South Carolina Paper Mill Workers Asbestos Exposure Lawyer

South Carolina Paper Mill Workers Mesothelioma & Asbestos Exposure Attorney

Asbestos was used throughout the United States during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s for its fireproofing capabilities, and countless structures throughout the country were built using asbestos. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that asbestos exposure can lead to an incurable lung cancer known as mesothelioma. If you contracted this disease while working at a paper mill, a South Carolina paper mill workers asbestos exposure lawyer can help.

Representing South Carolina Paper Mill Workers in Mesothelioma Claims

The attorneys at Wallace & Graham have extensive professional experience handling mesothelioma injury claims for clients in the Carolinas and throughout the Southern United States. We know how challenging these cases can be and the many questions you are likely to have after you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and our goal is to help our client recover as fully as possible.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, it is important to trace the root cause of the disease and determine when you were exposed to asbestos. If you work in a paper mill, especially in an older building, it is possible that the building still contains asbestos and has caused your illness. If so, it qualifies as a work-related illness and grounds to file a workers’ compensation claim for mesothelioma.

The state requires almost every employer to have workers’ compensation insurance, and this insurance can be an incredibly valuable economic lifeline to anyone who becomes ill or injured while working. However, there are limits to what workers’ compensation benefits can provide, especially when it comes to an incurable terminal illness like mesothelioma.

You may have grounds for additional legal recourse outside of the workers’ compensation claim filing process, but you will need legal representation you can trust to guide you through these recovery efforts. An experienced paper mill workers asbestos exposure lawyer is the ideal asset in this situation.

Understanding Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is an incurable form of lung cancer with a single known cause: asbestos exposure. Asbestos particles are small, sharp, and light, capable of being breathed into the lungs, where they embed and start to form cancer. Mesothelioma not only causes very painful symptoms and will ultimately be fatal to the victim, but it also takes a very long time to incubate, with the average diagnosis time being between 25 and 40 years after exposure.

Most people who have mesothelioma do not realize the severity of their situation and that they even have the disease until they experience noticeable symptoms. By the time symptoms appear, the condition has reached critical levels, and the average life expectancy after diagnosis is only 18 months. It is possible for the victim to survive longer with appropriate medical care, but the condition is ultimately fatal.

Filing for Workers’ Compensation Benefits in South Carolina

Almost every employer in the state must have workers’ compensation insurance. This insurance serves two important purposes. First, it protects employers from civil liability for their injured workers’ damages. Second, it provides economic benefits to employees if they are injured or become ill from working. If you believe your mesothelioma resulted from exposure to asbestos in your workplace, you are eligible to file a workers’ compensation claim.

Workers’ compensation claims typically yield two forms of compensation for the claimant. First, the insurance company will pay for all medical care the claimant needs for their injury or illness. Second, the claimant receives disability benefits for the time they are unable to work. This can include permanent disability benefits if their condition leaves them unable to work in the future.

You typically cannot file a civil claim against your employer for a work-related injury or illness if they have workers’ compensation insurance. However, there are exceptions to this rule. If your employer does not have insurance, if they intentionally caused your condition, or if they compelled you to work in a capacity with virtual certainty of resulting in harm, you would have grounds for a personal injury claim.

If your employer knew that asbestos exposure was a risk in your workplace but never took appropriate steps to prevent harm to employees, it could form grounds for a personal injury claim. The employer is also likely to face fines and other penalties for failure to remove asbestos products from their workplace. Removal of asbestos is very expensive, and unfortunately, some employers illegally mask these issues to avoid incurring the cost of removal services.

Benefits Available Through South Carolina Workers’ Compensation

If you qualify to file a workers’ compensation claim for mesothelioma, you can expect to receive full coverage of your medical treatment costs from your employer’s insurance carrier. This includes immediate and future care related to your condition. Additionally, the insurance company will pay you disability benefits because you will be unable to work.

When a work-related illness or injury prevents the claimant from working, they can typically expect about two-thirds of their average weekly pay each week in disability benefits. When they are unable to work at all, these disability benefits may continue for the rest of their life.

Death benefits are available to the families of workers who do not survive work-related illness or injury. Whether you are filing a workers’ compensation claim on your own behalf or on behalf of a family member, it is crucial to have legal counsel you can trust for this process. Once you recover as much as you can through workers’ compensation, your attorney can help determine whether you have grounds for additional legal recourse.

Building a Personal Injury Case for Mesothelioma

Under South Carolina’s personal injury laws, if another party is directly responsible for causing your asbestos exposure, you have the right to seek compensation for all related damages. It’s possible to have grounds for a civil suit against your employer under certain conditions, or you may need to file a claim against another party, such as an asbestos product manufacturer, business partner, or other organization.

Many companies that formerly produced asbestos products have since created mesothelioma injury trusts aimed at providing compensation to individuals diagnosed with this condition after working for these companies and/or using their products. Your paper mill workers asbestos exposure lawyer can help determine fault for your diagnosis and identify the various damages you can cite in your claim.

Claimable Damages in a Mesothelioma Personal Injury Case

If you have grounds to file a personal injury claim for your asbestos exposure, it’s possible to seek compensation for all damages that you cannot recover through a workers’ compensation claim and/or mesothelioma injury trust claim. Your attorney can help you recover compensation for:

• Any medical expenses and rehabilitative care not covered by workers’ compensation. Your attorney can verify the extent of medical treatment you need to have the most optimal quality of life possible after diagnosis with mesothelioma and then hold the defendant accountable for all remaining medical expenses.
• Lost income not covered by workers’ compensation. Even if you are awarded the maximum amount of disability benefits through your employer’s insurance policy, it will not account for the entire extent of your lost earning power following a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Your attorney can assist you in calculating the full extent of lost income and lost earning power following your diagnosis.
• Pain and suffering. South Carolina law allows a plaintiff in a personal injury claim to seek as much pain and suffering compensation as they believe to be appropriate to reflect the severity of the harm they experienced. For many plaintiffs, it accounts for most of their final case awards.

Mesothelioma is a very painful and ultimately fatal medical condition, and receiving a diagnosis of mesothelioma can be extremely distressing for the victim and their family. When you choose Wallace & Graham as your attorneys in a mesothelioma injury claim related to working in a paper mill, you can trust our firm to seek the maximum amount of compensation possible under state law for you.

Find Legal Counsel You Can Trust

An experienced paper mill workers asbestos exposure attorney is an invaluable asset for all legal proceedings you must endure following a mesothelioma diagnosis. The attorneys at Wallace & Graham focus specifically on mesothelioma claims, and we know how damaging this diagnosis can be for any family.

When you choose our firm to represent you in your recovery efforts, we will do everything we can to help determine the exact cause of your condition. We have extensive experience tracking our clients’ work histories identifying the places where they are most likely to have been exposed to asbestos.

We also know how employers throughout the Southern United States have attempted to conceal the asbestos exposure risks in their workplaces. If you believe any party, including your employer, is directly responsible for knowingly exposing you to asbestos, we can help hold them accountable.

You have a limited time in which to pursue your recovery, and it is vital to speak with an experienced attorney as soon as possible. If you are ready to learn what an experienced paper mill workers asbestos exposure lawyer can do for your case, contact Wallace & Graham today to schedule a free consultation with our team.

South Carolina Mesothelioma Resources