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WOOD WORKING INJURY


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Wood Worker Accident Lawsuits

Workers in the wood and timber industry may be subject to a large number of occupational health risks, resulting from toxic chemical exposure to woods, including solvents, preservatives, and adhesives. Physical injuries from work hazards, dangerous machinery and noise and vibration are also common in the wood industry, making it one of the most dangerous in the United States.

Formaldehyde exposure has had devastating effects on workers in the wood industry, and is known to cause some forms of cancer after chronic exposure at the workplace. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) classifies formaldehyde as “known to be a human carcinogen.”

Studies of wood industry employees exposed to formaldehyde in the workplace have reported a link between formaldehyde exposure and cancer. These studies primarily observed workers in occupational settings that use formaldehyde resins and solvents.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated wood worker injury lawyer representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of civil litigation and workplace injury claims.  

Formaldehyde Exposure Symptoms

Chronic occupational exposure to formaldehyde presents serious risk. Studies have found that woodworkers and other professionals that use formaldehyde have an increased risk of leukemia, particularly acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

One study found that workers exposed to formaldehyde had elevated levels of chromosome changes in early white blood cells, supporting the association between formaldehyde exposure and leukemia. National Cancer Institute researchers have also warned that exposure to formaldehyde may cause acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

When formaldehyde or other airborne toxins are present in a wood shop, exposed workers may have adverse reactions and negative health effects that may include the following:

•    Burning sensations of the eyes, nose, and throat
•    Coughing
•    Wheezing
•    Nausea
•    Skin irritation and reactions

Toxic Wood Products & Chemical Hazards

Some finishes and coatings used in finishing processes contain chemicals that can affect the central nervous system, causing headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Health hazards can cause both acute and chronic health effects.
Toxins may harm the body in three ways: through inhalation, ingestion, or by direct skin contact. After any such injury, contact a medical professional and wood worker injury lawyer.

A worker’s skin may absorb many chemicals like solvents, and they may enter the bloodstream. Aside from formaldehyde, a wide range of other adhesives solvents and coating agents used to finish wood products are hazardous to the health of wood workers, including the following:

•    Lacquers—nitrocellulose topcoats
•    Varnishes—acid-catalyzed coatings
•    Turpentine
•    Toluene
•    Xylenes
•    Epoxy resin
•    Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)
•    Methanol

Wood Worker Machine Hazards

Workplace safety precautions are not limited to only chemical exposures, but also serious machine hazards that result in thousands of employee injuries each year in the United States. Some severe injuries result from incidents that include:

•    Machine and saw kickbacks
•    Defective Power Tools
•    Fire and explosion hazards
•    Electrical hazards
•    Noise and Vibration
•    Flying particles—wood chips, splinters, broken saw teeth, and other material
•    Nip points—clothing, hair, or hands may be caught by automatic machine feeds

Hazardous Woodworking Equipment

•    Circular saws
•    Crosscut saws
•    Ripsaws
•    Overhead Swing saws
•    Straight Line Pull Cutoff Saws
•    Radial Saws
•    Band Saws
•    Jig Saws
•    Jointers
•    Shapers
•    Power Planers
•    Molders
•    Lathes
•    Sanders
•    Routers
•    Boring Machines

Wood Dust Inhalation Cancer

Exposure to wood dust has long been associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including dermatitis, respiratory effects, and some kinds of cancer. Certain types of saw dust have been determined to be a top-level carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Health studies have shown that wood industry workers have an above-than-average risk of developing nasal and sinus cancers, especially adenocarcinoma. This disease can lay dormant and may only become evident about 40 years after initial exposure.

The dangers are especially evident when the wood processing involves saw dust inhalation. There may be an increased risk for laryngeal cancer in wood workers due to the fine dust irritating sensitive areas of the respiratory system.

Wood Worker Injury Lawyer

The Lyon Firm is a Cincinnati, Ohio law firm dedicated to protecting workers and improving workplace safety conditions by holding employers accountable for unsafe work environments that lead to injury or illness.

When an employer fails to protect workers or fails to provide basic safety gear and protective equipment set forth by OSHA guidelines, employees may file employer negligence lawsuits with a wood worker injury lawyer.

