Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Wrongful Death Lawsuits

Family members who have lost a loved one as a result of contaminated water at Camp Lejeune can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the United States even if the family member passed away decades ago. Service members, workers who were at the base, family members and others who were victims of these hazardous chemicals have often been diagnosed with deadly medical diagnosis. Water contamination at the Marine base lead to tens of thousands of victims suffering through medical diseases and conditions which includes numerous cancers and many types of diseases. Many of these conditions lead to a tragic death. A death of any family member is tragic, but it is especially sad if the death is one of the tens of thousands of Camp Lejeune deaths caused by the toxic water at the marine base. If a family member suffered illness, cancer or other harm and died, the family can still probably file a lawsuit even if the cause of death is unrelated to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune. In other words, if a victim suffered through liver cancer, esophageal cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer or Parkinson’s disease and died years later in a car accident, the victim is still eligible for Camp Lejeune water compensation. Many families are wondering what is the Camp Lejeune wrongful death payout?

 

**this post was updated by an attorney on February 8th, 2024 and contains updated information about Camp Lejuene contaminated water lawsuit deaths.

From 1953 through 1988, the drinking and bathing water at Camp Lejeune Marine base in North Carolina was tainted by toxic and deadly chemicals. The government estimates that over one million people drank, bathed or were exposed to this polluted water. Many of these victims developed organ or blood cancers and died prematurely as a result of exposure to chemicals such as Trichloroethylene (TCE) Perchloroethylene (PCE).

What evidence do you need to win a Camp Lejeune wrongful death case?

About Deadly Medical Diseases Linked to Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

Water contamination at the Marine base in North Carolina caused numerous types of cancer and severe diseases that often resulted in death. Health studies by the CDC and others have concluded that thousands of prior Camp Lejeune residents, civilian workers and service members died too young caused by diseases and medical conditions linked to the toxic water. It is uncontroverted that water contamination at Camp Lejeune commenced in the early 1950s. As a result, thousands of Lejeune victims passed away decades ago.

Camp Lejeune Wrongful Death Lawsuits pursuant to CLJA

When a victims injuries directly resulted from anothers negligence, the loved ones or family members of the deceased can file a lawsuit seeking compensation. We call this a wrongful death lawsuit. The toxic chemicals in the water at the marine base in North Carolina caused thousands to die of fatal diseases and cancers prematurely from things like bladder cancer, kidney cancer and liver cancer.

What is the likely Camp Lejeune wrongful death payout?

Camp lejeune wrongful death payouts are likely to be very lucrative and exceed $600,000 in water contamination settlement amounts. If the victim’s death certificate indicates the cause of death was a presumptive condition such as Parkinson’s, Leukemia or Bladder cancer then the Camp Lejeune death payout could exceed one million dollars. If the death certificate does not indicate that the fatality was caused by a condition linked to the contaminated water than top attorneys will need to prove that the cause of death was the toxic water. If a victims’ loved ones are willing to take the risk of a Jury trial in North Carolina Federal Court, then there is a chance of a jury vedict of well over 5 to 20 million dollars.

Surviving family members can file a lawsuit for victims who died decades ago

A federal statute named the PACT Act and the Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows surviving family members of victims to pursue wrongful death lawsuits against the United States government. Surviving family can pursue a claim and lawsuit against the United States despite the fact that the water contamination victim died decades ago.

The story of Camp Lejeune water is a sordid 35-year history of water contamination at Camp Lejeune. Years of toxic chemicals in the water caused countless deaths. Close to a million people were exposed to hazardous substances in their drinking water. Many of these people died from different types of cancer associated with water contamination.

As a result of a new law passed by Congress, families who have lost a loved one to an illness resulting from contaminated water at Camp Lejeune may file a lawsuit for compensation. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of law specifically states that a personal representative such as an executor, or administrator of an estate can pursue a claim for compensation.

Camp Lejeune Service Members Have Higher Fatality Rates

One study Illustrated the extent of the harm suffered by people exposed to toxic Camp Lejeune water. This study what’s a retrospective look at the death rates of marine and Naval service members who were stationed at Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton in California. The death rate for Marines who were at Camp Lejeune was far higher. The Camp Lejeune cohort in the study consisted of over 150,000 people. The service members in the Camp Lejeune cohort lived on base for an average of 18 months. “The study evaluated specific causes of death in 154,932 Marines and Navy personnel who began service during 1975-1985 and were stationed at Camp Lejeune anytime during this period. We also evaluated a comparison group of 154,969 Marines and Navy personnel from Camp Pendleton. The Camp Pendleton group was not exposed to contaminated drinking water, but was otherwise similar to the Camp Lejeune group.” cdc

“The causes of death studied include:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Cancers of the bladder, brain, cervix, colon, esophagus, female breast, kidney, larynx, liver, lung, oral cavity, pancreas, prostate, rectum, and soft tissue
• Hematopoietic cancers
  • Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  • Leukemias
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Non-cancerous kidney diseases
• Non-cancerous liver diseases
• Multiple sclerosis” Id.

The Camp Lejeune cohort had higher mortality rates for the following illnesses:

• Cancers of the cervix, esophagus, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, rectum, and soft tissue
• Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Leukemias
• Multiple myeloma
• Multiple sclerosis

“The higher rates for kidney cancer, cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemias, multiple myeloma, and lung cancer were mainly among those with higher cumulative exposures to the contaminants. However, the precision of the estimated rates of many of these conditions was low.The findings for the smoking-related causes of death such as stomach cancer, cardiovascular disease, and (COPD) suggested that smoking would have only a slight impact on the associations between causes of death and exposure to the drinking water contaminants at Camp Lejeune.” Id.At the time of the study, 6% of the people in the cohort had already died, so further study was needed.

