My husband Leonard - Mesothelioma sufferer
I would like to thank you and your colleagues for the kindness shown to myself and my wife. I class myself as very fortunate to have met such kind and caring people.
Raymond, HertfordshireKathleen Morley was shocked to hear that her husband had died of mesothelioma, a type of cancer that is almost solely associated with exposure to asbestos.
Her husband was fit and healthy for most of his life until his health had suddenly declined rapidly and they had no answers as to why. Just before he died a consultant at the hospital asked if her husband had ever been exposed to asbestos.
'My husband, Leonard was a hard working man who looked after his family. He would always work 7 days a week. He was the breadwinner, while I stayed at home bringing up our 2 daughters, Tracey and Janet.'
Leonard worked in a large engineering and manufacturing plant that employed thousands of people in London from the 1940s to the 1970s. At 16 he started at the plant as an apprentice electrician and worked there for over 22 years.
Leonard never spoke to his family at any great length about what he did at work. Occasionally he would come home very dirty, covered in soot and dust. He never mentioned that he thought he might have been exposed to asbestos.
'My husband was not a risk taker when it came to his health. If he had been warned about the dangers of asbestos and been asked to wear protective clothing and breathing apparatus he would certainly have done so.'
The first symptom of his illness was a shortness of breath. One year later he was fighting for his breath and found it almost impossible to speak. He could no longer do lots of things that he had once been able to do. His appetite was completely gone and he dropped 6 stone in weight. It was so upsetting for Kathleen to see the man she loved in such a terrible state.
18 months after the onset of his first symptoms, Leonard was admitted to hospital. He was told the cancer he had was inoperable and that he had months, rather than years, to live. He had tumours in both lungs. A biopsy showed that Leonard was suffering from bilateral mesothelioma. Leonard died, 26 days after he was admitted to hospital, aged 65.
Lasting questions...
After Leonard's death his family were left with more questions.
They approached Alexander Harris who have experience in investigating cases involving asbestos exposure. Priya Thukral, a solicitor at Alexander Harris represented the family. 'Kathleen and her daughters were unsure as to how we could help. They had been left with so many questions as to how Leonard could have developed mesothelioma. However, due to the lack of information we had about Leonard's working conditions it was unlikely that the case could progress any further as we simply did not have the evidence we needed.'
Leonard was not one to bring his work home and never spoke to his family at any great length about what he did at work. He never mentioned that he thought he may have been exposed to asbestos nor did he ever mention he had been given any information about the dangers of asbestos.
The family knew little details of the tasks that Leonard did whilst at work and were even unable to speculate how he could have been exposed to asbestos. They were also unable to recall the names of any of his work colleagues who could have provided this valuable missing information.
Going that extra mile!
Matters were made more difficult because by the time Kathleen approached Alexander Harris the plant had been closed for a number of years and its representatives were unable to provide any information or documentation to show how and when asbestos may have been used on site. Due to the lack of evidence the plant's representatives were not prepared to accept responsibility for exposing Leonard to asbestos even though he was employed at the plant for the majority of his working life.
Priya arranged to have a conference with Counsel to assess the claim and discuss whether there was any possibility for the claim to progress further. During the conference a unique idea was proposed to try and obtain the information needed to continue with the claim. With the expertise of the marketing department at Alexander Harris, an advert was drafted and placed in the free, weekly paper, which is delivered in the area where the plant had been located all those years ago. As it had been such a large plant with numerous employees, they hoped someone would remember working there and would be able to provide confirmation as to how and where asbestos was used.
Priya was overwhelmed by the response, "We had immediate success I received more than 40 calls from ex-employees. The result was even better than we could have hoped for. Three key witnesses came forward who had actually worked regularly with Leonard himself. They were able to confirm that without a doubt Leonard would have been frequently working with asbestos, as were many of his colleagues.
The Future
The case recently settled for in excess of £100,000. Leonard and Kathleen's daughter, Tracey has cerebral palsy requiring round the clock care. Leonard was very active in looking after her especially when he retired aged 61. This irreplaceable care was taken into consideration when evaluating the settlement.
'My husband Leonard was a most gentle, kind, generous and loving person. He was a devoted husband and father, he would do anything for anyone who needed help never thinking of himself first.'
The family can't thank Priya enough. Leonard's daughter Janet explained 'It was never about the money; it will never bring my Dad back. It was important that we found out why my Dad had died. We can also be assured that Tracey will be well looked after when Mum and I are no longer around to care for her.'
Did you, or anyone you know, work for this company during the period 1945 - 1980? If so, you may be able to help us with a widow's investigation into her husband's death, which may have been caused by asbestos exposure. Specialist Personal Injury firm, Alexander Harris Solicitors in London, would like to hear from you.
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