New York Personal Injury Laws

Maintenance Man Diagnosed With Mesothelioma

You worked as a maintenance man, and now you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and you’re wondering how did you get this disease? Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to give you some information about the potential asbestos exposures that maintenance men would have confronted while they were at work and on the job.

Possible Exposures To Asbestos

Now a maintenance man in a building is responsible for the entire building. If it’s a six story apartment building, or an 80 story skyscraper in Manhattan, a maintenance worker or maintenance man could have duties and responsibilities throughout the building. For example, in an apartment building, a maintenance man might have to everyday work on maintaining the boiler system. Older boilers sometimes needed water poured into them. Boilers have to be checked. If there was a necessary repair that had to be made, if it was a simple one, a maintenance man could effectuate that repair. If it involved plumbers or tradesmen coming into the site, the maintenance man would be on site supervising. Why is that important? Because the boilers years ago were covered with asbestos insulation, and work with the boilers, whether by the maintenance man himself or by others in his vicinity, could cause asbestos dust to go into the air, exposing everyone in the room to asbestos that could cause mesothelioma.

A maintenance man is responsible for the tenant spaces in the building. In an apartment building for example, a tenant moves out, that apartment has to be painted. The walls had to be prepared and smoothed out. Cracks or holes in the walls had to be filled with joint compound. Joint compound contained asbestos before 1977. When it was sanded down, the dust would go in the air, exposing anyone in the room, including the maintenance personal, to asbestos dust, dust that can cause mesothelioma.

A lot of apartments and a lot of commercial spaces had floor tile that contained asbestos. When it was removed or replaced, chipping up the old floor tile caused asbestos dust. Cutting, sanding, installing new asbestos floor tile caused asbestos dust to be breathed by any worker, any person in the area of the work.

These are all potential exposures that maintenance men, maintenance personal, could have during the course of their work. It’s the lifetime work around asbestos that causes mesothelioma.

 Contact Us with Questions or Concerns

Why am I telling you all this? It’s because you have questions about mesothelioma and what types of exposures maintenance personal could face when they’re working on the job.

I’m Joe Williams, and at our office we handle cases for victims of mesothelioma everyday. We deal with these issues everyday. I invite you to call our office and we’ll answer your questions. Thank you.

Asbestos Exposure Claim

You’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and you worked at the World Trade Center during it’s construction. The building no longer exists, so how could you possibly bring a claim for your mesothelioma diagnosis? Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney here in New York City, and I can answer these questions that you might have about the World Trade Center. When the World Trade Center was constructed, it was one of the largest construction projects ever known to man, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the State of New York, entered into contracts with various contractors – general contractors and subcontractors – to do all of the work at this massive, massive project that involved thousands and thousands of workers. During the course of the last decade, we’ve seen many workers who have developed mesothelioma from their work at the World Trade Center, and through the litigation of those cases, we have acquired the contracts, the work records, the documents, which establish which contractors worked at the World Trade Center, what work they did, what work with asbestos was done at the World Trade Center. There’s also prior deposition testimony from other workers who’ve gone before you, who have already  testified to their exposure to asbestos at the World Trade Center. So, there’s a body of evidence and information about how workers were exposed to asbestos at the World Trade Center, and we can use that information, as well as any information that a worker who’s now been diagnosed with mesothelioma could have, to create a full picture of the types of exposures that occurred to workers at the World Trade Center. So, just because the building no longer exists, we are still able to go forward and prove a very strong case regarding exposure to asbestos at the World Trade Center, exposures that can cause mesothelioma to the workers that worked at the World Trade Center. You have questions about mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos. I’m Joe Williams. At our firm, we answer questions from mesothelioma victims and their families every day. Give us a call. We’ll be happy to answer your questions. Thank you.

Recovering Medical Bills

Can a victim of Mesothelioma recover the medical bills that they incurred through their legal case? Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I Mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City, and I can tell you that the answer to this question is definitely, yes. In every case I’ve ever handled, in all the years I’ve been representing Mesothelioma victims, every victim and their family stresses to me the stress that they have over the large amount of medical bills that they are incurring.

 Making A Claim for Medical Bills

I can tell you, just like I tell every one of them, that in every Mesothelioma case we assert a claim in the case for the repayment of the medical bills. What that means is that we bring a lawsuit against the companies who exposed our clients to asbestos. As part of that lawsuit, one of the claims that we make is that our client has incurred significant medical bills, and that those companies should have to pay those bills, because they caused them to contract this unfortunate cancer.

Breaking Down The Medical Expenses

These bills can be extensive. A Mesothelioma victim’s treatment can include surgery or multiple surgeries. It can include chemotherapy, multiple rounds of chemotherapy. It can also include radiation, as well as well as numerous office visits.

