When you are looking to move into a new apartment, you might come across many options. Many people tend to go for the most affordable option and choose to call that apartment home. These apartments are often outdated. In apartments built prior to 1978, there is likely lead paint somewhere in the home. Often, building owners paint over old paint, and while it may not pose an immediate threat, when the paint starts flaking or chipping, the apartment building residents can be put at risk for lead poisoning. Both unborn children and young children can be affected by lead exposure. Lead poisoning results in permanent injuries that can negatively affect a child’s life. If your child is showing symptoms of lead poisoning, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The following information includes information on childhood lead poisoning. Although the information provided below should give you a thorough understanding of lead poisoning lawsuits, you should not use the details below to substitute a consultation with a lead poisoning attorney. Only a lead poisoning attorney will be able to give you case-specific information. Contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible.
Lead Regulations
There are many lead regulations both on the state and federal levels. These regulations are purposed to prevent childhood lead poisoning. Lead can be found everywhere; however, lead in the home is the most dangerous considering the amount of time that children spend in their homes. Below you will find a few of the regulations that pertain to apartment building lead poisoning:
- Civil Code 1102-1102.16 requires landlords to disclose any known lead hazards.
- In 1978, the U.S. government banned the use of lead-based paint in residential areas.
- In 1986, the use of lead-coated pipes in plumbing and water systems was banned.
If your landlord was aware of the presence of lead hazards before you moved in, you might be able to sue the owner for your child’s injuries. If your apartment was built before 1986, you might have lead-coated pipes in your home. Again, if your landlord was aware of this and failed to inform you, you can file a lawsuit claiming negligence. If the lead-coated pipes are part of a public water system, you might be able to sue the city. Contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible for more information.
Symptoms of Childhood Lead Poisoning
How does exposure to lead affect residents of apartment buildings? Childhood lead poisoning can be apparent through many symptoms. Young children are most vulnerable to lead poisoning; however, if women are exposed to lead during pregnancy, the baby might show symptoms at birth. If a pregnant woman is exposed to lead, her baby might be born prematurely, have a lower than average birth weight, or show a slow growth rate. If a child was lead poisoned later in life, he or she might experience the following: developmental delays, learning difficulties, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, hearing loss, and seizures. In fact, it has been proven that even the slightest of lead exposure in children can cause brain damage.
Although the damage caused by lead poisoning is permanent; treatment is necessary to remove the presence of lead in a child’s system and prevent further damage. In mild cases, treatment can include just removing or avoiding the source of lead exposure. In more serious cases, there are two treatment options—chelation therapy and EDTA chelation therapy. What is the difference? In chelation therapy, an oral medication is administered and binds with lead in the victim’s system, allowing the lead to be excreted in urine. EDTA chelation therapy is generally reserved for those who cannot tolerate the medication in the first treatment option. In this treatment method, calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is administered via injection.
If your child is experiencing any of the symptoms associated with lead poisoning, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. After your child has received the necessary treatment, contact Normandie Law Firm for information on filing a lawsuit against the parties responsible for your child’s injuries.
Past Settlements and Verdicts
If you are considering filing an apartment building lead poisoning lawsuit, you might have thought about the possible compensation you might be eligible to receive. In childhood lead poisoning, compensation generally includes the following: past and future medical expenses, lost wages for parents who have had to stay home to care for their children, pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, and loss of consortium for the family of the victim. In cases where the injuries caused by lead poisoning are so severe that a child loses his or her life, the compensation slightly differs and covers funeral and burial costs, along with medical expenses incurred before death, and the family’s emotional and mental distress caused by the death of the child.
Below, you will find a few examples of past settlements and verdicts surrounding childhood lead poisoning in apartment buildings:
- $425,000—a young child was exposed to lead paint and eventually showed signs of learning disabilities along with dangerously high lead levels in his blood.
- $1 million—a nine-year-old child was exposed to the dust of lead-based paint used in the family’s apartment.
- $2 million—a four-year-old boy was exposed to lead a few months before birth and throughout the majority of his life in his mother’s basement apartment.
- $2.4 million—a young girl suffered lead poisoning after being exposed to lead in her family’s apartment when the girl was an infant.
- $2.7 million—a nine-year-old boy suffered lead poisoning when he was two-years-old. The child was exposed to lead in the family’s apartment.
- $3 million—a thirteen-year-old boy was exposed to lead and was lead poisoned while he and his family lived in an apartment building.
- $3.39 million—a ten-year-old suffered lead poisoning while she lived in an apartment building with her family.
- $8.5 million—a fifteen-year-old boy was exposed to lead in two different apartments at a young age.
As you can see, the past settlements and verdicts listed above show some variation. The amount of compensation received often depends on the severity and permanency of the injuries. Contact Normandie Law Firm to speak with experienced lawyers who can sue a landlord for lead poisoning to tenants. Our lawyers will evaluate your case and give you an estimated case value based on your case details.
Normandie Law Firm Can Help
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm dedicated to helping the victims of lead poisoning receive the compensation that they have the right to receive. Contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible to speak with a Los Angeles lead poisoning lawyer to begin your legal process against the parties responsible for your child’s lead poisoning. Exposure to lead can cause serious health problems; young children are most at risk for serious injuries due to lead exposure. The symptoms caused by lead poisoning can often be confused with other ailments. Therefore, it is essential that you seek medical attention for your child and have a doctor conduct blood tests. Blood tests will detect lead in your child’s system and will allow treatment to begin as soon as possible. If your child’s lead poisoning was a result of negligence at your apartment building, you might be interested in filing a lawsuit against the party or parties responsible. If so, contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible to speak with a Los Angeles attorney for lead poisoning at apartment buildings.
The legal staff at Normandie Law Firm understands how stressful it can be to even think about filing a lawsuit after your child has been diagnosed with lead poisoning. Because of this, Normandie Law Firm aims to make it as easy as possible to start the legal process against the party responsible for your child’s injuries. Normandie Law Firm offers free consultations and free second opinions; you can speak with attorneys with experience in lead poisoning cases at no cost. During your free consultation, you should expect an apartment building lead poisoning lawyer to answer all of your questions and address all of your concerns. Our lawyers will give you and your case all the time necessary to ensure a successful necessary. If you already have an attorney with another law firm, you might benefit from a free second opinion. Consider your experience with your current attorney. Do you feel like your attorney rushed through your case? Do you feel that your attorney missed key details, leaving you searching for information in online sources? Unfortunately, many attorneys rush through cases in attempts to increase their overall numbers. This leads to attorneys overlooking or neglecting important pieces of information and, therefore, affecting the outcome of the lawsuit. Do not risk the result of your lead poisoning lawsuit. Contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible and let us help you get your case back on the right track.
Our free consultations and free second opinions form a part of Normandie Law Firm’s Zero-Fee guarantee. You will never have to pay any upfront fees for our legal services. Additionally, since our law firm is strictly based on contingency, you will not have to pay anything until our experienced lawyers win your tenant lead poisoning lawsuit. Contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible to begin your legal process against the parties responsible for your child’s injuries.
