DANGEROUS OCCUPATION
Auto mechanic and shipyard worker; two high-risk occupations for asbestos exposure

The following message was sent to Weitz & Luxenberg by a prospective client recently diagnosed with asbestosis. As a former auto mechanic and shipyard worker, he was employed in two of the most dangerous occupations on earth for contracting asbestos disease.

“I worked in auto and diesel repair in the early 70's, then in a shipyard in 1974. More auto repair after that, doing a lot of brake jobs. By 1980 I was out of the auto repair business.”

With only 68 percent of his lung capacity left, and his savings dwindling since retirement, this gentleman came to Weitz & Luxenberg to determine his eligibility for financial compensation for his work-related injuries. Weitz & Luxenberg has a strong track record for achieving large verdicts and settlements for clients injured by asbestos.

Asbestos-related diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma can take decades to develop. Because he worked in two high-risk occupations some 30 years ago, he matches the profile of workers who are commonly diagnosed with occupational asbestos disease and who have very strong cases in court for receiving monetary compensation.

Auto mechanic

Asbestos is used in automobile brakes, where friction creates high temperatures that require insulation. Brake replacement mechanics employ two procedures that can expose them to airborne asbestos fibers: Air-blowing brake wear debris, which frequently contains dusty chrysotile asbestos; and grinding and beveling new asbestos brake linings or pads, which can release asbestos fibers into the air.

Although technically banned in new U.S. vehicles, globalization and outsourcing permit automobile components (formerly assembled inside the United States) to come from outside the United States, where asbestos regulations are lax and even non-existent.

Shipyard worker

From 1990 to 1999, shipyard worker was the second most-frequent occupation cited on U.S. death certificates of asbestosis victims age 15 and older.

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.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form at the top of this page. 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.