Today I was instructed by a 45 year old traffic cop. His dad worked for an asbestos manufacturer. The family paved their driveway with asbestos waste. 4 years ago his younger brother died of asbestos related cancer. A month ago he was diagnosed with the same disease, mesothelioma a cancer that is caused only by asbestos and which is invariably fatal. His doctors have given him 18 months to live. He is the 5th mesothelioma victim that has approached me in as many weeks. Tough cases because the disease only manifests 30 or more years after exposure. The challenge is to find witnesses to confirm the exposure. Often the employer has long since closed down. Usually its the widows running about decades later tracking down their husbands old workmates to find proof that their late husbands were exposed to this terribly dangerous substance. I have never had a single instance where the victim has lived long enough to see the outcome of the case I have brought on his behalf. In SA law if you die before the close of pleadings you loose your claim for pain and suffering so victims are never adequately compensated.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 20:02:49 +0000