Betty B. - diagnosed with lung cancer
$164,256.03 as compensation to a woman who worked for 20 years as a laborer and furnace operator at the U.S. Steel, America’s biggest producer of raw steel, and one of those corporations that failed to protect its employees from the serious risks of asbestos exposure. In the summer of 2019, she went to see a doctor after months of experiencing a persistent cough and severe chest pain. After numerous tests, she was diagnosed with a fast-growing type of lung cancer. Our client starting as an apprentice, producing various metal items. She mentioned to us that as a furnace operator she had to feed and maintain the furnaces, which she believed were lagged with asbestos. She also said that her role included both removing and renewing the asbestos lining on a regular basis and he wore asbestos mitts and an apron to work on the furnaces.
William W. - lung cancer victim
$56,359.71 as compensation to the family of a Tennessee man who passed away in 2019, from lung cancer after a two-year battle with the disease. As we started investigating the claim, aiming to help his family recover financial compensation for their loss, we discovered a strong relationship between his illness and his work history. The victim worked throughout his career as a painter for Jamison Company Inc., Hardwick Stove Co Old Corp, and Canteen Corporation and he was involved in processes from priming and taping to caulking, removing old paint, and applying new layers. The texture paint and coating products manufactured with asbestos were the sources of his exposure. The man was the father of four children and had seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The compensation will certainly go a long way in helping his family financially when he no longer can.
Helmke L. - diagnosed with lung cancer
$30,436.05 as compensation to a 69-year-old man diagnosed with lung cancer due to prolonged occupational exposure to asbestos. After we analyzed his medical reports, we ordered his work records. Our aim was to discover a connection between his diagnosis and the exposure source. We immediately realized that there were different potential sources of exposure because our client had been working as a welder, sandblaster, auto-mechanic, and laborer for most of his life. As detailed in his statement, our client often handled asbestos-containing gaskets, and metal rings that seal joints, installed, assembled, maintained, and repaired HVAC systems, plumbing systems, precision industrial equipment, roofing, gutters, and siding. He also recalls using an asbestos-based textile material while welding.
Harold H. - lung cancer victim
$149,508.70 as compensation to the family of an Alabama man who worked as a sheet metal worker from 1952 to 1985 at the Hayes International Corp., Birmingham, AL. He was first diagnosed with asbestosis in February 2019, after which approximately five months apart came another terrible diagnosis – lung cancer - which proved to be fatal in just a few weeks and most probably developed as a consequence of the acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis. Certain characteristics of sheet metal work explain the likely cause of our client's lung cancer diagnosis. As the name implies, the profession involves the installation of sheets of metal onto buildings, fixed objects, or asbestos-based products.
Doyle B. - lung cancer survivor
$43,501.89 to a Mississippi man who worked for more than 15 years as a carpenter at various local companies. Due to his job, he dealt with a lot of products that contained asbestos. When he started coughing up traces of blood, he decided to see a doctor. He performed a bronchoscope procedure and discovered evidence of cancerous cells. Many carpenters throughout the 1900s had no idea that because of the variety of work they performed, they were exposed to asbestos on an almost daily basis. He unknowingly exposed his family to deadly asbestos dust when he brought his asbestos-contaminated clothing home from work. Because of this exposure, our client's wife developed mesothelioma and died when he was 64 years old.
Lee W. - diagnosed with lung cancer
$38,051.50 to a Florida man exposed to asbestos for most of his life because of the places he worked in. The exposure didn’t show any signs for a long period, until 2018, at age 68, when during a routine chest X-ray his doctor discovered several suspicious spots on the lungs that turned out to be lung cancer. From 1953 to 1979, our client’s work for Clark Manufacturing Co Inc., Bruce Brady Chevrolet Inc., Crain Southern Inc., and Edwards-Warren Tire Co Inc., involved hands-on work with clutch facings, brake pads, hood liners, gaskets, and other asbestos-containing friction materials. For example, brake grinding is a task that often disturbs and releases asbestos fibers when malformations of brake components are sanded down. If compressed air is used to clean the brake drum, millions of asbestos fibers get released into the surrounding air.
Lewis W. - lung cancer survivor
$122,723.52 as compensation to a 74-year-old veteran exposed to asbestos while serving aboard the USS Piedmont (AD-17). At first, his doctor thought he had an infection on his lungs but further investigations and a biopsy revealed that unfortunately, he had lung cancer. He was working in the U.S. Navy for more than 5 years starting in 1970 when he enrolled in the military to be a serviceman. In that period, asbestos was present in every corner of Navy ships including storage rooms, mess halls, navigation rooms, and sleeping quarters. In addition to likely being exposed to a high concentration of asbestos, our client was less likely to take preventative measures against asbestos exposure as he was not informed of the risk to health that these products may present.
Terry T. - diagnosed with lung cancer
$25,913.35 as compensation to a client of ours whom we met in 2019 when he decided to pursue a claim for compensation. As a lifelong cigarette smoker, he abdicated himself to the unhealthy habit, not knowing that he multiplied the risk of developing lung cancer as a result of the fatal combination of smoking and asbestos exposure. In 2016, he received a lung cancer diagnosis. Our client worked as a machine operator at General Motors Corporation for more than 40 years starting in 1972. The auto industry giant General Motors Corporation was responsible for the manufacturing of automotive components that is still in business today. At that time, asbestos was most commonly used in the automobile industry because it acted as insulation and offered heat resistance to mechanical components of a car that are subjected to high temperatures due to friction.
Larry W. - asbestosis and lung cancer survivor
$108,946.48 as compensation to a 78-year-old man diagnosed with asbestosis and lung cancer after prolonged exposure to asbestos. His long career at Caterpillar Inc., left a substantial mark on his health. He worked for decades as a machinist and laborer in an industrial environment where there were probably massive amounts of asbestos. Our client was unaware that throughout his career he was handling asbestos-based brakes, clutches, and engine gaskets that would contribute to him developing lung cancer decades later.
Britt B. - asbestosis and lung cancer victim
$134,905.27 to the family of an Alabama man diagnosed with asbestosis and lung cancer in 2017. Unfortunately, our client could not cope with the illnesses and passed away the same year. As we started investigating his claim, aiming to help his family recover compensation for their loss, we discovered a strong link between his illness and his work history. His work records prove that he had been a sheet metal worker at the Hayes Aircraft Corp. for several years. The metal works industry used many products that contained the carcinogenic mineral, including insulation, lagging, and protective clothing. Every day, our client was exposed to asbestos fibers from a variety of tasks, ranging from cutting, shaping, and forming sheets of metal, to welding, fabricating, and installing pieces together.