A Clay County, Missouri, jury last week awarded a $4.5-million verdict to the family of a Kansas City construction worker who died of mesothelioma after working with asbestos-containing materials his entire career.
According to the family’s mesothelioma lawsuit, the man’s exposure to asbestos-laden products contributed to his death.
The construction worker, the family’s chief breadwinner, had for more than 30 years installed tiles, wood and asbestos-containing materials in buildings around Kansas City, including Kansas City International Airport.
The defendants in the Missouri case were Bondex International Inc., of Ohio, and Conwed Corporation, of Wilmington, Delaware. A third corporation was dismissed from the suit last year and was not involved in the settlement. The jury listened to testimony for three weeks before reaching a decision in favor of the construction worker’s family.
Construction Workers and Asbestos
Asbestos is no longer mined in the United States, but imported products still contain asbestos in unregulated amounts. Because of this failure to regulate, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1.3 million construction and industrial workers are currently being exposed to potentially lethal asbestos. This is in addition to the millions of workers who have already been exposed.
The construction industry accounts for 15 percent of mesothelioma deaths, according to the CDC.
Other venues with a high rate of mesothelioma include shipbuilding and repair, chemical manufacturing, petroleum refining and the utility industry. Trades or occupations most at risk include pipe fitters, steamfitters, plumbers, mechanical engineers, electricians and elementary school teachers.
Time to Seek Justice
Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma.
This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos — and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers. That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their surviving family members have strong cases in court.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek free legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the form. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, future and past lost wages, and damages. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.
