Rhode Island Mesothelioma Lawyer

Rhode Island Mesothelioma Lawyer
Rhode Island Mesothelioma Lawyer

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Asbestos in Rhode Island

Rhode Island does not have the dense industrialization found in areas of Connecticut and Massachusetts, the neighboring areas where the New England industrial revolution got underway. Nevertheless Providence/Pawtucket is an old and established urban center with plenty of structures that were built with asbestos insulation, asbestos-lined heating systems and asbestos roofing. There were several metal working shops in the state along with fabricators and refractories. There was also shipbuilding activity at the Kaiser Shipyard in Providence during World War II. The naval bases at Newport and Quonset Point have been identified as asbestos exposure sites for generations of sailors and shipyard workers.
Mesothelioma & Asbestos Deaths in Rhode Island

A private survey of asbestos related deaths in the U.S. between 1979 and 2000 shows that Rhode Island recorded 101 asbestosis deaths during that period. There were also between 115 and 197 deaths attributable to mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer during the same time frame. In 1999 the federal government began tracking malignant mesothelioma deaths in the country, issuing an initial report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 2005. Over that six year time period an additional 83 mesothelioma deaths occurred in Rhode Island.
Legal Rights of Mesothelioma Victims in Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Department of Health is responsible for the state’s Asbestos Control program. The laws governing asbestos compensation claims are complicated, as with most states, which is why an experienced Rhode Island mesothelioma lawyer should provide assistance to anyone seeking compensation. State law allows a resident who has developed an asbestos related disease three years from the date of diagnosis to file a product liability or personal injury lawsuit. For families that have lost someone to an asbestos illness the law also allows three years for a wrongful death action to be filed.
Asbestos Lawsuits in Rhode Island

Rhode Island has had several court rulings affecting asbestos litigation. One case involved twenty plaintiffs, all of whom were Canadian and who were exposed to asbestos on job sites in Canada. The firms they were suing did business in Rhode Island but none had its corporate headquarters in the state. The court dismissed the suits based on the principal of “forum non conveniens,” a principle recognized in forty seven states and the federal courts holding that an inconvenient venue is grounds for dismissal if there is no applicable reason for hearing the case in the location where it has been filed.


Rhode Island Mesothelioma Lawyer