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A Voice for Those who have suffered 

Why are these cases important?

Serious injuries and accidents often result through no fault of the injured party, yet the injured victim suffers from life altering physical, mental and financial losses. Such economic and human losses can have devastating financial consequences on individuals and families if not properly compensated. Tort law allows those individuals to seek just legal recourse through personal injury lawsuits.

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Questions about Personal Injury Cases
What is a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Any kind of negligence by an individual or company that causes injury or harm can lead to filing a personal injury lawsuit. The amount a plaintiff is entitled to depends on several factors, particularly how egregious the act and how serious the injury.

Personal injury attorneys generally only will take cases on a confidential and contingency fee basis, which means your lawyer will only get paid if he or she is able to reach a settlement or positive verdict. The Lyon Firm will review your case for free and assess what compensation any plaintiff can expect through litigation.

Personal Injury cases can range from minor auto accidents to complex lawsuits filed against large corporations. The Lyon Firm has handled both with equal care. Severe injury requires legal action on occasion, no matter if the injury is the result of a vehicle accident, a dog bite, a boating accident, workplace injury, defective consumer products, medical malpractice, or toxic exposure.

What is the Process?

Pre-Suit Investigation and Negotiations: Personal injury lawsuits are unique and require a thorough investigation before a lawsuit is filed. An initial investigation involves gathering all relevant medical records, accident reports, and interviews with available witnesses.  Preservation letters are drafted to notify the defendant of the case. The duty to preserve electronic evidence is critical in most cases to prevent spoliation.

Filing a Lawsuit in Cincinnati: If pre-suit negotiations are unsuccessful, then a lawsuit must be filed to preserve the statute of limitations.  Filing a lawsuit early in the process is often necessary to begin gathering evidence while the witnesses memories are fresh and documents remain available.

Once suit is filed by your personal injury lawyer, the court will set a case management schedule and the parties will begin exchanging information in the formal process of discovery. Depositions will be taken to preserve testimony for trial and to understand what certain witnesses are likely to say at trial.

Proving Negligence, Causation and Damages: In addition to lay witness testimony and other documentary evidence, personal injury claims rely upon medical and scientific evidence to prove negligence, causation and damages. The chosen expert in a case must have a reliable and sound basis in science and in the facts of the case or his opinion may not be admissible under the rules of evidence.

In the areas of Toxic and Environmental Torts, the admission of expert testimony may be scrutinized harder than in other areas simply because the subject may not have been as widely tested and may rest on novel scientific theories.

Are there any limits to what I can recover?

Each state will vary. Under Ohio law, an injured party may recover damages related to medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, loss of enjoyment of life, past pain and suffering, future pain and suffering, and punitive damages. The numerical limits are as such:

  1. Non-Catastrophic Injury:   The non-economic award is limited to $250,000 per plaintiff, or three times the economic loss, up to $350,000 per plaintiff. A maximum of $500,000 for each “occurrence.”
  2. Catastrophic Injury: No limits.

The Lyon Firm may be able to file injury claims and recover rightful compensation for clients for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost earnings and long-term disability.

Our Victories

The Lyon Firm aggressively, professionally, and passionately advocates for injured individuals and families against negligent individuals or companies to obtain just compensation under the law. 

$1,000,000

WRONGFUL DEATH: DISTRACTED DRIVER

(Brown County, Kentucky):   The Lyon Firm was second chair a case involving a driver texting and driving when he crossed the median, killing a father of four. The case was resolved once discovery confirmed the cell phone records proved the texting-related incident. The settlement will pay for the surviving childrens’ education. The driver was likely facing additional criminal charges at the time of the settlement.

$495,000

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT

(Cincinnati, Ohio):  The Lyon Firm was lead counsel in a $495,000 settlement. This case involved a motorcycle operator who sustained fractures of the calcaneus, talus, medial cuneiform, tarsal bones, and tarsometatarsal when a car ignored its driving lane and crossed into his right-of-way. Settlement provided repayment of medical bills of $20,000 and funds for future education to re-enter the work force in a less physically-demanding job.