Allentown, PA Mesothelioma Lawyer

Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is the third most populated city of Pennsylvania and the 231st largest city in the U.S. As of the last United States census, the city has a total population of 121,483 residents making it the fastest growing city in Pennsylvania. With a total surface area of 18 square miles, Allentown has a population density of 6920 people per square mile. Acquired from Native American tribe leaders, the city recently passed a milestone for 250 years since being founded in 1762.

The opening of the Lehigh Canal in the early nineteenth century began the industrialization of Allentown, shifting it from what was a rural agricultural town to the bustling, economic and industrial hub it is today. Many companies, businesses, and industries have been grown during that time including the Norfolk Southern Railway and Air Products and Chemicals, Lehigh Valley Railroad, and the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the final of them having to shut down due to bankruptcy. All these companies and many more used asbestos for innumerable industrial processes and products. 

Have You or Your Loved One Been Diagnosed with Mesothelioma Cancer?

According to a report by the Center for Disease Control, nearly 2400 to 2800 new mesothelioma cases are reported in the United States of America. Mesothelioma is malignant cancer caused when the inhaled asbestos fibers are lodged in the walls of the lungs, heart or abdomen. The symptoms may include chest pain and shortness of breath. It also reduces the life expectancy of the patient to only 12 months after the diagnosis. It is usually diagnosed by image testing (CT scans, PET scans, and X-rays) and biopsy to locate the tumor and assess its severity. 

If the cancer is at stage 1 (localized) at the time of diagnosis surgery will be effectively performed and its growth can be stopped. Stage 2 and 3 suggest the progression of cancer to the adjacent structures and finally the lymph nodes keeping surgery as an option but not as effective. Patients at stage 4 only have chemotherapy and radiation therapy as an option since cancer has been spread throughout the body now. Some patients also choose immunotherapy and alternative treatments (herbal medicines and holistic healings) to suppress growth. 

Who is at Higher Risk of Developing Mesothelioma Cancer?

Currently, those with the greatest risk of developing mesothelioma are elder men who were previously employed in workplaces like these, commonly, steel mills, shipyards, and factories. Typically, these people are usually factory workers, steelworkers, electricians, contractors, building inspectors, auto-mechanics, machinists, and engineers, manufacturers of automotive, boiler operators, miners, and welders, among others. People who have experienced second-hand exposure from living with an asbestos’ exposed person, spouse or children, are also prone to developing mesothelioma. 

Pennsylvania has, regrettably, the second-highest wrongful death rate in the United States, with a number of over 3600. The death rate due to mesothelioma is at 20.8 deaths for every 1 million citizens. The state poses a higher risk, which is due in part to the four asbestos mines that exist in the southwest and a total of 41 asbestos deposits around the state according to a survey by the United States Geological Survey. 

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, quite a number of companies across Pennsylvania hold the risk of employee exposure to asbestos. They have been added to the National Priorities List. Some of those listed are Pennsylvania landfills, Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Alcoa Pennsylvania pipe shipping and demolition, Baker Chemical Company, and Western Electric to name a few.

Is There Hope for Fair Compensation?

Many bankrupt asbestos companies have set up trust funds for those that have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. Nearly 30 billion dollars are being held in these trust funds. Mesothelioma attorneys can be approached to access and receive the due, fair compensation for people with mesothelioma and their families. Because most of them are facing damages due to their employers’ negligence. These attorneys can go through the doctor’s diagnosis with the affected and devise a strategy to obtain the full financial compensation for their clients through lawsuits or settlement deals. This compensation can be made to cover doctor’s appointments, medications, and any surgical treatment that the client may go through due to the disease. 

Many lawyers offer initial free consultations as well. Unfortunately, the prognosis for mesothelioma is not bleak with patients having a life expectancy of approximately 12 months from the date of the diagnosis. Due to this, many wrongful death cases are also filed for any financial, emotional or otherwise distress that the patient’s family may be subjected to.

How Can Allentown’s Mesothelioma Lawyers Help You? 

If you, or a loved one of yours, has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, this must be an extremely difficult moment in time for you to go through. Allentown’s mesothelioma lawyers can help you with the legal advice you will need to help you cope the best you can. Many attorneys have connections to oncologists or doctors specializing in mesothelioma and other asbestos-related injuries to aid you in your treatment with vital medical advice and insight. 

The mesothelioma attorneys work on a contingency-fee basis meaning you don’t have to pay them anything until you win the case and receive the compensation. Their fee is a certain percentage of the amount you’ll receive and it is advised to discuss this with your mesothelioma attorney during the first meeting. A suitable attorney will not promise successful settlements but will give a higher probability of successful compensation for common expenses. These may include funeral expenses (wrongful death claim), lost wages, treatment costs, therapy and grief support, and caregiver costs.   

The personal injury statute of limitation that is in effect within Pennsylvania is 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 5501 et seq. It states that when filing a medical injury lawsuit, it must be so done within the first two years since the discovery of the illness. This applies to cases of mesothelioma or other diseases caused by asbestos. Wrongful death lawsuits also adhere to the same rule. A wrongful death suit must be filed within two years of the victim’s passing.