Drinking water contamination can be a serious problem. It can cause severe health problems like infections and long-term effects on your body and brain. In some cases, you may be able to receive compensation for your medical bills or other damages if you were contaminated by drinking water. To do this, however, you must prove that your case warrants action. Here are the steps for addressing legal action against someone who caused drinking water contamination:
Look for Local Laws
The first step in addressing the problem of contaminated water is to look for local laws protecting your consumer rights. State, federal, and international laws may also be helpful in this regard. However, you must remember that you can only file claims against businesses based on state or federal law.
If we take the example of Camp Lejeune, several people have suffered the water contamination’s adverse effect on their health and lives. They developed malignant diseases like cancers from exposure to such water, which contained harmful compounds like VOCs. These include degreasers, dry cleaning solvents, and almost 70 other dangerous substances.
Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Lawsuit was passed to counter this and help victims get compensation. With the help of this law, one can file a case for compensation against losses of money incurred. The Camp Lejeune water contamination settlement amounts will vary depending on the ailments identified, the length of time at the base, and other factors.
Drinking Water and Health Problems Establishment
It would help to establish a connection between drinking water and health problems. You should be able to demonstrate a clear link between your drinking water and the health problems you suffered. For example, when drinking contaminated water, you have those particular symptoms or illnesses. Once a causal relationship has been established between your exposure to contaminated drinking water and your illness. It will be easier to prove liability on the part of whoever was responsible for letting this happen in the first place, e.g., the municipality or federal agency.
Location of Water Contamination
The next step you can take to address medical claims by health issues caused due to water contamination is identifying the location of water contamination. According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people currently have inadequate access to clean drinking water. By 2025, half of humanity will reside in water-stressed regions. The location of water contamination is essential because it determines which laws apply to your case and which parties are responsible for maintaining pure drinking water.
Live in an area that is not prone to natural disasters such as chemical spills. Your local municipality’s drinking water treatment plant should be able to provide clean drinking water at all times. However, suppose you live in an area with a history of earthquakes or hurricanes. In that case, there is likely some damage to your local infrastructure that has made it harder for them to provide clean drinking water regularly.
Determine the Contamination Period
The first step in determining the extent of your claim is determining the contamination period. It will help decide whether or not you are eligible for compensation, what damages exist, and how long they will last.
The following questions should be answered when determining your claim:
- How long did the contamination last? Was it a short time frame or a longer one?
- To what extent was the contamination? Was it severe, reaching all areas of an entire town or just one home?
- Who was affected by this water contamination? For example, did everyone in that area have access to a contaminated water source, or was it isolated to certain homes only, such as those with older plumbing systems?
Look for Symptoms
When you begin to experience health issues due to contaminated water, you should be aware of the following symptoms:
- Rash or skin irritation
- Nausea and headaches
- Diarrhea
Contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms after drinking contaminated water. Knowing if you are experiencing other health problems like stomach pain, vomiting, or bloody stools is essential. In addition, if anyone in your family has a history of these types of conditions. It is also crucial that they contact their doctor as soon as possible.
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Obtain Medical Treatment
You must obtain medical treatment for your health problems if you’ve experienced health issues due to water contamination. However, depending on the severity of your condition, medical treatment can be expensive. Fortunately, most people have insurance to help cover these costs. However, if you do not have insurance or the deductible for your plan isn’t met yet, this may become costly.
As with any illness or injury, it’s always best to seek medical attention immediately after an incident occurs. Doctors can diagnose and treat any symptoms immediately rather than attempting to ignore them until they subside on their own. Unfortunately, it could lead down another path towards an even more severe ailment later down the road due lack of diligence by prior sufferer onset.
Also, keep those bills in your records to show them when required if you want to file those medical claims. GlobeNewswire reports that 80% of medical bills in the US are inaccurate and contain errors. Thus, you must be careful about checking what has been billed to you.
Determining Negligence on Parties’ Responsibility
It would help if you understood that negligence is a legal concept. It may refer to the failure of a party to exercise reasonable care and caution in performing an act that results in injury or damage to another person or property. In other words, it’s when someone does not do their job correctly and causes harm. However, negligence differs from gross negligence, which is when someone acts recklessly or is indifferent to the safety of others.
You’ll need evidence to prove that parties such as healthcare providers and facilities have been negligent in providing you with pure drinking water that has caused your health issues. You can’t just say “they’re wrong” and move on, but you’ll also have to show why they are wrong. For example, if medical records show that some contamination happened during treatment at a hospital, those could be helpful documents for building your case against them.
Search for Information
The next step is to begin searching for information that supports your claim. Most people will already know how much they’ve been affected by the contamination. However, it’s important to remember that there are varying degrees of damage. For example, some people may experience nausea or diarrhea after drinking contaminated water, while others may suffer chronic health conditions such as cancer or kidney failure.
It’s also important to note that if you can find evidence showing the contamination was caused by negligence or intentional actions on behalf of someone else. It will help strengthen your case against them in court. It could include photos or videos showing sewage leaking from pipes into local rivers and streams, official reports from state agencies about water contamination incidents, newspaper articles, etc.
People Who Suffer from Contaminations Through Drinking Water Have Legal Rights
Poor water quality causes 80% of illnesses and 50% of child mortality globally. If you have been affected due to contaminated drinking water and are seeking legal help, it is essential to know that your rights depend on the laws in your state. The burden of proof is on the injured party. The injured party must prove that their particular case warrants action. In addition, they must prove that the parties responsible for maintaining pure drinking water were negligent in their duty to maintain safe and clean drinking water supplies.
