Lung Cancer Lawyer in Virginia

Exposure to asbestos can cause a variety of serious health problems, including lung cancer, which is by far the leading cause of cancer death for men and women, according to the American Cancer Society.

Unfortunately, asbestos lung cancer could have been prevented. Companies decided to continue using asbestos-containing materials even though there was decades of evidence linking this mineral to lung cancer and other health problems.

The Virginia lung cancer lawyers at The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl have many years of experience proving that companies knew or should have known about the dangers of asbestos. We have a successful track record of recovering fair compensation for asbestos cancer victims and their families, including compensation awards worth more than $1 million. Contact our trusted attorneys today to schedule a free, no obligation legal consultation to find out if you have grounds for a lung cancer claim. If we take your case, we will do so on contingency, which means there are no fees or costs unless we obtain compensation.

Our Virginia office is just minutes away from Naval Medical Center Virginia and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where many people were exposed to asbestos.

Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form right now or call 757-397-6424.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a fibrous, naturally occurring mineral that was used in thousands of products in a variety of industries for much of the 1900s because of its numerous advantages:

The problem with asbestos is that contains millions of microscopic fibers that can break apart. If these fibers become airborne, they are easily inhaled. Unfortunately, it is difficult to expel these fibers once they are inhaled, which means they get stuck in your lungs and damage tissue. In anywhere from 10 to 40 years, the damage to your lungs could cause you to experience symptoms of lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis and other severe health problems.

Another reason why asbestos is so dangerous is that there is no safe level of exposure. You could be exposed to a very small amount and end up with lung cancer or another health problem years later.

If you have lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, you could be entitled to compensation for damages caused by this disease. Contact a Virginia lung cancer lawyer today for a free consultation.

Contact The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl today.

Types of Asbestos Exposure

Many people who develop asbestos lung cancer worked directly with asbestos-containing materials.

However, you could have breathed in asbestos fibers even if you did not work directly with these materials. If you worked at a place with asbestos-containing materials, asbestos particles could have easily become airborne and spread around the work site. There is a particularly high risk if the facility did a poor job of containing areas where asbestos fibers may have been.

Even if you did not breathe in these fibers right away, they could have become stuck to your hair or clothes and you could have breathed them in later.

Wives and children of these workers are also at risk of exposure. Fibers on a worker’s clothes could expose the worker’s family members who may have come into contact with them. Known as secondhand exposure, this often happened when wives washed their husband’s work clothes. Once someone comes home with asbestos fibers on their clothes, they can easily get into the air and be inhaled or swallowed.

Call a Virginia lung cancer attorney today at 757-397-6424.

Types of Lung Cancer

Your cancer diagnosis falls under one of two of the most common types of lung cancer:

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Approximately 80 to 85 percent of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. About half of these cancers are classified as adenocarcinomas, which is the most common type of lung cancer in non-smokers. This type tends to grow slower than other types of cancer and is more likely to be found before it spreads.

Another common type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is squamous cell carcinoma, which makes up 25 to 30 percent of NSCLC diagnoses. These tend to be found in the middle of the lungs.

There are also large cell carcinomas, which account for 10 to 15 percent of NSCLC diagnoses. This type tends to grow and spread quickly, making it tougher to treat.

Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Approximately 10 to 15 percent of lung cancers are classified as small cell lung cancer. This type of cancer is common in smokers, meaning it is rare for non-smokers to be diagnosed with this type. This type of cancer is often caused by outside factors, such as exposure to asbestos, diesel exhaust, air pollution or radon.

Unfortunately, small-cell lung cancer does not usually cause symptoms until the disease is already at an advanced stage.

Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Inhaling asbestos fibers can eventually cause lung cells to grow uncontrollably and form a cancerous tumor, which destroys healthy lung tissue and prevents the lungs from functioning properly.

This medical condition is called lung cancer and it can cause the following symptoms:

If cancer cells spread to other body parts, you could also experience the following symptoms:

Unfortunately, lung cancer is often detected after cancer cells have already spread to other parts of the body. This makes it difficult to treat and is one of the main reasons why lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death.

In some cases, treatment could cause the disease to go into remission. In others, treatment can help patients manage symptoms of their condition.

