Smoking cigarettes is responsible for more than 450,000 deaths each year, of which more than 40,000 people die as a result of second-hand cigarette smoke exposure.

Despite increased awareness about the adverse effects of tobacco consumption and many movie production companies banning the use of cigarettes in films and TV series in the United States, many people in Philadelphia and all across the U.S. continue smoking and exposing themselves to various types of cancer and lung illnesses, heart disease, and other harm.

Tobacco smoking: the harm of first-hand and second-hand smoke

“The problem is, however, that cigarette smokers also harm those who surround them due to exposure to second-hand smoke,” says a Philadelphia tobacco smoking injury attorney from Dan Doyle Law Group.

Fact: in the United States, tobacco kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined.

Fact #2: Compared to non-smokers, those who smoke cigarettes are 7 times more likely to die from oral cancer, 39 times more likely to die from cancer of the larynx, 3 times more likely to die from pancreatic cancer, and 4 times more likely to die from bladder cancer.

Dangers of smoking cigarettes

Cigarettes are so harmful because tobacco contains a laundry list of toxins and cancer-causing agents such as:

  • Tar
  • Nitrosamines
  • Nicotine
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Hydrogen cyanide
  • Ammonia
  • Volatile aldehydes
  • Benzene
  • Aromatic amines
  • Vinyl chloride
  • Ethylene oxide
  • Arsenic
  • Chromium
  • Cadmium and
  • Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

All of these components make tobacco smoke dangerous not only to smokers themselves but also to second-hand smokers (those who inhale smoke without actually smoking a cigarette).

How to sue a tobacco company for your injury?

“Suing a tobacco or cigarette company for your medical expenses associated with a tobacco-related injury is not going to be easy,” warns our experienced product liability lawyer. That’s because tobacco-related injuries, illnesses, and diseases such as cancer or heart disease are not developed overnight or from smoking only one cigarette.

Given that the vast majority of tobacco-related injuries and illnesses are developed over time, suing tobacco companies or cigarette manufacturers becomes extremely difficult.

Despite this, you may still be eligible to sue a tobacco company – or several tobacco companies – for your injury or illness caused by smoking cigarettes. Our Philadelphia cigarette smoking injury lawyer explains that you may be able to file a lawsuit against a tobacco company in an individual claim or class-action lawsuit.

More often than not, cigarette-producing companies will deny such claims arguing that the smokers assumed the risk of injury when smoking. However, with a skilled product liability lawyer by your side, you may be able to break through the “assumption of risk” defense. Needless to say, class-action lawsuits – those that involve multiple claimants – are more effective than individual claims when it comes to suing tobacco companies.

Financial compensation for treatment of tobacco smoking injury or illness

As you can only imagine, the financial cost of treating a tobacco-related injury, illness or disease can climb to hundreds of thousands of dollars, because many of the injuries caused by smoking cigarettes or cigars are life-long and require expensive medical procedures and medications.

Let our skilled cigarette injury lawyer in Philadelphia evaluate your particular situation and determine whether or not you are eligible to sue a tobacco company. Our lawyers at Dan Doyle Law Group may be able to help you find other who have been harmed by exposure to smoke so that you can file a class-action lawsuit.

Contact our law offices to get a free consultation today. Call for a free case evaluation.