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San Bernardino Lung Injury Attorneys

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The experienced San Bernardino lung injury attorneys at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo know from their 30+ years of experience just how hard lung injuries can be on a person and their family. We work hard to help lung and respiratory injury patients be awarded the maximum compensation under the law through a settlement or positive trial verdict. Lung injuries have the potential to be rather tragic given how critical and fragile the lungs are.

Contact our firm today to set up your free initial consultation and case evaluation and to discuss your specific lung injury regardless of whether it was caused by blunt trauma, disease, hard metal dust inhalation or exposure to other poisons, powders or irritants. We are considered by some in the area to be the best San Bernardino lung injury attorneys and we will work hard to continue to live up to those lofty standards.

How to File a Lung Injury Lawsuit Claim

Most likely, you have a lot of concerns and questions about what happens next and what your legal options are. You may also be wondering about how to bring a traumatic or acute lung injury legal cause of action and/or how to file a long-term work exposure lung injury workers’ compensation claim.

Contact us right away at (909) 436-4610 as it is rather important that you get at least some legal guidance before proceeding with your asbestos case, punctured lung injury accident case, hard metal dust inhalation lung injury case, or any other lung injury case. Our San Bernardino workers’ compensation attorneys will discuss your claim during the free consultation:

  • Options and advice for how you could be able to do-it-yourself.
  • Potential litigation issues including expert witness depositions, legal evidentiary standards of proof and legal requirements, law and motion, pleadings, investigation, written discovery, lay witness depositions, types of causes of action, potential special and general damages including medical treatment, loss of earnings, temporary disability benefits, bodily injury, and other damages and benefits you are entitled to recover.
  • What might be involved in suing another party and filing your legal claim(s) for workers’ comp and/or third-party personal injury.
  • Complete answers to your questions regarding how we may be able to help you navigate the legal system during this challenging time.
  • How we could help make your case simple, efficient, and successful.

Lung Injury Defined

Lung injuries can be very serious and lethal so you should be sure to take the proper precautions to avoid them like wearing protective gear, limiting exposure to toxins and dust, and always wear breathing masks when appropriate. Keep in mind that traumatic lung injuries may have occurred any time a blow or trauma happens to a person’s back, neck, or chest. Furthermore, having rib pain is reason enough to check for lung injuries as rib injuries and lung injuries often go together.

Acute lung injuries (ALI) are one type of traumatic lung injury. They are mainly caused by a direct injury to the lung like pneumonia or blunt trauma but can also be caused by indirect injuries to the lung like pancreatitis. Pulmonary lung injuries occur after long-term exposure to toxins, dust, irritant, asbestos, powders, chemicals, and more. See below for more examples of this. Another version of acute lung injury is more severe and is called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Low lung levels (airway collapse) and reduced lung compliance are also symptoms of ALI and ARDS.

Critical Signs

As stated in the above paragraph, any injury or trauma to the chest, back, or neck regions is a sign of possible lung injury and a reason to call 911 for medical help. Chest injuries are especially suspect since the lungs make up a large portion of that region. Other symptoms to look for include a dry cough, a difficulty to get a full breath, a bluish tint around the mouth and nose, a feeling of breathlessness, rapid and shallow breathing, pain in the chest or ribs, clubbing (fingernails that curve over the top of your fingertips), an elevated heart rate, wheezing, hypotension, dyspnea, lightheadedness, fever, and even no detectable breathing.

Call a doctor if you have these symptoms as it is always better to discover lung injuries earlier rather than later. Also, please be aware that many of the above symptoms worsen over time so be careful to not just write them off as other conditions or injuries.

Common Causes of Lung Injuries

There are various causes of lung injuries as they can happen as a result of direct or indirect trauma to the lungs, inhaling irritants over an extended period, and inflammation. The types of irritants that affect the lungs include pollutants, silica dust, toxins, hard metal dust (like cobalt dust from drilling), asbestos fibers, dust, grain, bacteria in unmaintained hot tubs and humidifiers, sugarcane, gases (such as ammonia and chlorine), airborne chemicals, sawdust, dust from bird and animal droppings, moldy hay, and powders.