Some of the treatment options for cancer include:

• Surgery – A common type of surgery for lung cancer patients is a lobectomy. This is where a surgeon removes the lobe that contains the cancer. Unfortunately, there are some cases were surgery is not possible because the tumor is too large to take out.
• Chemotherapy – This is a treatment where drugs are administered to attempt to kill cancer cells. This treatment is often undergone in conjunction with radiation therapy, where radiation is used to destroy cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy – This is a treatment option where doctors target cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. The goal is to block these cells from spreading to other body parts.

Unfortunately, the cost of cancer treatment can be astronomical, particularly because treatment could last a long time.

If your lung cancer was caused by exposure to asbestos, you could be entitled to compensation for your medical bills and other expenses caused by this life-threatening disease.

Our Virginia lung cancer lawyers can review your situation in a free, no obligation legal consultation to determine if you have grounds for a case.

Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form today.

Work Sites in Virginia Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

There are several work sites in Virginia where it has been confirmed that workers were exposed to asbestos, including:

Schedule a free consultation today. Click here.

Industries with High Risk for Asbestos Exposure

The above list shows that workers in many industries were at risk of being exposed, even if they did not work directly with asbestos-containing materials.

Some of the high-risk industries include:

Occupations with High Risk of Exposure

Some of the specific jobs that came with a high risk of breathing in asbestos fibers include:

Contact a Virginia lung cancer lawyer today.

Products That Contained Asbestos

The reason so many people could have been exposed to asbestos is that this mineral was used in countless products, including:

Did you work with any of these products or in an industry where it was likely you came into contact with asbestos? The employer should have known about the dangers of asbestos, and if your exposure led to lung cancer, the employer could be held liable for all of the damages you suffered.

Contact a Virginia lung cancer lawyer from our firm for a free, no obligation legal consultation to determine if you have legal options.

Call The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl today. 757-397-6424

Benefits of Hiring a Virginia Lung Cancer Lawyer

Asbestos lung cancer cases are often complicated and time-consuming. This is why pursuing a case on your own is not a good idea. Despite your best efforts, you could fail to collect key evidence or accept a settlement that is well below what you deserve.

This is why you should strongly consider retaining the services of an experienced lung cancer attorney in Virginia. There are numerous benefits to working with an attorney:

Free Consultation

The asbestos lung cancer attorneys at The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl offer a free legal consultation where you can discuss your illness and other aspects of your case. This way, you do not have to factor in legal fees when you are thinking of contacting us. The consultation also comes with no obligation to pursue a case if we determine you have grounds for pursuing compensation.

Contingency Fee Arrangement

Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that it costs money to hire a personal injury lawyer. This often causes people to decide not to contact an attorney.

Our lung cancer lawyers in Virginia take cases on contingency, which means legal fees are contingent on us recovering compensation. If we do not obtain compensation for your case, there will be no fees or costs.

Comprehensive Investigation

One of the challenges of an asbestos case is determining when and where you were exposed to asbestos. It takes decades for asbestos exposure to cause health problems. When you finally begin experiencing symptoms you may not remember when you were exposed to asbestos-containing materials.

The experienced Virginia lung cancer attorneys at our firm understand this unique challenge and know what it takes to find the information we need to build your case. We know how to determine your employment history and find the places you worked, even if they went out of business.

We also are well-versed in the research showing the harms of asbestos and when this was available to employers. This will help us to establish that your employer knew or should have known that asbestos was harmful and it should not have been used in the workplace.

Accurately Valuing Your Claim

One of the most important parts of your case is determining all of the damages you have suffered and the value of those damages. We can help you gather evidence to build your case, which can include receipts, bills, and personal accounts about non-economic damages, like pain and suffering.

The experienced attorneys at our firm have a wealth of experience documenting the damages our clients have suffered. We know what it takes to build a strong case for why you deserve various forms of compensation.

Our lawyers are prepared to manage every aspect of your case, leaving you free to focus on your treatment and your family.

Contact our attorneys today for a free, no obligation legal consultation.

