South Florida Personal Injury Blog

West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer Andrew Alitowski keeps up on the latest in medical malpractice news, especially the issues affecting local Florida residents. Mesothelioma is one of the most heavily publicized bases for personal injury lawsuits at this time, with cases all over the country. The disease is a form of cancer. It strikes people who have been exposed to asbestos, a building material we now know to be toxic and carcinogenic. Mesothelioma affects the lungs of many people exposed to asbestos. Most commonly, these people worked with asbestos in their jobs – perhaps in manufacturing facilities – or were exposed to it in their own homes. Now, asbestos is banned from use in the United States. Still, workers engage in asbestos removal projects in private housing and public buildings and workplaces even today. The process is undertaken carefully, with crews donning protective gear to protect them from the dangers of asbestos exposure, particularly inhalation. Mesothelioma is the most serious complication associated with inhalation of and exposure to asbestos, according to Palm Beach workers compensation attorney Andrew Alitowski.

Late last month, a jury in Panama City, Florida heard the case of a widow whose husband was killed by mesothelioma. Woodrow McBride was diagnosed with the cancer in September of 2005 and survived only about one year after his initial diagnosis. He and his wife, Betty, filed a personal injury lawsuit related to the cancer about one month prior to his death. Mr. McBride was 67 years old when he died.

Broward injury lawyer Alitowski says that trials like these can be extremely complicated and that a plaintiff’s attorney must take great care to explain the disease, especially the cause of the illness, to the jury in a way that the jurors can understand. In this case, the jury awarded Mrs. McBride almost a quarter million dollars for her husband’s medical expenses, as well as a total of $750,000 for both past and future pain and suffering. Mrs. McBride will not recover all of the damages, however. Gulf Power was found to be liable for more than half of the damages Betty McBride and her husband’s estate were entitled to, but they were not a named defendant in this case.

Lawsuits such as these can help a family recover financially after the wrongful death of a parent or other relative. Although no sum of money can bring back a family member, the funds can be used to ensure the financial future of those left behind, pay back debts accrued during a relative’s illness, and even finance the college education of surviving children.