Some of the other causes of lung injuries or lung disease are injury to the chest or ribs, puncture wounds, impaled objects, fat embolism, bicycle or skateboarding accident, sepsis, poisoning, major trauma, eclampsia, a direct airbag blow to the chest, truck accident, being in a car accident, a sports injury like being hit by a bat or tackled hard, motorcycle accident, air embolism, radiation, drugs, inhalation of noxious fumes, burns, near drowning, amniotic fluid embolism, pneumonia, fungal infections, pancreatitis, parasitic infections, and pulmonary aspiration. It is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible after any of these injuries. Also, be on alert for how you are feeling as traumatic injuries to your lungs could collapse them or your broken or cracked ribs may puncture them.

More Causes for Lung Injuries

TRALI (Transfusions Related Acute Lung Injury) is a serious potential complication of blood transfusions. Other possible causes for lung injuries even include talcum baby powder as it was found to be causing lung disease or cancer in babies or adults if they inhaled a significant amount over time. That form of lung disease is called talcosis. Additionally, beauty mineral powders have been found to cause lung disease with long-term use. Unfortunately, in our world full of chemicals and toxins produced in mass by large corporations, doctors are discovering more situations where lung injuries are common.

Lung Injuries at Work

The San Bernardino work injury lawyers of DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo are ready to investigate, research your claims for work comp lung injuries and represent you. During our long careers, we have helped many clients who have developed lung injuries while on the job either over time by being exposed to irritants, dust, hard metal dust (possibly from drilling or being in a mine), powders, toxic vapors, asbestos, pollutants, or chemicals.

Our experienced attorneys have also been there for victims of blunt lung trauma like that sustained in a car accident, safety rail collapse, conveyor belt accident, debris dropped on you, scaffolding collapse, equipment accident, chest injury, being crushed, fall, puncture wounds, being impaled, crane accident, jackhammer accident, nail gun accident, motorcycle accident, ladder accident, and many other injuries sustained on the job.

Aluminum Powder May cause Lung Disease and Lung Fibrosis

In the pyro-powder-producing industry, aluminum powder flakes can potentially be found within air samples all throughout the factories and plants. It has been proven that employees can develop serious lung disease from the long-term exposure to the hard metal dust and powder. It is important to call us today to discuss your lung injury.

E-Waste Recycling can Affect Lung Health Beyond the Factory

One awful side effect of electronic technology is what happens after we are done with it to the electronics and trace metals. Those who do the work of melting the metals and breaking TVs, circuit boards, computers, stereos, cell phones, smartphones, and other electronic devices down to their components are inhaling toxic levels of workplace dust and hard metal dust. In some studied cities where this is done, the air quality is poor throughout the city and hard metal dust can be found in air and dust samples from around town.

Mining & Drilling are Major Causes for Lung Injuries

To try to improve the situation, the USA passed the Miner Safety Act in 2006. The law hoped to help the conditions that miners and drillers worked in and to also encourage the invention and production of technology improvements to lessen some of the risks of mining. Unfortunately, mining still has one of the largest rates of fatal injuries among the dangerous industries (agriculture and construction are both also in the top five). Miners face many dangers both when they are working under and above ground including electrocutions, toxic gas or fumes inhalation, equipment failure, the mine collapsing, explosions, falling equipment, rock or tools, and many others.

An additional top ailment that miners face is that of developing respiratory problems, trace metal lung disease, black lung, hard metal lung disease, or pneumoconiosis disease. Drilling, working with or mining for coal, workshop dust, and hard metal dust like cobalt seems to be a direct way to injure our lungs, put toxins into the body, poison our systems, and lower one’s immune system. The mines are safer than they were back in 1979 when we started the firm but they are still a cause of many lung injuries today.

Long-Term Exposure to Diacetyl can Cause Severe Lung Disease & Asthma

Food processing workers and other employees who work with some kinds of butter flavoring might be at risk of developing severe lung disease, respiratory injuries, or being afflicted by asthma due to the natural ingredient of diacetyl. Workers in snack factories, bakeries, flavoring companies, popcorn factories, microwave popcorn factories, theaters, and mass food production plants are some of the people who could be exposed to diacetyl and be at quite a high level of danger. Some call it “popcorn lung” and the symptoms do not lessen when someone ceases to be exposed to it. One potential condition that it causes is called bronchiolitis obliterans. It causes the airways to thicken and narrow.

Asbestos Affects Construction Workers, Residents of Old Homes, & Repair Workers

Asbestos was used throughout all kinds of product lines and industries in construction and home products. It has been found to cause mesothelioma, pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening, asbestos warts, malignant lung cancer, and asbestosis after long-term exposure to it. Certain products and environments around today are still at risk of containing asbestos including popcorn ceilings, old homes, old insulation, and old plaster. Given how dangerous asbestos is and the many years of studies and trials proving long-term exposure and medical issues are related, be sure to call our firm right away to discuss your possible case.

