Lung Cancer Lawyers in Maryland

If you were diagnosed with lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure, you should contact a Maryland lung cancer lawyer to review your legal options. An attorney may be able to recover compensation to pay for your treatment and other damages caused by this severe injury.

The reputable attorneys at The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl have helped many victims of asbestos exposure recover fair compensation. With decades of experience handling asbestos lung cancer cases, we have recovered more than $16 million in compensation for our clients. We have an in-depth understanding of all aspects of these cases, including how to investigate and collect the evidence needed to build a strong case on your behalf.

We take these cases on contingency, so your consultation with our trusted attorneys is free and we will not charge any fees or costs for representing you unless we obtain compensation for you.

Contact a Maryland lung cancer lawyer today by calling 410-244-7005.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer?

There is no guarantee that hiring a lawyer will result in you recovering compensation. However, there are many advantages to working with an attorney on an asbestos lung cancer case. An attorney can:

Manage Every Aspect of Your Case

The legal process is complicated and involves numerous steps, no matter how simple you might think your case is.

The process starts with an investigation as we attempt to determine when and where you were exposed. While we gather evidence, we will need to determine the best way to pursue compensation. There are two main options: filing a lung cancer lawsuit or making a claim with an asbestos settlement fund set up by the company that caused you to be exposed to asbestos.

Once we determine the best way to pursue compensation, we will need to file a claim. If we file a claim with a settlement fund, we will need to negotiate with the fund to try to recover fair compensation.

If we file a lawsuit, we will need to prepare for trial. We will also be ready in case a settlement can be reached.

Our Maryland lung cancer lawyers have gone through this process many times. We know what to expect and what we need to do to try to improve our chances of success.

Conduct a Thorough Investigation

The investigation is one of the most important parts of building your case. This is our opportunity to collect evidence that can help us determine the value of the damages you suffered and help us prove negligence occurred.

Lung cancer cases can be much more difficult to investigate than other personal injury cases. This is because the victims were exposed decades earlier and may not remember when and where it occurred. It can also be difficult to locate old employers who went bankrupt or out of business many years ago.

This is why you need an experienced lung cancer lawyer in Maryland to investigate your case. An attorney with general experience in personal injury cases may not know how to deal with the many challenges of investigating asbestos exposure.

Fortunately, the attorneys at our firm have decades of experience handling asbestos-related cases and know where to find the evidence we need. We have the time and resources to do a thorough search for the information we need to build a strong case.

Value Your Claim Accurately

A lung cancer diagnosis affects many aspects of your life, beyond just your physical health. Treating cancer can become extremely expensive, particularly if you need long-term treatment. There is also an emotional toll from a cancer diagnosis, as victims try to cope with the possibility that they may not survive.

Our lung cancer attorneys in Maryland understanding the wide-ranging effects of a cancer diagnosis and are committed to carefully reviewing your situation to determine all of the damages you suffered and the value of those damages.

Our lawyers understand how difficult it can be to go through the legal process on your own, particularly when you have a life-threatening disease. That is why we are prepared to handle every detail so you can focus on your health.

Contact a Maryland lung cancer attorney today.

How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?

It is extremely important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after being diagnosed with asbestos-linked lung cancer or losing a loved one to this disease.

This is because of Maryland’s statutes of limitations governing personal injury and wrongful death cases. These statutes set deadlines for filing cases, and if you miss the deadline that applies to your claim, you will lose the right to pursue compensation.

Under Maryland’s personal injury statute of limitations, victims have three years from the date their cause of action accrues to file a lawsuit. In an asbestos lung cancer case, this means three years from your diagnosis. Once the three years are up, you will no longer have the right to file a claim.

If you lost a loved one to lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure, your claim is governed by the wrongful death statute of limitations. This statute is also three years and it begins on the date of your loved one’s death.

You should contact one of our Maryland lung cancer lawyers right away so we can begin working on your case. The sooner you contact us, the more time we will have to investigate and build your case. Contacting us right away also helps ensure we are able to file your claim on time.

Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form or call 410-244-7005.

What Types of Compensation are Available?

Medical expenses are just one of the many forms of compensation that are available in an asbestos claim. Others include:

Lost Wages and Earning Capacity

People with lung cancer often miss time at work while they are undergoing treatment. There are also times where lung cancer victims are physically unable to work because of physical pain and other issues caused by their cancer.

