A widow was recently granted 33 million dollars in a case against a pipe insulation company that allegedly exposed her husband to asbestos, causing him to contract mesothelioma and die.
Franklin Fitch died of the cancer mesothelioma after working at a tire factory built by Covil Corp., a pipe insulation company. Amy Finch, the wife of Franklin Fitch, was widowed. Amy Fitch believed that the death of her husband due to mesothelioma was brought upon by undisclosed asbestos exposure. This asbestos contamination came from Covil Corp., who had sold most of the materials needed for building the tire factory that Franklin Fitch worked at. This included insulation and pipes.
Amy Fitch sued Covil Corp. after realizing that her husband’s mesothelioma was most likely the result of working in an asbestos ridden factory.
Asbestos are tiny mineral fibers that are commonly used in building projects. It is an extremely strong material and is even heat resistant, making it a popular choice for use in buildings. Asbestos was used in concrete, asphalt, vinyl materials in roof shingles, pipes, siding, wall board, floor tiles, joint compounds and adhesives. This was until it was found that asbestos causes and multitude of diseases and cancers, the most deadly being mesothelioma. After this discovery, most countries clamped down on the use of asbestos, regulating them or even outright banning all use of them.
When workers come into contact with asbestos, as Franklin Fitch did, airborne asbestos travel deep into the tissues of the lungs and cause disease and cancer.
Airborne asbestos levels in the tire factory Franklin Fitch worked in were extremely high. This is most likely due to how Fitch would commonly bump the pipes he worked around, sending clouds of asbestos into the air.
After Ms. Fitch presented the evidence of high levels of airborne asbestos and showed that Mr. Fitch had been in and out of hospitals struggling with mesothelioma for years, she won the case and was awarded 33 million dollars from Covil Corp.