Other Findings of Camp Lejeune Cancer Studies

Here are some of the individual findings of the study:

• Camp Lejeune Marines had a 10% higher chance of dying from cancer than Camp Pendleton Marines
• The higher risk of certain types of cancer range from 35 to 68%.
• What cancer has been the most talked-about side effects from Camp Lejeune water, The study also found that Marines had twice the risk of ALS if they were exposed to vinyl chloride ( a chemical that has been found in high levels in Camp Lejeune water). This disease is always fatal.

Camp Lejeune Wrongful Death Damages

A wrongful death lawsuit is your family’s own personal injury action for the loss of their loved one. Here, the personal injury is that your loved one died because of someone else’s actions. You may be able to recover the following damages in a wrongful death lawsuit:

• The lost wages that your loved one would have earned had they worked
• The loss of a close and loving relationship that you had with your family member
• The loss of the guidance and support that your loved one providing
• The grief that you experience from a premature death of a loved one at someone else’s hand

In addition, your family would be able to recover for the damages that your loved one suffered before they died. For example, the government would need to pay for the pain and suffering that your loved one endured between the time that they were diagnosed and the time that they died.

Camp Lejeune victims were not just injured service members

Camp Lejeune victims were not just injured service members. Families who were stationed at Camp Lejeune during the impacted time period report losing children to cancer. For example, the Bill in Congress that provided health care for Camp Lejeune victims was named for a nine year old who died from leukemia after living on Camp Lejeune for a period of time. Many of these victims died in the prime of their lives because of their illness. Thus, the wrongful death damages can be significant.

Here, your lawyer would be negotiating with the federal government for wrongful death compensation. The limitation in the Camp Lejeune Justice Act is that you cannot seek punitive damages against the government, even though they knowingly exposed service members and their family to harm for a period of time.

You Can Even File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit When Your Loved One Died Decades Ago

Under the new law, it does not matter that your loved one died decades ago. So long as they were at the base (lived, worked or were there) for at least 30 days between the years of 1953 and 1987, Your family may be eligible for financial compensation if you had a disease such as cancer or Parkinson’s disease. For a two-year period, there is no time limitation on filing a lawsuit. Your family may even be eligible for financial compensation if your loved one died decades ago. You would just need to prove that your loved one died from a disease that was linked with water contamination.

Camp lejeune wrongful death payout

Since your claim would be filed under North Carolina state law there are two potential ways that you could recover for what happened to your family member. The first is through the wrongful death lawsuit for their actual passing and the harm that it caused to your family. In addition, North Carolina law also allows for Estates to recover for the harm that the person suffered between the time that they were injured and the time of their death. This is called the Survival action, and it allows the estate to recover the following:

• The medical bills that were paid for the loved one’s care
• burial expenses
• Lost wages for the time between their injury and their death
• Pain and suffering damages for what they endured before they died

Settlement amounts for Camp Lejeune deaths likely to exceed 1 million

It is difficult to give an exact amount that your family may be able to expect in wrongful death compensation. The government is legally obligated to pay all claims, and there is no limitation on the amount that they must pay in total to Camp Lejeune victims. In cases like these, wrongful death awards may range up to $1000000 or more. If your loved one died from exposure to contaminated Camp Lejeune water, your family should expect a large sum in damages via settlement or judgment. You have the right to try to negotiate compensation with the federal government. They do not just get to dictate the amount of damages that you can receive.

If you were at Camp Lejeune serving your country, working, living or otherwise exposed during the applicable time period and died of any of the following coditions or diseases (among others), you may be entitled to compensation:

• Kidney Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Prostate Cancer
• Rectal Cancer
• Multiple Myeloma and other myelodysplastic syndromes
• Leukemia (all types)
• Liver Cancer
• Central Nervous System Cancer (brain or spinal cord)
• Bladder Cancer
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Kidney Disease
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Breast Cancer ( female / male)

Factors that Can Impact Your Wrongful Death Settlement Amount

The actual amount of compensation that your family would receive depends on a number of factors, including:

• The age of the person at the time that they died
• loss of income
• their pain and suffering
• Their role that they played in the family
• The closeness and nature of their family relationships
• The effect that their death had on the family

When a victim passes away as a result of the United States government’s negligence, the surviving family members or spouse can pursue a death lawsuit against the U.S.Government. The toxic chemicals in Lejeune’s water lead to tens of thousands of former Marines,workerson base and their family members to pass away prematurely as a result of numerous cancers and other diseases such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma and Kidney Cancer. Pursuant to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, surviving family members can file lawsuits on behalf of of someone who died numerous decades ago.

The following DAMAGES MAY BE AVAILABLE:

1. Medical bills and expenses for the deceased’s treatment as a result of his or her disease or chronic condition;
2. Pain and suffering caused by the contaminated water
3. Lost wages & loss of future earning capacity
4. Interest on any judgment potentially back to the victim’s death;
5. The loss of companionship of a spouse
6. The loss of value of a parent and companionship
7. Burial and funeral costs

The lawyers at Slepkowlaw are compassionate attorneys who understand that no amount of compensation can return your family members back. However, substantial damages will help your family get a sense of justice and hold the wrongdoers accountable.

Camp Lejeune deaths

You would only know how much compensation you can get if you contact an experienced Camp Lejeune water contamination attorney today. Your lawyer knows the specific value of wrongful death claims based on their extensive experience. Your lawyer can give you a general idea of the Camp Lejeune wrongful death payout. Otherwise, you may never know what you are entitled to, and you are at risk of accepting a much lower offer. Hiring a personal injury lawyer can help maximize the value of any claim. Our Camp Lejeune attorneys know what your case is worth, and we will not let you be at an information disadvantage when negotiating compensation with the federal government. Camp Lejeune deaths require the experience of a high powered toxic tort law firm.