Asbestosis compensation can cover a range of expenses, including medical bills, living expenses, and compensation due to the negligence of the company that allowed asbestos exposure to occur. To receive asbestosis compensation, it is necessary to consult an attorney. An attorney who is familiar with asbestos claims can file a lawsuit against the company that is responsible for the exposure, and to handle the lawsuit as it travels through the legal system. Another way to receive compensation is through a class-action lawsuit. A class action suit is filed when asbestos exposure affects many people, such as on behalf of employees of one company.
Asbestosis compensation claims are common enough in the legal system that there are attorneys who specialize only in asbestos claims. The benefits of choosing an attorney who is experienced in handling asbestos related claims are numerous. These attorneys understand the various legal terms associated with asbestos exposure and illnesses, they understand the long period between exposure and developing diseases related to exposure, and, perhaps most importantly, asbestos attorneys typically take lawsuits on a contingency basis.
Taking a case on a contingency basis means that the person filing suit will not have to pay any money up front when the attorney handles the case. The attorney collects his fee from money paid by the defendants. There are many advantages to this, including no additional financial pressure on the affected party, and the fact that the attorney is unlikely to take a case unless it seems reasonable to expect a positive outcome, which prevents a waste of the time and energy of the affected party.
Asbestosis compensation depends on many factors, which is one reason an experienced attorney is necessary. There are two types of illnesses that result from asbestos exposure, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition that eventually results in respiratory failure. There is no cure for asbestosis, but it is a slowly progressing disease. Someone affected by asbestosis can expect to have a long period of disability, where they are unable to work, and high medical bills. Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer with a very poor cure rate. Mesothelioma also results in large medical bills, but, unfortunately, approximately 95 percent of patients do not live five years past the diagnosis.
The difference in the two disease associated with asbestos exposure require different types of compensation. People with mesothelioma often do not survive to collect on their claim. The estate receives the money, and once outstanding debts are paid, the balance is dispersed to the heirs. People with asbestosis, however, often receive the money awarded to them. Asbestosis compensation pays not only for medical treatments, but for living expenses, and even expenses such as making home improvements that make the house more accessible to someone who has trouble breathing.