Widow of mesothelioma victim has message: Don’t give up

After watching her husband suffer through mesothelioma before passing away, a widow finally won her fight against the company responsible for his death. Despite the lengthy and difficult legal process she faced, the woman is urging other victims and their families to never give up in the fight against negligent companies when it comes to asbestos exposure.

It was bad enough that the woman’s husband developed mesothelioma after working with asbestos-covered pipes at a factory in the 1960s. When he died from the disease, she suffered the grief and devastation of losing her husband. But she also wanted justice for her husband so she decided to fight back against the company who was responsible for exposing him to asbestos and for his wrongful death.

The process took six years and a public plea for other workers at the company to come forward with evidence of working with her late husband. Eventually, one man came forward and stated that he worked with the woman’s husband and was never warned of the risks of asbestos exposure, and they were not given proper protection from the toxic fiber, either.

At least partly based on this evidence and the man’s statements, the courts ruled in her favor and the woman recently learned that she won her case. As elated as she was, she was quick to remind others that there are victims and families across the world who are still struggling with asbestos-related diseases and holding negligent parties responsible. While she cautions people that it may be difficult, taking legal action against these parties can help families recover much-needed compensation. While money cannot undo the damage or bring back a loved one, it can make a loved one’s life a little bit easier and allow them to then focus on recovering from their loss.

Source: Telegraph and Argus, “Widow wins six-year battle for compensation over husband’s asbestos,” Kathie Griffiths, Oct. 2, 2012