Construction Workers Are at Higher Risks for Lung Injuries

Not only are construction workers constantly in situations where traumatic injuries to the neck and chest are possible, but they also work in environments with elevated amounts of sawdust, dust, dirty air, pollutants, powders, and other irritants. Two examples of this are the people who work at the table saw or with the chainsaw all day constantly breathing in sawdust, splinters, and other particulates.

Protective Gear is Important for Disease Prevention

Even though lung injuries and lung disease are still possible with all of the right gear on, it is important to wear all the suggested safety gear and masks. This includes gas masks, hard hats, nose and mouth masks, goggles, face masks, and more. It is also important to be aware of and use all the safety devices on the heavy machinery, equipment, sanders, tools, and saws.

OSHA Tries to Prevent Work Injuries

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a history of creating rules and regulations to make work safer for the average worker. OSHA still discloses, though, that “Every day in the USA, more than 14 workers lose their lives in preventable workplace tragedies.” With that grim statistic in mind, OSHA continues to tighten safety regulations and rules. This includes for the most dangerous industries where lung injuries are still rather common like the farming and agricultural industry, construction industry, mining industry, repair industry, manufacturing, and athletics.

OSHA Enforces Safety Rules to Decrease Injuries and Work Accidents

OSHA investigates accidents, injuries, mines, tools, collapsed mines, defective products, manufacturers, equipment, and safety code violations by conducting site inspections, interviewing witnesses and employees, checking logs, reviewing maintenance records, talking with management and ownership, and by conducting other investigations. Employers need to try harder to protect their employees since the amount of people still getting lung injuries every year on the job has still remained high over the last decade.

3rd Parties who are also at Fault

Filing a claim for workers’ compensation could help you recoup some part of your lost wages. To get your maximum compensation under the law (potentially including your full income), there needs to be a third party who also had a hand in causing your lung injury. There is a large variety of people and companies that could be suspect of being a third party for lung injuries. Third parties could include companies, contractors, manufacturers, sub-contractors, repair shops, part suppliers, factories, government entities, or anyone else who may also be at fault but is not your employer. Be sure to contact us soon at (909) 436-4610 if there is a potential third party as those cases are greatly improved the sooner that one of our San Bernardino work comp attorneys can start investigating the injury and preparing the dual cases.

Lung Injury Treatment and Diagnosis

Doctors use your high-resolution computerized tomography scan (HRCT), bronchoscopy (the removal of a small piece of lung tissue for studying), chest x-rays, pulmonary function tests (like blowing into a spirometer), work history, bronchoalveolar lavage (studying cells from air sacs in the lungs), exercise tests, medical history, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (surgical lung biopsy). Once the diagnosis has been made for your lung disease or lung injury, treatment options do vary widely. Some of the possible options include pressure control ventilation, antifibrotics, azathioprine, corticosteroid drugs, lung transplantation, acetylcysteine drugs, oxygen therapy, surgery, and mechanical ventilation.

Blast Lung Injuries

Explosions are dangerous to be near for many reasons other than just the possible lung injury. Blast lung injuries (BLI) are still a very harmful potential result of being too close to an explosion. They are caused by blast waves from detonations and they can tear the lungs and cause contusions and hemorrhages on the lungs. Symptoms and signs of BLI include hemoptysis, cough, wheezing, decreased breathing sounds, apnea, chest pain, hemodynamic instability, and dyspnea. Blast lung injuries are definitely serious and need immediate medical attention to diagnose and treat the injury.

Contact Our Firm for a Free Consultation

The free initial consultations and case evaluations are a great way for our potential clients to get to know our team, learn and discuss the merits of their case and talk about their options. We operate all of our cases on a contingency basis where you will not owe us anything unless we win your injury case with a positive trial verdict or settlement.

The San Bernardino County lung injury lawyers at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo will come to you at your house or hospital room if you are unable to come to our office for any reason whatsoever. We will also be available to meet with you, by appointment, on the weekend and in the evening if you cannot meet us during the normal times of Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. We wish you the best possible recovery for your lung injury and please let us know if we can help you in any way.

Law Firm of DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo
San Bernardino, CA ~ (909) 436-4610