Sweetwater is a town in Beckham and Roger Mills counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was incorporated in 2003. Named for nearby Sweetwater Creek, the town is at the junction of State Highway 30 and State Highway 152. The post office (zip code 73666), was established September 27, 1894. On May 5, 2007, a tornado, rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF scale) as EF3, travled on a path around 100 to 150 yards (91 to 138 m) wide and 7.5 miles (12 km) long. It began about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Sweetwater and ended approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of Sweetwater, following State Highway 30. EF3 wind speeds range from 136 to 165 miles per/hour (mph; 219 to 266 km/h). It severely damaged several buildings in the town, including the church and high school, and destroyed eight homes. Elevation 2172 feet (662 m). It has an estimated population of around 103 people. The Sweetwater Public School District is one of the smallest public school districts in the state of Oklahoma. For the most recent data available, it tied with Boley for the smallest high school with 15 students. For a combined district, K-12, Sweetwater finished third behind, Boley (51) and Clarita (58), with 60 students.

What is toxic tort law?

Toxic Tort cases involve people who have been injured through exposure to dangerous pharmaceuticals or chemical substances in the environment, on the job, or in consumer products -- including carcinogenic agents, lead, benzene, silica, harmful solvents, hazardous waste, and pesticides to name a few.

Most toxic tort cases have arisen either from exposure to pharmaceutical drugs or occupational exposures. Most pharmaceutical toxic injury cases are mass tort cases, because drugs are consumed by thousands of people, many of whom become ill from a toxic drug. There have also been many occupational toxic tort cases, because industrial and other workers are often chronically exposed to toxic chemicals - more so than consumers and residents. Most of the law in this area arises from asbestos exposure, but thousands of toxic chemicals are used in industry and workers in these areas can experience a variety of toxic injuries. Unlike the general population, which is exposed to trace amounts of thousands of different chemicals in the environment, industrial workers are regularly exposed to much higher levels of chemicals and therefore have a greater risk of developing disease from particular chemical exposures than the general population. The home has recently become the subject of toxic tort litigation, mostly due to mold contamination, but also due to construction materials such as formaldehyde-treated wood and carpet. Toxic tort cases also arise when people are exposed to consumer products such as pesticides and suffer injury. Lastly, people can also be injured from environmental toxins in the air or in drinking water.

Answers to toxic tort law issues in Oklahoma

In certain kinds of cases, lawyers charge what is called a contingency fee. Instead of billing by the hour, the...

Because of the health problems caused by lead poisoning, the federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction...

Property owners may be liable for tenant health problems caused by exposure to environmental hazards, such as...

In general, mass tort cases involve a large number of individual claimants with claims associated with a single...