What is the name of your state? Iowa, Washington
I am looking for some direction; hopefully my questions will not be too convoluted.
My father, from whom I am estranged and have been nearly my whole life, is dying (this week) of three unrelated cancers. He is 48, has a wife (34) and a son (8). I highly suspect that the cancer came from illegal use of pesticides in a raspberry field located immediately next to his home.
There was a newspaper article regarding my father and his family in 2002. It is very long, but I will post a portion of it at the end of this post (names changed).
Additionally, the wife is mentally unstable (for which she receives disability). My question is this, is this a wrongful death case? And if so, do I file the case (I am Iowa, he is Washington)? If I file the case, do I find a lawyer in Washington or Iowa? Any advice or tips would be appreciated.
I am looking for some direction; hopefully my questions will not be too convoluted.
My father, from whom I am estranged and have been nearly my whole life, is dying (this week) of three unrelated cancers. He is 48, has a wife (34) and a son (8). I highly suspect that the cancer came from illegal use of pesticides in a raspberry field located immediately next to his home.
There was a newspaper article regarding my father and his family in 2002. It is very long, but I will post a portion of it at the end of this post (names changed).
Additionally, the wife is mentally unstable (for which she receives disability). My question is this, is this a wrongful death case? And if so, do I file the case (I am Iowa, he is Washington)? If I file the case, do I find a lawyer in Washington or Iowa? Any advice or tips would be appreciated.
What is the name of your state?After John and Jane Smith moved into a house near a raspberry field, Jane began having frequent headaches. Soon her kidneys began to hurt. After awhile, the rest of the family began having health problems. John also started having headaches and kidney pain. The couple and their 4-year-old son, Joe, developed a rash. John and Jane were frequently nauseous.
Then, one morning in July 2001, the whole family got sick at the same time, John said.
"I woke up one morning, about 1 a.m., sick," he said. "I walked in the kitchen to get a drink of water, and I looked out the window and there’s this giant cloud over the whole area.
"They were spraying."
The Smiths said that at the time they weren’t sure of the cause of their ailments. But, as they spent more time in the house near the fields, they began to suspect the chemicals used on the raspberries were causing their troubles.
This March, the Smiths became so ill they went to the emergency room.
John said they became sick during a heavy windstorm. The winds were blowing from the north, across the fields and their home, he said. A few days before he had seen workers pouring something on the raspberries. He said it didn’t rain after that. John said he suspects the wind brought chemicals into their home and made them sick.
"We woke up about 3 a.m. We woke up sick. We went to the ER, we were so sick," he said. "(The doctors said) there was more than a 50-percent chance that it was pesticide exposure."