Kansas is another one of those Midwest states known for its agrarian past but not as well recognized for the modern industrial components of its economy. Kansas is a major producer of oil and petroleum products among the fifty states. Wichita has had several refining operations and the inevitable chemical plants that grow up around crude oil sources. Refineries are known for their use of asbestos and the resulting asbestos health problems among their employees.
Kansas Power & Light provides most of the electrical energy for the state today, but many of the early power plants were put up by electrical cooperatives in rural areas that weren’t going to have electrical power otherwise. When the power plants were consolidated, the utility that absorbed them inherited some dated, asbestos laden plants.
Topeka has a couple of examples of twentieth century industries that used asbestos insulation and other products: the railroad yards that were vital to the prairie states for moving their products to markets in the east and west. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad had a large repair facility there and there were switching yards located within the city as well. Railroad workers were likely candidates for asbestos exposure in the mid-twentieth century, as were workers in many of the state’s manufacturing businesses.
Legal Rights of Kansas Asbestos Victims
Kansas has the standard statute of limitations for filing personal injury suits, which is two years after the injury is discovered. For asbestos victims that means the date that their mesothelioma cancer or asbestosis was diagnosed. However Kansas also has a law that states no action can be filed more than ten years after the actual harm occurred. Mesothelioma has a latency period of twenty to forty years, which means that filing an asbestos liability claim for asbestos exposure that occurred many years in the past is not feasible.
There are several other options for pursuing compensation if you have developed an asbestos related disease, including a case in federal court or filing a claim with one of the asbestos trust funds set up by asbestos companies to pay off claims. Let one of our attorneys review Kansas law with you and go over your legal options at no cost or obligation. Fill out the brief form on this page and you’ll hear from us immediately. Read more about how to to find the right Asbestos lawyer as well as recent Mesothelioma case settlements in addition to lawsuits for Mesothelioma.
