A South Carolina family recently filed a lawsuit against Western Auto, alleging exposure to asbestos in car parts while working with the company’s products led to their father’s death.

According to the mesothelioma lawsuit, the late Luke M., Sr. was exposed to asbestos in car parts manufactured by Western Auto while he worked as a mechanic throughout his career. The lawsuit notes that asbestos in car parts like brakes, clutches, and gaskets allowed dangerous levels of asbestos fibers to be released into the air and into Luke’s lungs.

Allegedly because of this exposure to asbestos in car parts, Luke was diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer, a terminal disease associated with asbestos exposure. He died from mesothelioma on Oct. 13, 2015, leaving his family behind.

Luke’s family has now filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Western Auto, alleging the company negligently caused their late father’s exposure to asbestos in car parts, resulting in his death from mesothelioma cancer.

The lawsuit was filed on Sept. 25, 2018, in the 32nd Judicial District Court for the Parish of Terrebonne in the State of Louisiana. According to the lawsuit, Western Auto failed to warn Luke and others exposed to their products about the risk of asbestos in car parts, and failed to provide proper safety instructions and measures for the risk. Moreover, the company allegedly failed to adequately design and test these products, and recall them when issues presented themselves.

This family is far from the first to file a lawsuit after a loved one has died from mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos in automotive parts. One patient’s family took Honda to task for allegedly endangering her with asbestos exposure during her career working at a car dealership. The family of a World War II veteran says he died from illness that originated due to military asbestos exposure while he was maintaining vehicles for the U.S. Army.

Background of Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that used to be popular for commercial purposes such as electrical or building insulation, as well as countless others. However, the material is now known to be hazardous, and regulations regarding the use of asbestos have been in place for decades. Asbestos exposure can cause several serious health problems, including mesothelioma cancer.

In many cases, malignant mesothelioma can take decades for symptoms to appear, so it is often diagnosed when it has reached its later and more dangerous stage of development. Even though the use of asbestos has been heavily regulated in the last few decades, this delay means that those exposed to asbestos decades ago are only now being diagnosed with life-threatening cancer.

Filing an Asbestos Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with or died from an asbestos-related disease like mesothelioma cancer after being exposed to asbestos in car parts, at work, or otherwise, you may be able to file an asbestos lawsuit. Spouses and families of those affected may also be able to file over loss of consortium.

While filing an asbestos lawsuit over malignant mesothelioma diagnosis cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by the disease, or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

The Asbestos in Car Parts Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08912, in the 32nd Judicial District Court for the Parish of Terrebonne in the State of Louisiana.