All these things are obviously very expensive, and the bills can really add up, adding stress to an already stressful situation. I can tell you that as part of the legal case, we seek to recover payment of these bills from the companies we bring the case against.

 Further Questions and Concerns, Contact Us

Now, I’m sure you have many other questions about how medical bills are taken care of as part of a legal case. I can answer those questions. I’m Joe Williams, and in our firm we handle these cases every day. We represent Mesothelioma victims every day.

I encourage you to call the number on your screen below, that’s my office number, and we’ll answer your questions. Thanks so much for watching.

Jewelers Exposed to Asbestos

Did you know that jewelers could be exposed to asbestos from their work as a jeweler, and later in life be diagnosed with mesothelioma? Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to talk to you about some of these asbestos exposures.

 When the Exposure Occurs

A jeweler would work on casting jewelry. In order to do that, they would do something called the lost wax method in which they would make a mold using wax in a container. The important part of this is that the container itself would be lined with an asbestos containing product, often an asbestos containing paper. That material would have to be cut and manipulated to get into the mold. The asbestos was used so that when the mold is put into the oven, it would stand the high heat of the oven during the molding process. The jeweler would be cutting this asbestos paper product exposing themselves to asbestos fibers and asbestos dust over the course of their career.

In addition to that, jewelers soldered jewelry. They did that on soldering boards, or pounding boards, made of an asbestos stone. The repeated use of this board made of stone over the course of time released asbestos dust that the jeweler would breath on a continual and daily basis. These exposures to asbestos can cause a jeweler to develop mesothelioma decades later, later in their life, even after their work has long stopped.

Now, I’m telling you this because you have questions about mesothelioma, and about what causes mesothelioma. I’m Joe Williams, and at my law firm we deal with these issues every day. We represent mesothelioma victims and their families each and every day. If you have questions, I invite you to contact our office, and we will answer your questions. Thank you.

Two Different Judicial Systems

Here in the United States, we have two separate and distinct judicial systems. Each state has its own court system, and the US Government has its own federal court system. An experienced attorney is going to know exactly whether or not your case belongs in state or federal court. At the Maurer Law Firm, we will be able to evaluate your case and tell you what’s in your best interest. If you have questions about where your case needs to be brought, call the Maurer Law Firm. I’ll be able to tell you exactly whether or not your case should be in state or federal court.

Medical Malpractice in Sayville

Today on You Be The Judge. With hospitals being administered by fallible human beings, mistakes are inevitable. While hospitals have full disclosure agreements with their patients, you might be surprised to find out what happens after mistakes are made. The Center for Disease Control says tens of millions of people receive hospital services each year.

Examples of Malpractice

Over the decades the hospital industry has evolved and made necessary changes to protect patients. Nevertheless, hospitals are run by humans, and the unfortunate truth is that they make mistakes that put patients lives at risk. Researchers have long investigated medication errors. These errors show up in a variety of forms, including improper compounding the process of tailoring-made drugs for an individual, incorrectly writing out prescriptions, failing to monitor effects on patients, giving the wrong kind of medication, and administering too high or too low of a dosage.

Reporting Mistakes

A study led by Doctor Daniel Nussbaum showed that hospital employees are more likely to report mistakes under the protection of Blame-free anonymity. By giving these employees a safe environment to report mistakes, hospitals are then able to assess the reports and make appropriate changes. Before, they had very little information to work with. This progress is a good sign for both hospitals and patients.

Medication Errors Study

A recent study led by Doctor Assad Latif, examine medication errors and what happens afterward. Doctor Latif shared that, for the most part our findings were in keeping with what the existing literature tells us about the where and how of medication errors in a hospital. The most surprising finding was what we do about them.

Latif said about 98% of mistakes did not result in harming patients. However the patient and or their family is immediately informed when an error occurs barely 2% of the time despite literature supporting full disclosure and their desire to be promptly informed. Letting patients know about medication errors only 2% of the time sounds pretty scaring, doesn’t it?

Hospitals Make Mistakes

We should not assume that all medication errors threaten anyone’s well-being, or that the information would always be of importance to the patient. However, harmful mistakes do occur without patients knowing it. What do you think hospitals should do to ensure that the promised full disclosure is being fulfilled?

By: Edward Lake

Seeking Legal Help

You’ve been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma; you and your family are very stressed out, you’re not feeling well, and you want to wait a while before you take on perhaps the stresses of a legal case even though you know you were exposed to asbestos. Let me explain to you why that’s not a good idea.

Some Medical Information

Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to talk to you about mesothelioma and why it’s important to get help right away in seeking justice for your mesothelioma diagnosis. I have next to me an anatomical drawing of a right-sided mesothelioma, and in this diagram we see a lung. The lung parenchyma here is represented by this tissue, and we can see it’s scarred and fibrotic, that’s called asbestosis, an indicator of a lot of asbestos exposure over a long period of time. And this area here, this yellowish-white area, is a malignant mesothelioma tumor.