When this happens, our Maryland lung cancer lawyers may be able to obtain compensation for the wages you lost. We will help you collect the proper documentation of lost wages, including a letter from your employer detailing the times you missed work and how much you are paid.

If your condition worsens to the point where you can no longer work, or you have to permanently reduce the number of hours you work, our lawyers can pursue compensation for the effect on your earning capacity. We will carefully review your salary history, job skills and experience to try to determine how much money you would continue to earn in the future.

Pain and Suffering

Lung cancer itself causes a variety of physical problems, but so can treatment. Victims often deal with coughing fits, nausea, headaches and other physical issues.

These physical issues are often accompanied by emotional problems. For example, lung cancer victims may feel depressed or anxious about their prospects for surviving. Physical issues can also cause trouble sleeping, which can increase stress.

The lung cancer attorneys in Maryland at our firm understand the many physical and emotional issues that come with lung cancer. We will help you collect proper documentation of these damages as we try to collect all of the compensation you deserve.

Loss of Companionship

Lung cancer not only affects the person with the disease, but can also cause problems for the victim’s spouse. For instance, the spouse may not be able to have the same sexual relationship with his or her husband or wife. The victim may also not be able to provide the same level of love, affection and comfort as before the cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

These are difficult to quantify, which is why we will conduct a detailed investigation to determine all of the ways the lung cancer has affected your life. We may need testimony from your spouse or family members to show the way your relationship was before the lung cancer diagnosis and how it has changed since the diagnosis.

Our Maryland lung cancer lawyers are committed to reviewing every aspect of your case to determine all forms of compensation you are entitled and the full value of each of those forms of compensation. We know that compensation cannot change what happened, but it is the law’s way of attempting to put you back in the position you were in before the diagnosis.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form or call 410-244-7005.

Dangers of Asbestos

Throughout the 1900s, the mineral asbestos was used in thousands of products and in many industries because it is resistant to heat and chemical and electrical damage and it has a higher tensile strength than steel.

Unfortunately, this fibrous mineral can easily break apart into much smaller pieces that can become airborne and be inhaled by people. Once these fibers are inhaled, they get stuck in the lungs, causing tissue damage and eventually leading to health problems like asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer within 10 to 40 years.

Unlike other toxic substances, there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. Once you breathe in a small amount, there is a very high risk of suffering severe health problems in the future.

This is why you should contact a Maryland lung cancer lawyer if you have any reason to believe your diagnosis was caused by asbestos exposure.

Call an attorney today for your free legal consultation. 410-244-7005

How Does Asbestos Exposure Happen?

People who worked with directly materials containing asbestos are at high risk for developing health problems later in life.

However, anyone who worked at places where asbestos was used are also at risk for having been exposed to this harmful mineral. Asbestos fibers could easily have broken off and become airborne. Once airborne, these particles could have moved around the worksite, particularly if the workers did not do a good job of containing areas where asbestos fibers were likely to be.

In some cases, victims did not breathe in the fibers right away, but they became stuck to the person’s hair or clothes and were breathed in later.

Some people with asbestos lung cancer contracted it after inhaling fibers that were stuck to someone else’s hair or clothes. For instance, the wives or children of people who worked in places where asbestos was used were at high risk for secondhand exposure. This could happen after a father came home and set down his work clothes, causing fibers to become airborne and be inhaled by others in the house.

Wives were particularly at risk if they washed their husband’s work clothes, because they had to handle the clothes, which could have caused fibers to get released into the air.

Our Maryland lung cancer attorneys understand the many ways that asbestos exposure can occur. We also know the evidence we need to prove that your exposure was caused by someone else’s negligence.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form right now.

Types of Asbestos Lung Cancer

Our attorneys handle cases involving many types of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The two categories of lung cancer include:

Small Cell Lung Cancer

This classification applies to approximately 10 to 15 percent of lung cancers. The leading cause of this type of cancer is smoking tobacco, but it can be caused by exposure to other toxic substances, like asbestos, diesel exhaust or radon.

One of the reasons small cell lung cancers are so dangerous is that they often do not cause symptoms until the disease is in an advanced stage. Early treatment of cancer can sometimes increase a person’s odds of survival.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

The majority of lung cancers are classified as non-small cell lung cancers. In fact, the American Cancer Society estimates that between 80 and 85 percent of lung cancers are classified as non-small cell lung cancers.