Ways to Obtain Compensation

As we investigate and build your case, we will determine how we should pursue fair compensation, as there are different ways to do this in an asbestos lung cancer case:

• File a lawsuit – Many of these cases are resolved by filing a lawsuit against one of the following entities: product or parts manufacturer, distributor or wholesaler of the product, or the company that hired you to work with products containing asbestos. We can either go through a trial and try to obtain a favorable jury verdict or attempt to settle with the other side. While we are fully prepared to accept a fair settlement offer, we are also prepared to wait for a jury verdict. We will only do what we think is in your best interest.
• Contact a settlement fund – The sheer volume of asbestos lawsuits has caused some companies to create settlement funds to deal with claims. We understand how this process works and are prepared to defend your best interests every step of the way.
• File a claim with a bankruptcy trust – Some companies who are facing asbestos lawsuits have filed for bankruptcy protection and reorganization. When this happens, courts require these companies to create asbestos trust funds to pay out compensation. Courts required companies to make sure these trusts had enough money to compensate victims of asbestos exposure. We are prepared to build a strong case that could improve your chances of the trust approving your claim.

We have detailed knowledge of the different ways of obtaining compensation for asbestos lung cancer. We may even be able to file a lawsuit and a claim with a trust or settlement fund. It depends on the specifics of your case.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form today.

Compensation for Lung Cancer Caused by Asbestos

A lung cancer diagnosis often has a devastating effect on the life of the victim and his or her family. The physical, financial and emotional damage of this diagnosis is difficult to put into words.

The purpose of compensation is to help victims and their families deal with all of these damages. This is the law’s only way of attempting to return victims and their families to the position they were in before the lung cancer diagnosis.

There are several types of compensation we may be able to recover:

Medical Bills

Cancer is one of the most expensive diseases to treat. This is why victims often have to take on massive amounts of debt to fund all of the treatments they undergo.

Fortunately, all of the current and future medical expenses created by your diagnosis could be compensable. This includes:

If your loved one has already died from lung cancer, you can still pursue compensation for all of the care he or she received before dying.

Lost Wages

Some people with lung cancer are able to continue working. However, they may miss time while undergoing medical procedures or receiving treatment from doctors. Fortunately, you may be able to recover compensation to make up for any wages lost when you missed work.

Lost Earning Capacity

Unfortunately, there are many more cases where victims are completely unable to work or need to reduce their hours because of physical limitations. This could have a devastating effect on your earning capacity for the rest of your life. You may struggle to pay your bills and provide for your family.

That is why the law allows you to pursue compensation for lost earning capacity. This attempts to make up for the income you would have earned if you had never been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Our Virginia lung cancer lawyers will gather evidence to show your salary history, job skills, experience and what your earnings would have been without your cancer diagnosis. This could help to ensure you are properly compensated for your lost earning capacity.

Pain and Suffering

The physical pain and side effects from cancer and your treatments are extremely difficult to manage. Lung cancer patients often have intense coughing fits, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and weakness.

There is also a great deal of emotional suffering from these physical problems. Cancer patients can often feel depressed, stressed out, anxious and have trouble sleeping.

Our attorneys will explain how you can document the physical pain and emotional suffering you experience because of your lung cancer diagnosis. This will help us as we try to determine an accurate valuation of these damages.

The Virginia lung cancer lawyers at our firm want you to receive all of the compensation you deserve. We are committed to thoroughly investigating and documenting all damages you are experiencing.

Contact an attorney today for a free, no obligation legal consultation.

Statute of Limitations for Lung Cancer Cases

Many people wonder when is the right time to contact a personal injury lawyer about their case. The answer is, as soon as possible, even if you are not entirely sure about the viability of your case.

The reason you should quickly reach out to a lung cancer attorney in Virginia is that there is a statute of limitations on your case. According to Virginia statute, you have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. If you miss the deadline, you lose the right to file a lawsuit. If you are filing a wrongful death action on behalf of someone who died from lung cancer, you have two years from the date of death to file.

An attorney can review your situation to determine when the statute began to run and when it ends. This way he or she can help ensure your claim is filed before the deadline.

These cases are complicated and can take a long time to properly investigate. By contacting us as soon as possible, you are giving us more time to build your case as we pursue all of the compensation you deserve.

Contact a Lung Cancer Lawyer in Virginia for a Free Consultation

Your asbestos lung cancer could have been avoided if companies had stopped using this harmful mineral when they knew it was dangerous. This is why you may be entitled to compensation for the damages caused by your illness.

The experienced lung cancer lawyers in Virginia at our firm understand the suffering caused by asbestos lung cancer. We have helped many families recover fair compensation and hold negligent parties accountable.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation today or call 757-397-6424.