Lung Disease Sufferers May Be Entitled to Financial Compensation

 Posted on March 28, 2022 in Personal Injury

Our lungs give us life. Exposure to smoke, airborne chemicals, particulates, toxic fumes can severely damage the lungs and reduce a person’s ability to work. Respiratory illnesses and lung disease may be caused by work environments. Unfortunately, many people with respiratory illnesses caused by their jobs struggle to be taken seriously. Their symptoms are often blamed on allergies, pre-existing conditions, or other issues. If you or a loved one have developed lung problems because of your job, work with a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer.

How Work Conditions Can Lead to Lung Disease

Acute or repetitive exposure to mineral dust, gases, vapors, or airborne pathogens can eventually lead to lung diseases or breathing problems. Lung cancer, bronchiectasis, silicosis, pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and asthma are just some of the issues a worker may suffer from due to his or her work conditions. Anyone can suffer from these illnesses, but workers in certain industries are more likely to suffer from occupational diseases affecting breathing. People who work in farming or manufacturing industries are often especially vulnerable to lung illnesses due to the chemicals and materials used in those industries. Laboratory workers, miners, firefighters, and individuals who work with animals may also be exposed to materials that can cause lung disease.

Getting Workers’ Compensation for an Occupational Illness Affecting the Lungs

If you were diagnosed with a lung illness caused by your work conditions, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation. Depending on the nature and severity of your illness, you may be entitled to compensation for partial or total disability payments. You may also be compensated for your past and future medical bills related to the illness. However, workers are only entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if their injury or illness is directly caused by their job. Consequently, you will need ample evidence to show the connection between your job and your medical condition. A workers’ compensation lawyer can help you find and preserve evidence and build a strong claim. If you already filed a workers’ compensation claim but were denied, a lawyer may help you file an appeal.

Third-Party Claims for Lung Illnesses

You may be able to bring an injury claim against a third party in lieu of, or in addition to your workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ compensation is not fault-based. An injured worker does not have to prove that an employer’s negligence caused the injury or illness to be entitled to compensation. However, third-party personal injury claims are fault-based. So, if another party’s carelessness or wrongdoing caused on contributed to your illness, you may be able to seek compensation for medical bills, full lost wages, pain and suffering, and more through an injury claim.

Contact a Decatur Lung Disease Attorney

The Springfield workers’ compensation lawyers at Kanoski Bresney can help you seek compensation through a workers’ compensation claim or a third-party claim if you were diagnosed with a lung illness. Call our office today at 888-826-8682 for a free consultation.

Source:

https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/iwcc/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/occupational-lung-diseases