Are you looking for information on how to find a mesothelioma lawyer in New York City? Past exposure to asbestos puts you at risk of contracting mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer diagnosed in fewer than 3,000 people in the United States every year.http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma.htm If you were exposed to asbestos at any time in your life, you should see your doctor for a thorough examination and assessment. If you have already received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, it is time to find an attorney.
New York State has the third highest incidence of asbestos-related death in the nation.http://www.asbestos.com/states/new-york/new-york-city.php Deaths from mesothelioma specifically didn't start being documented until 1998. However, from the information available, it is estimated that as many as 994 people in the New York City area have died from mesothelioma since 1979. Of those, 429 were in Queens County, 260 in Kings County, 40 in Richmond County, 122 in Bronx County and 143 in New York County. If you include all forms of asbestos-related deaths, as many as 1,151 people have died from asbestosis or mesothelioma in the New York City area since 1979.
If you or somebody else living has mesothelioma, a lawyer may file a personal injury suit. If a family member has died from mesothelioma, a wrongful death suit may be filed. In the state of New York, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury suit is three years. http://www.asbestos.net/state-resources/new-york.html The clock starts running when the problem is first discovered. The statute of limitations for wrongful death suits is two years, starting on the date of death. It is very important to consult with a lawyer as soon after your diagnosis or the death of a loved one as possible.
Disclaimer
The content on this page is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or legal advice. Speak with a qualified lawyer to ensure that you get the most accurate information regarding any potential claim that you might have.
Featured Video: Should You Hire a Mesothelioma Lawyer?
In this video interview with Mary Hesdorffer, a nurse practitioner and Medical Liaison for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, she advises patients with mesothelioma to get a lawyer. As she points out, mesothelioma is a very expensive disease to treat. Settlement money can help to pay for medical bills not covered by insurance, travel expenses to visit doctors and the day-to-day expenses of daily living for the patient and his or her family.
Step 1: Were You Employed in an At-Risk Industry in the New York City Area?
New York City and surrounding areas have a number of potential sources of asbestos exposure. Up until the late 1970s, asbestos was used in virtually every building and skyscraper built in the city. Because asbestos is an excellent source of both heat and fire resistance, it was used in almost every area of building construction, including floor tiles, plaster board, paints, coatings, pipes and adhesives. To this day, many of the pipes that run under the city are still wrapped in asbestos. Pipe ruptures or catastrophic events like the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 can result in exposure to high concentrations of asbestos that might be released into the atmosphere from systems constructed before the government began regulating the use of asbestos in the 1980s. http://www.asbestos.com/states/new-york/new-york-city.php
Because so many buildings constructed in New York City before 1979 still contain asbestos products, the risk of exposure remains high. Many of the city’s public schools have undergone asbestos clean-up during renovations over the years. However, many have not. The same is true of numerous apartment buildings, homes, office buildings, government buildings and malls. Some of the largest known exposure sites in and around the city include Todd Shipyards, Con-Ed Power, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Grand Central Station and GMD Shipyard. But, there are many other sites as well all over the city.
Step 2: Did You Work For a Company Where You May Have Been Exposed to Asbestos?
If you think that you, a friend or a family member may have been exposed to asbestos at work or in buildings where asbestos has been discovered, see your doctor for a thorough exam. If mesothelioma or asbestosis is diagnosed, find a lawyer. Be prepared to tell your attorney where you think you were exposed to asbestos. He or she will have to be able to prove what caused your exposure to asbestos and which company was responsible for that exposure.
The companies listed below are sites of potential asbestos exposure in New York City.http://www.asbestosnews.com/asbestos-areas/new-york.html If you or someone you know worked at or spent extended periods of time at any of these sites, you may have been exposed to asbestos. This is not a comprehensive list of potential exposure sites. Make sure your lawyer is aware of all of the areas where you have lived and worked in New York City.
