What Legal Recourse Do You Have if You’ve Been Made Unwell by Contaminated Water?
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If you have gotten sick and have had your life changed by contaminated water, you might be wondering who to blame or what you can do legally for your rights. Water contamination is a serious issue, and once you know what steps to take, you can get started with protecting your rights.
What Are Water Contamination Lawsuits?
Water contamination lawsuits are going to be your main legal weapon whenever it comes to seeking justice from the companies that contaminated the water in the first place.
They are civil lawsuits that are filed against either individuals, businesses, or government entities (including city agencies and municipalities), and they claim damages from the consumption or the use of the contaminated water.
For example, if you get sick from the tap water in your home, you can file a lawsuit that claims negligence towards the city that says that the negligence of the city caused you harm.
If they don’t do anything about the contaminated water, then you can sue them and seek monetary compensation for the medical bills and other costs that came with the consumption of the contaminated water.
The Different Types Of Compensation
In water contamination lawsuits, you can get three different levels of compensation. These are compensatory damages, punitive damages, and statutory damages. Compensatory damages are payments that cover your medical bills as well as any future costs that will come from the contaminated water (such as needing to buy bottled water).
Punitive damages punish the people or companies that caused the problem. If it can be proven in court that they knew the water was contaminated or would be contaminated and did nothing about it, then they can be fined and punished for their actions. Finally, statutory damages are a combination of both types of damages.
Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit
Perhaps the most interesting and well known type of water contamination lawsuit is the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit. The marine corps base in North Carolina was contaminated with chemicals from 1953 to 1987, and those chemicals included industrial solvents, dry cleaning fluids, and degreasing agents used to clean equipment and buildings. Not the kind of stuff that you want to see in your drinking water!
The government knew about the contamination and not only refused to tell the residents of the base about it, but also claimed that the water was safe to drink even when it was not. Many people ingested these toxic substances and then suffered serious health problems as a result, which were passed down from generation to generation on the base.
If you have been affected by the Camp Lejeune contaminated water, then you can seek compensation for your injuries and health problems. You should try to seek help from the Dolman Law Group in order to make sure you can file a lawsuit and also get the justice that you and your family deserve.
It’s never too late to seek justice and have those responsible answer for what they did, so don’t hesitate to get involved in the case.
Take Your Legal Action
If you have been affected by any type of contaminated drinking water, you need to know that you have legal rights as well as things that you can do to fight for those rights. Contact a lawyer and research your case in order to fight for your rights, and get the justice you deserve. Plus, you can also prevent others from being exposed to the contaminated water and suffering from it like you have.
