LUZERNE COUNTY, PA, ASBESTOS LAWYER
Pennsylvania: Ranked 4th state in the nation for mesothelioma

After 25 years of achieving record-breaking verdict and settlement awards for workers diagnosed with asbestos-related mesothelioma and lung cancer, New York-based Weitz & Luxenberg is pleased to announce that it is expanding its practice to Pennsylvania.

Luzerne County residents with occupational lung cancer or mesothelioma are urged to contact our lawyers for a free legal consultation to determine their eligibility to receive financial compensation for injuries related to asbestos.

March 23, 2009 – Pennsylvania is ranked fourth in the country (after California, Florida and New York) for deaths attributed specifically to asbestos-related mesothelioma and asbestosis, according to a national study conducted by the EWG Action Fund, a non-profit environmental research group headquartered in Washington, D.C.

At least 3,046 people have been killed by asbestos in Pennsylvania since 1979, says the detailed report, which examined asbestos deaths on three levels – state, county and city – as reported to the federal government by death certificate records from 1979 to 2001.

Luzerne County, Pa., is the seventh highest-ranking county (out of 66 state counties) in Pennsylvania for fatalities attributed to mesothelioma. Up to 65 people died of mesothelioma during this period.

But according to the study, its mortality figures are "grossly underestimated" because mesothelioma was not tracked by the federal government as a cause of death until 1999. When the government began tracking mesothelioma as a cause of death, U.S. mortality figures more than doubled – from 935 in 1998, to 2,343 in 1999, the report states.

Luzerne County asbestos lawyer

Among the Top 100 counties in the United States recording deaths due to asbestos, Pennsylvania has five on the list: Philadelphia County (ranked No. 3), Delaware County (No. 13); Allegheny County (No. 16); Montgomery County (No. 17) and Lancaster County (No. 84).

On a city-to-city basis, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two urban centers hardest hit. Pennsylvania also has two government-listed asbestos-contamination sites; they are located in Ellwood City and New Castle, Pa.

About mesothelioma . . .

Shipyard workers, construction workers, auto mechanics and military veterans are at the greatest risk for developing mesothelioma, as these occupations utilized enormous amounts of asbestos during the 20th century. Mesothelioma has a long latency period, and is usually diagnosed decades after the initial exposure. That’s why many cases are only now coming to light, despite the current downturn in asbestos use.

Time to seek justice!

The EWG Action Fund study said that in the next decade 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease, fatal in every case, is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos, and usually contracted through employers’ emphasis on profits rather than the health and safety of company workers. That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and surviving family members have strong cases in court.

Record of success . . .

In 2008, Weitz & Luxenberg achieved a $16-million verdict in an asbestos case that is the first successful asbestos verdict against a dental supply company. In 2007, Weitz & Luxenberg obtained a jury verdict of $37 million for two smokers with lung cancer who had been exposed to asbestos; the defendant was Robert A. Keasbey Co., a former insulation contractor and distributor of asbestos products.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal right to financial compensation. There is absolutely no cost to you until we achieve a verdict or settlement in your favor.