Acands, Inc, Brooklyn, NY; American Sugar Refining, Inc, Brooklyn, NY; Atlantic Cement Company, Inc, Queens, NY; Babcock & Wilcox Company, New York, NY; Badger Aluminum Foundry, Brooklyn, NY; Bank Of NY Building, New York, NY; Bankers Trust Building, New York, NY; Bankers Trust Office Building, New York, NY; Belleview Hospital, New York, NY; Bellevue Hospital, Manhattan, NY; Benjamin Franklin Houses, New York, NY; Beth Israel Hospital, New York, NY; Beth Israel Hospital, New York, NY; Bethlehem Steel Co, Brooklyn, NY; Bronx General Hospital, Bronx, NY; Bronx State Hospital, Bronx, NY; Bronx VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY; Brookhaven National Labs, New York NY; Brookhaven National Labs, New York, NY; Brooklyn Center School, Brooklyn, NY; Brooklyn Coastal Drydock, Brooklyn, NY; Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, NY; Brooklyn Steel Warehouse Co, Brooklyn, NY; Bush Terminal Buildings Co, Brooklyn, NY; Cathedral High School, New York, NY; Chase Manhattan Plaza, New York, NY; Chrysler Building, New York, NY; Ciba Company, Inc, New York, NY; Columbia University, Manhattan, NY; Columbus Circle Coliseum, New York, NY; Commonwealth Edison Co, New York, NY; Con Edison - 59th St Generating Station, New York, NY; Con Edison - East River Generating Station, New York, NY; Con Edison - 59th St Powerhouse, New York, NY; Con Edison - 14th Street Powerhouse, Manhattan, NY; Con Edison - East River, New York NY; Con Edison - Hellgate Westside, New York NY; Con Edison - Kipps Bay, New York NY; Con Edison – Waterside, New York NY; Con Edison, Inc, Bronx, NY; Consolidated Edison Co Of New York, New York, NY; Consolidated Edison Co, Brooklyn, NY; Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, Queens, NY; Daily News Building, New York NY; Dauskamer Powerhouse, New York NY; Davidson Pipe Supply Co, Inc, Brooklyn, NY; Defoe Shipyard, New York, NY; Doctors Hospital, New York, NY; E I Dupont De Nemours & Co, New York NY; Eastman Kodak, New York NY; Empire State Building, Manhattan, NY; Empire-Ace Insulation Manufacturing, Brooklyn, NY; First National City Bank Building, New York, NY; Frederick Snare Corp, New York, NY; General Electric, New York, NY; General Motors Building, New York NY; Glen Cove Power Plant, New York NY; Guaranty Trust Co, New York, NY; H Wolff Book Manufacturing Co Inc, New York, NY; Hilton Hotel, New York, NY; Interchurch Center, New York, NY; International Paper Co, Brooklyn, NY; J A Ewing & Mcdonald, Inc, New York, NY; Jabez Burns & Sons, New York, NY; Jewish Hospital, Brooklyn, NY; JFK International Airport, Queens, NY; Kennedy International Corp, New York, NY; Kent Avenue Powerhouse, Brooklyn, NY; King Insulation Company, Inc, New York, NY; L Murphy Inc - Con Ed - Power Station - Mp 6319, New York, NY; La Sala Contracting Company, Inc, New York, NY; Laguardia Airport, New York, NY; Lincoln Center, New York, NY; Long Island Lighting Co - Northport Long Island, New York, NY; Long Island Railroad/Penn Station, New York NY; Luigi Serra, Inc, New York, NY; Luna Park Houses, Brooklyn, NY; Martisco Paper Co, Manhattan, NY; Metropolitan Life Ins Co, New York, NY; Mobil Oil - Inip Drive, Queens, NY; Mobil Oil, Brooklyn, NY; Morgan Guaranty Trust Company Of New York, New York, NY; Movielab, Inc, New York, NY; Neponset Nursing Home, Queens, NY; New Rochelle Mall, Brooklyn, NY; New York Bell - Horace Harding Boulevard, Queens, NY; New York City Technical College, Brooklyn, NY; New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, NY; New York Naval Shipyard, New York, NY; New York University, New York, NY; New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY; NY Community College, Brooklyn, NY; NYC Subway, New York NY; Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp, New York, NY; Pan Am Building, New York NY; Peninsula General Hospital, Queens, NY; Pfizer, New York, NY; Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY; Radio City Music Hall, Manhattan, NY; Raisler Corporation, New York, NY; Ravensood Powerhouse, Queens, NY; Richmond Asbestos Co, Brooklyn, NY; Richmond Asbestos Co, New York, NY; Robert