Many individuals regularly worked with or around asbestos fibers until asbestos was banned by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the 1970s. Despite asbestos being banned, there are many careers in which individuals may still come in contact with these dangerous fibers, including mechanics, shipbuilding and home renovation.
Most who were exposed to this harmful mineral on the job decades ago have only begun showing signs of illness because it takes a long time to show signs of an asbestos-related disease. By the time a patient is symptomatic, there is very little that doctors can do to reverse their fate.
Considering how long asbestos-related illnesses take to become debilitating, there’s a strong chance that your employer may have shut down after filing for bankruptcy by the time you go to hold them liable for your exposure to these deadly fibers. What can you do then?
Do you qualify for asbestos illness trust funds?
It’s not uncommon for companies who exposed their workers to asbestos fibers to have been forced out of business due to employees filing lawsuits over the years. Many of these companies likely ended up filing for bankruptcy.
The trustee presiding over these bankruptcy cases likely ordered the creation of an asbestos illness trust fund to compensate any potential future employee victims that can forward requesting compensation. You may be able to recover compensation from the trust if you or your loved one can prove that such asbestos exposure occurred on the job.
Tracking down what became of you or your loved one’s former employer and whether there are trust funds available for you to recover compensation from can be challenging to do. You’ll want to see this process through quickly to ensure that the funds aren’t depleted by the time you go to request them, though.