Water contamination is a huge issue, not only for the environment but also for us as individuals. While there are many ways to ensure your drinking water is safe and healthy, you may unknowingly be exposed to contaminants in your home or at work. It is estimated that more than 770 million people around the globe do not have access to safe drinking water. You must take legal action if you believe your health has been compromised due to water contamination. A strong lawsuit will help compensate you for your health injury caused by bacteria or viruses in local water sources or by chemicals like arsenic.
Here’s how filing a strong lawsuit helps you get compensation if you’ve faced health injuries due to water contamination.
The Purpose of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit’s purpose can be to recover compensation from somebody responsible for your health injuries. For example, if a water contamination incident causes you to develop an illness, you may be able to recover compensation for all of your medical expenses related to that illness. You can file a lawsuit whether you suffered illness, such as cholera or typhoid fever, or more severe health issue like bladder or esophageal cancer.
Lawsuits are also a way to get justice for your health injuries due to water contamination. For example, one million people got affected due to water contamination at Camp Lejeune, and numerous faced severe health damage like bladder cancer. If you are among those who lived at Camp Lejeune during 1953-1987 and facing similar health injuries, you can file a Camp Lejeune bladder cancer lawsuit for compensation.
Determining the Type of Legal Action to Use
To begin, you need to decide which type of legal action is most appropriate in your case. It will depend on what happened and who was responsible for the injury. Personal injury cases are determined by negligence or the failure to use reasonable care toward another person. While not always easy to prove through direct evidence, negligence is usually implied when someone’s actions have resulted in the harm caused by something other than an accident.
For example, you may also have a claim for medical malpractice if your doctor failed to treat you properly or was negligent during the treatment itself.
Hiring an Experienced Attorney
Hiring an attorney is one of the practices before you start of file a lawsuit. Therefore, the first thing you should look for when hiring a personal injury attorney is their experience filing and winning similar cases. After all, if you’re looking for an attorney who knows how to handle your specific case, they must work on similar matters before.
A good personal injury lawyer provides insight into the legal process, from filing the initial complaint through trial and appeals if necessary. In addition, they should know what evidence would need to be collected for your case to succeed.
Cost of Filing a Lawsuit
The costs of filing a lawsuit depends on your case and the attorney handling it. The cost of hiring an attorney to represent you in court will depend on the complexity and severity of your case and where you live.
The average cost for an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle a typical case can range from 33% to 40% of the settlement claim. In addition to this fee, additional charges may be associated with it, like mediation sessions, that you have to bear over time.
Understand the Process for Filing Suit for Personal Health Injury
Understanding the process of filing a personal injury lawsuit is necessary, especially if you want compensation for a health-related problem.
For example, maybe your drinking water was contaminated with toxic chemicals or lead that made you sick. Next, you must know where to go for an appeal and whether you have a valid point or not. Either way, understanding how to file a lawsuit for personal injury will help ensure that all of your rights are protected under the law.
What Documents Do You Need?
Several documents and information you will need once you’ve determined that you have a strong case and are ready to file a lawsuit for personal injury due to water contamination. These include:
- Your medical records since the onset of your illness or injury.
- A timeline of events leading up to your illness or injury. It should include who was exposed, what type of exposure, where it happened, and when it happened.
- Other details relate directly to how this led to your injuries or illness.
- It’s also helpful if you include any past injuries or illnesses that may be relevant to an eventual diagnosis by doctors later.
Define Who You’re Suing
The first thing you’ll need to do is define who the defendants are. In a personal injury lawsuit, you must define who the defendants are because they will be held responsible for paying compensation if your case is successful.
Defining who the defendant(s) are in this case isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. There may be multiple parties involved in causing or contributing to your injury. Suppose your water contamination was caused by a neighbor’s broken spigot leaking into an underground aquifer that feeds into your well. In that case, neighbors could potentially be named in a lawsuit.
Evidence Collection and Discovery
Evidence collection is the process of gathering information that will prove your case. Evidence can include medical records, expert reports, and other documents demonstrating a plaintiff’s injuries or medical condition.
It’s necessary to keep in mind that evidence collection may take place before you file a suit, while discovery is completed after you file a lawsuit. Evidence collected during discovery can also help your case if it proves negligence on behalf of another party or company.