A Keasbey Company, New York, NY; Rockefeller Center, New York NY; Roseton Powerhouse, New York NY; Saint John`s Hospital, Queens, NY; Saint Joseph`s Hospital, Queens, NY; Schaefer Brewery, Brooklyn, NY; Schlitz Brewing Company, Brooklyn, NY; Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp, New York NY; Selma Mercantile Corp, New York, NY; Sidney Samuels, Inc, New York, NY; Socony Mobil Oil Co - Brooklyn Refinery, Brooklyn, NY; Socony Vacuum Building, New York, NY; St Lukes Hospital, New York NY; St Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY; Standard Asbestos Mfg & Insulating Co, New York, NY; Stella Morris Catholic School, Queens, NY; Sterling National Bank, New York, NY; Stewart Air Force Base, New York NY; Todd Shipyards Corp, Brooklyn, NY; Trump Village, Brooklyn, NY; USS Hood, Brooklyn, NY; Veterans Administration Hospital, Bronx, NY; Way-Wolff Associates, New York, NY; Western Electric, New York NY
Step 3: Finding a Mesothelioma Lawyer
Before consulting with a lawyer, make sure you have a firm diagnosis of mesothelioma. Also, learn all you can about the disease from your doctor, current literature and online resources such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and Mayo Clinic. You don't have to become an expert. But, the more you know, the better equipped you will be to assess the knowledge of a prospective attorney.
When looking for an attorney, use all of the resources available to you. Phone books and internet directories can be used as starting points. But, it is important that you find someone experienced in cases involving mesothelioma and with whom you feel comfortable. Ask for referrals from anybody you know who has been through a similar case or who works with or is familiar with the attorneys in your area. Search public records for mesothelioma cases that went to court and note the attorney and the outcome of the trial.
Once you have a short list of prospective attorneys, make a list of questions that you want to ask each one. Some suggestions are listed in the next section on this page. Make sure to write your questions down so that you don't forget to ask any of them. Also, take notes when speaking with each attorney so that you can compare their answers later. When reviewing the answers of each lawyer, consider not only how knowledgeable they were, but how comfortable you felt when speaking with them.
After comparing notes and considering each attorney you spoke to, choose one and make an appointment to get started. Because of the statute of limitations on personal injury and wrongful death cases, it is imperative that you be make a decision and get things moving as quickly as possible after your diagnosis.
Questions to Ask a Prospective Attorney
When speaking with prospective attorneys for your Mesothelioma case, you'll want to ask a lot of questions. Here are some important ones to get you started. You may also have some of your own to add to the list.
- How many Mesothelioma or asbestos-related cases have they handled? How many were settled? How many went to trial? What was the outcome?http://www.scambusters.org/mesothelioma-attorney.html
- Will the attorney handle your case personally?
- Will they be reasonably available to speak with you when you have questions? How quickly can you expect calls to be returned?http://www.asbestos.net/asbestos-legal-issues/mesothelioma-asbestos-and-other-asbestos-diseases-lawyers-and-attorneys.html
- What role will you play in your case? Will you always be consulted before any legal decisions are made?http://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma-lawyer/attorney.php
- Will the lawyer require payment up front or as the case proceeds? Or will they accept the case on a contingency basis and receive payment from the final settlement. If so, what percentage of the final award will they take to cover their fees and expenses?
- What other resources does the attorney have at their disposal to investigate, build and prove your case?
- Will your case be handled as a standalone case, or will your claim be part of a larger case with more than one plaintiff?
