March 29, 2024

politics of law

Politics and Law

Can I File a Legal Claim If I Got Cancer While Stationed at Camp Lejeune?

3 min read

In 2021, the United States Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, a bill that would allow the victims of the infamous water contamination incident to file legal claims to recover compensation for their damages. The Camp Lejeune water contamination scandal is one of the biggest in the history of the United States. For over three decades, people living or stationed at the camp were exposed to contaminated water that later resulted in many developing tumors, neurological damage, disabilities, and various chronic diseases related to toxic chemical exposure. 

If you were living at or around this basecamp between 1953 and 1987 and suffered health damage due to contaminated water, you might be able to file a legal claim to recover your damages. With the recent bill being passed in the US Congress, many victims of the Camp Lejeune water contamination incident are expected to come forward with legal claims. You can pursue justice for your case independently or as a part of a class-action lawsuit against the negligent parties. 

Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune

Between 1953 and 1987, the military and paramilitary staff, families, and civilians living in and around Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, were exposed to water that was later found to be contaminated with multiple toxic chemical compounds that could result in chronic disease and disability amongst various other ill effects on the human body. Chemical analysis of the eight water facilities at this base revealed that two were compromised with industrial chemicals, sewage, plastics, and carcinogenic chemical compounds.

Chemical analysis of the water samples obtained from the camp resulted in the discovery of contaminants like Benzene, Vinyl Chloride, Tri and Tetrachloroethylene, and more. These chemicals are highly dangerous and can cause multiple diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions, psychiatric symptoms, cardiac disease, solid organ tumors, infertility, multiple organ failure, and more. Chemicals like Vinyl Chloride and Benzene are known to cause malignancies in the human body, particularly in the liver.

Filing a Legal Claim

If you or your loved one was stationed or living at or around the camp during the stated period, you might be eligible to file a legal claim to recover damages. To file a lawsuit, you must prove that you stayed at the camp between 1953 and 1987, and proof of health damage sustained as a result of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Further proof might include your military records with places and times of residence, pertinent medical records, a diagnosis from medical health professionals, records of medical expenses, information about your health insurance, travel history, and more.

Through a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit, you might be able to recover your physical, emotional, and financial damages. You can recover compensation for lost wages, medical bills, costs of ongoing therapy, disability benefits, loss of consortium, and more. Detailed evidence of adverse health effects is required for such a lawsuit to be successful, and legal representation is one of the most important steps to ensure the success of your legal case.

Conclusion

If you or your loved one got health damage due to water contamination at Camp Lejeune, you should contact a reputable law firm and hire an attorney. A skilled lawyer will help you compile the necessary evidence and documentation and handle the complicated legal process of filing a case in a court of law.

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