Maryland is an old state, one that resembles its New England counterparts in many ways. One of those similarities is industrialization; the state is full of business sites that were built after the Civil War and before the late 1970s when asbestos was declared a known carcinogen. As a result, many of those industries exposed their workers to asbestos insulation, flooring, roofing and other products produced when there were over 3,000 asbestos products on the market.
Employees that inhaled asbestos fibers from those products were at risk for developing mesothelioma cancer or another asbestos disease. Baltimore has always been the state’s commercial hub; the city was home to shipyards, steel mills, power plants, chemical companies and refineries. All of these industries rank high on the list of jobsites where asbestos exposure was a common occurrence.
Frederick and Annapolis are both cities that had very old military installations within city limits. Annapolis is the home of the Naval Academy and a Naval Shipyard as well. The shipyards along Maryland’s coast were also known as locations where large amounts of asbestos material were used. Baltimore has rebuilt its Inner Harbor and converted it to twenty first century uses, but cleaning out all those old brick warehouses, chandlery facilities and industrial buildings called for a lot of asbestos removal.
Legal Rights for Maryland Asbestos Victims
Maryland has had its share of asbestos lawsuits filed by people who have been harmed by asbestos exposure. The asbestos liability claims filed run in the thousands, with thousands more no doubt yet to come. The state has a three year statute of limitations on personal injury that allows for legal action to be taken during a three year period after the injury (or disease) is discovered. There is also a three year statute of limitations on wrongful death suits; however there is an exception made for plaintiffs such as widows who were unaware of the causes at the point of death. In those instances the law allows for legal action up to ten years after the death.
If you are a Maryland resident who is suffering from an asbestos related disease you should speak with an experienced asbestos attorney who knows the history of asbestos litigation in Maryland and what options exist for compensation besides the state courts. Fill out the brief form on this page and we will be in touch immediately. There is no charge for our consultation services. Read more about how to to find the right Asbestos lawyer as well as recent Mesothelioma case settlements in addition to lawsuits for Mesothelioma.
