Maritime Worker's Daughter Blames Employers for Father's Death from Asbestos Exposure
A Galveston woman filed a lawsuit against several maritime companies for the death of her father, a Jones act seaman who died from asbestos exposure.
The worker, Pedro Perez, was employed by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company in Galveston County back in the sixties. According to the lawsuit filed by a maritime attorney, the nature of his job exposed him to asbestos particles and, as a result, he contracted mesothelioma. Perez eventually died of the disease.
Perez’s family claims that the maritime worker was unaware of the health risks of asbestos until he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer in which malignant cancer cells are formed in the mesothelium, the lining that covers internal organs. In almost all cases, the cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos particles. The exposure, in a vast majority of cases, occurs in workplace settings where workers are exposed to asbestos fibers over long periods of time.
Symptoms can include:
- Chest pain
- Breathlessness
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Wheezing
- Anemia
- Blood in the sputum
- Fluid surrounding the lungs
Thousands of workers who contracted the disease as a result of exposure to asbestos in their workplace, have sued their employers and related companies. Asbestos was used heavily in the ship yard industry in past decades, exposing workers to the dangers of mesothelioma. Making the process of litigation harder for the workers is the fact that the symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until twenty or thirty years after the exposure.
Jones Act Provides for Benefits for Occupational Diseases
The Jones Act guarantees compensatory benefits to seamen who have contracted occupational diseases while performing their jobs. Benefits can include cure benefits, medical treatment, cost of medications, and medical supplies to treat the condition. A sick seaman is entitled to compensation until he reaches maximum possible recovery. This stage of maximum recovery is known as Maximum Medical Improvement or MRI. Once the seaman reaches this stage, he may no longer be eligible for benefits.
If you or a loved one has been affected by asbestos in the workplace or contracted mesothelioma, a Jones Act lawyer can help you find the answers you need.
Contact a Jones Act lawyer, at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your case.