There are a few types of non-small cell lung cancers:

• Adenocarcinoma – This makes up approximately 40 percent of non-small cell lung cancers. This is the most common type of lung cancer seen in non-smokers. Fortunately, this type of cancer tends to grow more slowly than other types and is more likely to be found before it has spread too far.  
• Squamous cell carcinoma ­– This makes up approximately 25 to 30 percent of all lung cancers. It tends to be found in smokers and affects the central part of the lungs.
• Large cell carcinoma – This makes up only about 10 to 15 percent of non-small cell lung cancers. Unfortunately, this type is often harder to treat because it can grow and spread very quickly.

No matter what type of cancer you have, if it was caused by exposure to asbestos, our Maryland lung cancer attorneys may be able to obtain compensation.

If you receive a cancer diagnosis that you think was caused by exposure to asbestos, contact us today for a free legal consultation.

Contact The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl right now.

Signs of Lung Cancer

If you seek treatment for cancer right away, it could help improve your chances of survival. That is why you should keep an eye out for any signs or symptoms of cancer and immediately seek treatment if you see any.

Some of the common signs of lung cancer could include:

As the cancer progresses, it spreads to other body parts and can cause more symptoms, including:

Schedule a free consultation with an attorney today.

How is Lung Cancer Treated?

If you are diagnosed with lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure, there are multiple treatment options. Some of the most common include:

• Surgery – In some cases, all medical professionals need to do is remove the part of your body with the cancer. However, this is only possible in certain situations where the cancer is small enough to remove without causing other health problems. If the tumor is too large, they will be unable to remove it using surgery.
• Immunotherapy – This is a type of treatment where doctors attempt to help your immune system fight the cancer. Medical professionals use substances made from living organisms to help your body’s immune system continue to fight cancer.
• Chemotherapy – This is a treatment option involving the use of drugs designed to kill cancer cells and put the cancer into remission.
• Targeted therapy – This is a treatment using medication to prevent changes in cancer cells that cause them to grow, divide and spread. If this is successful, this treatment option can help prevent the cancer from spreading.
• Radiation therapy – This is a treatment option where high doses of radiation are used to kill cancer cells and help shrink tumors.

If your lung cancer was caused by exposure to asbestos, our Maryland lung cancer lawyers may be able to obtain compensation to cover all of the current and future costs of your cancer treatment. This not only includes the treatments, but also prescription medications, hospital stays and other medical care you require.

Our attorneys may also be able to pursue compensation for the medical care your loved one received before dying because of his or her asbestos lung cancer.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form right now.

Places in Maryland Where Asbestos May Have Been Used

If you worked for any of these companies or at any of these locations in Maryland, you may have been exposed to asbestos:

This is not a complete list of every single place in the Maryland area where asbestos was used, so you could have been exposed even if you did not work in one of these places.

The best way to determine if you may have grounds for a claim is to contact a lung cancer lawyer in Maryland for a free legal consultation.

Contact The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl right now.

Industries at High Risk for Exposure to Asbestos

Workers in many industries were exposed to asbestos, either directly or indirectly. However, some industries carried a higher risk of exposure than others because asbestos was so commonplace.

Some of these industries include:

Jobs at Risk for Exposure

If you did any of the following jobs, you may have been exposed to asbestos at some point:

Types of Asbestos-Containing Materials

If you are not sure about whether you encountered asbestos in a previous job, you should review this list of asbestos-containing products. If you worked with any of these, you may have breathed in asbestos fibers:

This list proves just how widespread asbestos used to be. If you handled these products or worked with others who did, there is a chance you inhaled asbestos fibers.

Inhaling asbestos can lead to various types of lung cancer that could prove fatal. Our attorneys understand how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be and that is why we are committed to trying to recover fair compensation for victims. Companies knew or should have known of the risks of asbestos and stopped using this mineral.

Contact a Lung Cancer Lawyer in Maryland Today

Companies knew or should have known about the dangers of asbestos decades before most of them stopped using this harmful mineral. This means that those who were exposed and eventually developed health problems like lung cancer could be entitled to compensation for the effects of their disease.

The Maryland lung cancer lawyers at our firm have many years of combined experience pursuing compensation for victims of asbestos lung cancer. We know what it takes to build a strong case and how to accurately value these claims.

Our Maryland location is at 36 South Charles Street, Suite 1700, just minutes from the office of Constellation, an energy company with numerous locations throughout Maryland where workers may have been exposed to asbestos.

Schedule a free legal consultation right now.