This tumor grows in a diffuse pattern, and it’s been described as growing sort of like the rind on a grapefruit, and it grows and encases the lungs and causes shortness of breath, and as it grows and gets bigger and thicker a patient has more difficulty breathing; more difficulty expanding their lungs, because their lung are being collapsed by this tumor, which pushes against both the bony ribs, but the bony ribs don’t move, so it pushes against the spongy lung tissue and causes the lungs to contract and causes the patient to not be able to get a full breath, causes the patient to be short of breath.

As mesothelioma progresses, and unfortunately it progresses very, very quickly, over the course of months the mesothelioma tumor can grow outside of the lung and go from a stage 1 tumor to a stage 2, 3, or 4 tumor based upon the spread of the tumor to local and distant sites. And it’s important that mesothelioma is a malignancy that grows quite quickly, so it’s important that even though a person who’s a victim of mesothelioma is feeling quite lousy and is very upset it’s important at the onset, to seek out whatever legal help you’re going to seek.

So that that way qualified, confident people can get to work for you to help you seek justice while you’re strong, while you’re able to memorialize all your exposures to asbestos, while you’re able to discuss all the ways that you think that you were exposed to asbestos.

You have questions about mesothelioma. I’m Joe Williams. At our office, we represent mesothelioma victims every day. I invite you to give a call to our office, we’ll answer your questions. Thank you very much.

Upfront Attorney Fees

When a mesothelioma victim and their family come into my office, one of the first questions they ask me is are there any upfront costs or fees for me to handle their case? Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City. I can tell you that the answer to this question is absolutely not.

 Paying to Prosecute Your Case

In a mesothelioma case, the lawyers for the victim lay out the money to prosecute the case. So things like court filing fees– to file the case, to start the case, there’s a fee in the courthouse to do that. The lawyers lay out that money. Fees associated with continuing the case, the lawyers lay out that money. Fees associated with hiring expert witnesses– a mesothelioma case requires the hiring and retaining of some very important expert witnesses in order to support the medical and exposure claims that are made in the case. All of those fees are disbursements which are laid out by the attorneys in the case. I can tell you at our firm, we never ask a client to set forth any payments, any money, until the case is concluded.

 Post-Settlement Money

What happens is the case is prosecuted until it’s completed. At that point, the money that is obtained in the form of a settlement or a judgement or verdict at trial, the lawyer takes the disbursements and pays them back, then takes the lawyer’s fee. All the remainder of the money, whether it be in the form of a settlement or a verdict at trial, all of that is the client’s proceeds from the result obtained in that case.

Contact Us With Questions or Concerns

Now you may have many more questions related to this topic and others. I’m Joe Williams. My office number is listed below. I encourage you to give a call to our office. We will answer your questions. We’re here to help you and to answer your questions. Thank you.

Steamfitter Exposed to Asbestos

You’re a steamfitter. You’ve been working your entire life with asbestos gaskets and pipe covering, and now you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma. And you’re struggling with how you’re going to handle your case.

Hi. I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City, and I’ve represented many, many steamfitters over the years. And I can tell you that their exposures are always the same. Steamfitters work with pipes and gaskets each and every day, and steamfitters help to build this city.

 How Steamfitters Became Exposed

And in so doing they worked at every powerhouse, built the powerhouses. And were exposed to those asbestos gaskets, they’re in-between the flanges of every pipe in those powerhouses. The pre-fabricated gaskets as well as the sheet gaskets that you cut with thick shears to fit over those flanges.

And then you take a hammer and pound through the flange where the bolt hole is, so that you can make that gasket fit securely. While you were doing your work, other trades were working around you. Insulators were insulating some of the very same pipes that you were working on.

And they were insulating equipment that was nearby to your work. And while you were working on these pipes and dealing with these flanges, you were attaching these pipes to large pieces of equipment like boilers or pumps.

And those pieces of equipment were covered with asbestos, causing you to be exposed again. Well, there are many ways that steamfitters were exposed to asbestos, both from their work and from the work of others in their working vicinity.

Why am I telling you this? Because you’ve been exposed to asbestos. Over the years I’ve represented many members of the local 638 steamfitters union here in New York City. And each of them has talked to me and talked in their deposition in their case about their exposures to asbestos gaskets, to asbestos insulation, asbestos pipe covering.

And if you’re a steamfitter, I’m sure you had many of the same exposures. I’m sure you have many questions about mesothelioma. Well, I have the answers to those questions. I’m Joe Williams, and I invite you to call me at my office at the number below, and we’ll answer your questions. We represent mesothelioma victims every day. This is what we do, and I’ll be happy to speak to you. Thank you.