When people get sick or hurt from exposure to toxic chemicals, they might file lawsuits seeking compensation for their injuries and losses. Plaintiffs in these toxic tort cases can go after economic losses like medical bills and lost wages, as well as intangible losses like pain and suffering.
If you or a loved one suffered harm from toxic chemicals at home, work, or some other location, you will want to talk to a Colorado toxic torts attorney about the damages covered in toxic tort cases. These lawsuits involve taking on billion-dollar corporations, but you do not have to go through this experience alone.
Economic Losses in Toxic Tort Cases
Some of the repercussions from exposure to toxic chemicals include out-of-pocket losses. The individual can suffer direct financial damages from the toxic substance exposure.
Medical Expenses
These losses can include bills from the ambulance, emergency room, and medical treatment. Expenses for doctors, hospitals, diagnostic procedures, lab work, imaging studies like x-rays, and prescription drugs can also be in this category.
Lost Income
Sometimes, people cannot work because of the harm they suffered from chemical exposure. If they did not get paid for the time they missed from work while undergoing medical procedures or recuperating, they might have a claim for lost wages.
A person who cannot make as much income as before could seek compensation for their decreased earning capacity. When an individual can no longer work at all, they can go after money damages for being disabled.
Medical Monitoring
Depending on the type of chemical substance, an exposed person might need to undergo medical monitoring to see if they eventually develop a medical condition from the toxic chemical exposure. Certain types of dangerous substances, like asbestos, can take years to cause diseases.
Intangible Losses
Medical expenses and wages are relatively straightforward to calculate because they usually have paperwork like receipts and employer payroll records. Some types of harm that a person can suffer after exposure to toxic chemicals, however, are not as easy to measure in dollars. Still, these are real losses that have value.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering is a term that applies to the physical discomfort, inconvenience, and distress of getting harmed by exposure to toxic chemicals. Let’s say that a person develops cancer from dangerous chemicals. The disease itself can cause great pain. Also, having to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other medical treatments can cause discomfort, grief, and inconvenience.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Many of the diseases people develop as a result of exposure to toxic substances are life-threatening. They can change a person’s life permanently and take years away from them. Knowing that you do not have long to live, that you will not get to grow old or see your children grow up, can diminish a person’s joy of life.
Wrongful Death
If your close relative died because of exposure to a dangerous chemical substance, you and your family might be eligible for compensation in a wrongful death lawsuit. These cases focus on things like the financial and emotional losses the close relatives experienced because of the untimely death of their loved one.
Contact Wool Trial Law Today
A Colorado toxic torts attorney can help you hold the at-fault parties accountable for the harm caused by exposure to hazardous substances. For help with your case contact our office today, we offer a free consultation.