RHODE ISLAND: Mesothelioma Lawyers Help RI Asbestos Victims

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island – Mesothelioma lawyers from the national asbestos litigation firm of Levy Konigsberg LLP (“LK”) are continuing to help Rhode Island mesothelioma patients and families obtain legal compensation from companies who manufactured, sold or used asbestos-containing products.

Each year thousands of men and women are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis as a result of their unnecessary exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing products. Mesothelioma lawyers at LK have successfully represented families of Rhode Island workers of different trades who were exposed to asbestos during their careers.

Rhode Island workers were frequently exposed to asbestos by their employment in RI’s bustling shipbuilding industry. Exposure to asbestos at these locations was not limited to repair and maintenance of Naval vessels. Rhode Island’s major nautical operations required the construction of barracks, offices, buildings and other structures, as well as fabrication shops, metal shops, maintenance shops, repair posts and warehouses. An experienced LK lawyer will analyze your employment history to determine all possible exposures to asbestos at these Rhode Island locations.
For RI shipyard operations to run efficiently, numerous trades were required. Shipyard operations in Rhode Island required military personnel, independent contractors, installers, millwrights, welders, insulators, steel workers, plumbers, laborers, electricians, pipefitters, machinists, engineers, draftsmen and many other trades. These tradespeople were routinely exposed to asbestos on a daily basis during their work supporting Rhode Island’s shipyards.

The history of the Newport Naval Yard is traced back to the mid-1600s when early Newport settlers established a rudimentary naval defense along Newport’s waters. During World War II, the Newport Shipyard was Rhode Island’s largest industrial employer, running twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Statistics of this time period show that nearly 13,000 civilians and 1,127 military personnel were employed at Newport’s shipyard.

Newport Shipyard operations required the presence of civilian workers, and personnel from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and U.S. Army Reserves. Motor Torpedo boats, Cruisers, Destroyers and Destroyer escorts were accommodated at the shipyard, with operations expanding in 1955 to double service of these vessels. Rhode Island citizens and military personnel present at the Newport Shipyard were unaware of the serious health hazards created from their routine exposure to asbestos dust at the Newport Shipyard.

Vessel repair and overhaul work performed at Rhode Island’s Newport Shipyard typically occurred in cramped spaces with poor ventilation systems resulting in regular exposure to high levels of asbestos dust. Individuals at the Newport regularly worked with gaskets, packing, raw asbestos, insulation, and other asbestos-containing materials throughout their careers. Mesothelioma lawyers at LK are experienced in identifying the unique asbestos exposures suffered by individuals who were employed at the Newport Shipyard.

Asbestos exposure in Rhode Island was not limited to shipyards. Due to the presence of numerous industrial employers throughout Rhode Island, insulators, plumbers, electricians, pipefitters, chemical operators, machinists, powerhouse workers, boilermakers, engineers and many other trades were routinely exposed to asbestos. Each year, approximately three thousand men and women across the country, including many in Rhode Island, are diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive asbestos cancer, due to their work with or around asbestos-containing products.

In RI, and across the country, many people also developed mesothelioma from non-occupational asbestos exposures, such as automotive work, home renovations and other hobbies, or from “second-hand asbestos exposure,” which occurred when work clothes contaminated with asbestos were worn home. An experienced Levy Konigsberg attorney will assist your family in determining all possible sources of your exposure to asbestos dust.

