track, it is critical that your case is handled by a firm such as The Segal Law Firm which has over 25 years of experience handling cases before the West Virginia Courts and knows how to get your case to trial quickly and efficiently so that you and your family are protected.

Contact Scott Segal, a West Virginia Mesothelioma attorney who has been in the forefront of developing and litigating mesothelioma cancer cases in West Virginia for over 25 years.