Asbestos Diseases - Victoria, WA & ACT
If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease,
naturally your first priority is to take care of your health.
However, financial compensation may relieve some of the burden
for you and your family. Our experienced team will work with you to
minimise inconvenience and stress. We will visit you free of charge
and without obligation, at home or in hospital, to discuss your
entitlements and the claims process.
Asbestos related diseases include:
- mesothelioma
- lung cancer
- asbestosis
- asbestos-related pleural diseases
If you have mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural
plaques or gastro-intestinal cancers, you can make a claim even
if:
- you are no longer employed where the exposure occurred
- you were exposed to asbestos more than 50 years ago
- your employer at the time has since gone out of business
- you were exposed to asbestos by many employers
- you were self-employed or a contractor at the time of
exposure
- your exposure to asbestos was not at work
- you were exposed to asbestos during home renovations
- you are not sure where you were exposed to asbestos, and
- you also smoke cigarettes.
It's important to get advice from experts
Claims for asbestos-related injuries are complicated and require
careful consideration of complex medical and legal issues. An
experienced lawyer will know what questions to ask and how to
formulate the claim. They will also get you a quicker
resolution.
No matter who you are up against, Maurice Blackburn will
fight to protect you.
FAQs about Asbestos & Dust disease claims
How much will I get?
We can't tell how much you will get without your specific
information. However, if you have good evidence to support your
claim, you are likely to win compensation of between tens and
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How much will it
cost?
Your first consulation is free and without obligation.
If you decide to proceed, and we believe you have a viable
claim, we will act on a 'No win - No charge' basis. That means
we will fund the claim and recover our costs, in line with the
Court Scale, when the claim is settled. If you lose, you won't be
charged our professional fees.
How do I make a claim?
If you decide to make a claim you need to:
- speak to a solicitor about your work and your exposure to
asbestos
- give the solicitor authority to access your medical records and
reports
- provide relevant documentation
- visit an independent doctor for a medico-legal opinion,
and
- provide instructions about any offers made.
Our asbestos experts can give you more information about the
claim process.
Freecall 1800 810 856.
How long will it
take?
Claims for asbestos-related malignancy usually take between
three and six months, although claims can be resolved in a matter
of weeks where there is medical evidence to demonstrate this is
warranted. Claims for non-malignant asbestos disease usually take
between 12 and 18 months to resolve.
Can my family make a claim
later?
Yes, provided you have initiated a claim during your lifetime in
Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and
Tasmania. If you die before the claim is resolved, it will survive
for your estate. If you do not initiate a claim, any claim you
family can make after your death will be limited to their financial
losses incurred as a direct result of your death, such as lost
wages and funeral expenses.
Have you registered your asbestos exposure?
If you have been exposed to asbestos, you are at risk of
developing respiratory disease or cancer. Should you receive such a
tragic diagnosis in the future, you may be entitled to
compensation.
Listing the details of your asbestos exposure, whether it was
recent or many years ago, may assist your future claims for
compensation. It can also help other victims who use the database
to help determine where they were exposed.
You can register for free on the National Asbestos Register,
which already has more than 6,000 registrants. If you choose to
register, you will not automatically become a client of Maurice
Blackburn and you have no obligation to become one in the
future.
Register online or
freecall 1800 810 856 for a registration form.
Support services
At Maurice Blackburn, we know that access to information
as soon as you've been diagnosed with an asbestos related
disease is crucial to your, and your family's, understanding
of your illness. To aid in this process, we are proud to distribute
the book Surviving
Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide, by
mesothelioma survivor Paul Kraus. To order a free copy, click here.
The Cancer Council of Victoria also has mesothelioma books
that are provided free to sufferers. To order a free copy, click
here.
The Asbestos Information & Support Service (AISS) - www.aiss.org.au