Rhode Island worksites where asbestos exposure was common include:

Figure 1. Map of the most common asbestos exposure sites in the State of Rhode Island

• Alice Waddington (Riverside, RI)
• Almac’s Warehouse (Phillipsdale, RI)
• Artic Telephone & Telegraph (Artic, RI)
• Beaver Trail Radar Station (Jamestown, RI)
• Bird and Son, Inc. (Phillipsdale, RI)
• Charleston Navy Base (Charleston, RI)
• Combustion Engineering (Quonset Point, RI)
• Crescent Corporation (Darlington, RI)
• Davisville Naval Station (Davisville, RI)
• FC Sayles (Saylesville, RI)
• Foster Nike Site (Foster, RI)
• Galilee Processing Company (Narragansett, RI)
• Glen Cyou Print Works (Phillipsdale, RI)
• Glenlyon Dye Works (Saylesville, RI)
• Greenville Finishing Company (Greenville, RI)
• GW Reynolds & Company (RI)
• I.B. Darling Fertilizer (Saylesville, RI)
• Jamestown Pumping Station (Jamestown, RI)
• Kaiser Aluminum (Portsmouth, RI)
• Kennycott Wire (Phillipsdale, RI)
• Lorraine Manfuacturing Company (Saylesville, RI)
• Manganaro Brothers, Inc. (Newport, RI)

• Mchale Warehouse (Darlington, RI)
• Mellville Fuel Pier (Melville, RI)
• Mellville Underground Oil Tank (Newport, RI)
• Northeast Insulation (Darlington, RI)
• North Smithfield Nike Site (North Smithfield, RI)
• Old Colony St. Railway Company (RI)
• Owens-Corning (Ashton, RI)
• Pearson Boat (Portsmouth, RI)
• P&M Incorporated (RI)
• Portsmouth Treatment Plant (Portsmouth, RI)
• Puritan Aerosol (Ashton, RI)
• Quonset Nike Site (Quonset, RI)
• Quonset Point-Paulson Lab (RI)
• Raytheon (Portsmouth, RI)
• Royal Weaving Company (Darlington, RI)
• Salve Regina (RI)
• Sayles Finishing Plant (Phillipsdale, RI)
• Short Line Bus Garage (RI)
• Sunoil Drilling (Quonset Point, RI)
• Synthron Chemical (Ashton, RI)
• Washburn Wire Company (Phillipsdale, RI)
• WF Sayles (Saylesville, RI)
• Wickford Shipyard (Wickford, RI)

If you or your loved one are a Rhode Island resident or were exposed to asbestos in Rhode Island, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please call (800) 315-3806 or submit an email inquiry on this website to receive a FREE consultation with mesothelioma lawyers at Levy Konigsberg LLP.

ATTENTION: Mesothelioma has no known cure and often causes severe pain, suffering, and other types of damage, such as loss of consortium, and loss of income. Additionally, due to the exceedingly high cost of mesothelioma treatments, many families exhaust savings and accumulate financial debt in order to pay for the medical expenses of their family member.

Under the law of most states, pain and suffering from mesothelioma may be compensated through the award of money damages, usually obtained with the help of experienced mesothelioma attorneys. In some states other types of damages may also be recovered.

Asbestos litigation affords mesothelioma victims the opportunity to receive financial compensation and hold accountable the companies that caused their asbestos exposure.

IMPORTANT: If you or your family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you should get in touch with a mesothelioma lawyer as early as possible to determine if you have a mesothelioma case and to:

• Preserve your rights to bring a legal action against the responsible parties within the limited time frame allowed by law, known as statute of limitations;
• Obtain maximum compensation in your case by being able to:
  • Preserve evidence and establish facts of the asbestos exposure while the claimant is still alive and able to provide information;
  • File and resolve a lawsuit against the responsible parties before they file for bankruptcy or, if they already have, to obtain compensation before their bankruptcy trust funds run out of money;
• Expedite your case, as courts tend to give higher priority to mesothelioma lawsuits where the claimant is still alive.

Find out whether you have a case by speaking to one of our experienced mesothelioma lawyers via our 24/7 toll-free hotline at (800) 315-3806 or by submitting an email inquiry (see form above). Our attorneys will be quick to respond to you and happy to answer all of your questions.

NOTE: While our offices are located in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Georgia, many of our mesothelioma lawyers are licensed to practice law in a number of U.S. states and have the capability and extensive experience of representing mesothelioma clients throughout the United States. You are encouraged to contact us with any questions.