Products containing asbestos have been around for years. Thousands of products still present in the workplace and older homes contain asbestos today. Throughout the twentieth century, many individuals who worked in occupations that made or used asbestos products in the manufacturing process were exposed to the toxic material without proper protective gear.
The list of asbestos products is extensive. Some items include floor tiles, insulation, decorative paints, cement, adhesives, electrical wires, ceiling tiles, roofing shingles, joint compounds and many more. As production of these products boomed throughout the 1900s, workers responsible for producing them began developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
Norm was one of those workers.
Meet Norm
Norm is a former client of the Firm. He began working with his father in the family HVAC business in 1949. He was 12 years old when he was first exposed to products containing asbestos. However, his asbestos exposure didn’t end there. He was also a member of the U.S. Navy where he worked as an experimental sheet metal worker, made boilerplates for nuclear submarines, and was a member of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Union.
In addition to these jobs, Norm eventually started his own general building and remodeling company, which became a successful business over a 20 year period.
“Norm had no idea that the materials he was working with on a daily basis, such as joint compound, floor tile, roofing shingles, and cement pipe, would eventually result in a fatal disease,” said Asbestos Attorney Taylor Kerns. “Not once during his long career working with asbestos was he ever warned about its hazards.”
Norm retired in 2006, and just four years later was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Before his diagnosis, Norm had been an active, healthy individual who enjoyed being outdoors and taking part in his many hobbies. His diagnosis caused him to spend his last days struggling to breathe or get out of bed. He passed away in January 2012.
Before Norm passed away, he and his wife Fail secured a settlement, with help from the Firm, that provided Norm peace of mind about his family’s future. One aspect of this peace of mind came when Norm and Gail paid off their mortgage and held a mortgage burning party.
Read More about our previous mesothelioma clients like Norm now.
