A man has filed an asbestos lung cancer lawsuit against his deceased father’s former employers.

Plaintiff Lawrence S. says his father’s death on Aug. 13, 2016 could have been prevented. The late Lawrence Sr. was employed over the years by defendants Alfa Laval Inc., Buffalo Air Handling, Cleaver-Brooks and others that allegedly allowed him to work with asbestos-containing materials without proper safety precautions.

During his career, he was allegedly exposed to asbestos that he inhaled and ingested for years as he worked with asbestos-containing insulation, plaster, tape and other materials.

The elder Lawrence was originally was diagnosed with asbestos-induced lung cancer in mid-October 2015. His death less than a year later led his son to file the asbestos lung cancer lawsuit.

He seeks compensatory and punitive damages totaling more than $50,000 in addition to any further relief deemed necessary by the court.

Asbestos Lung Cancer Lawsuit Alleges Negligence

The asbestos lung cancer lawsuit alleges the companies that employed the elder Lawrence knew that asbestos fibers were toxic, poisonous, and carcinogenic, but failed to provide warnings to Lawrence and other workers who were exposed. Instructions for safe handling of asbestos-containing products allegedly were never distributed. Safety masks or other precautionary gear were allegedly not provided to protect Lawrence from the dangerous fibers that he continued to breathe and ingest.

Lawrence was directly exposed to asbestos fibers for years, and his employers allegedly knew the risks of harm to his respiratory system, but his son claims they were negligent and reckless by not warning him of the dangers and by not trying to protect him.

According to the asbestos lung cancer lawsuit, the employers failed to create, adopt or enforce a sufficiently safe plan to handle, cut, and install asbestos-containing materials.

Asbestos exposure usually takes from 10 to 50 years to manifest cancer. This long latent period means doctors expect the number of asbestos cancer diagnoses to reach a peak between 2015 and 2020 in the United States.

Asbestos fibers do not leave the body once they are ingested or inhaled. Instead, the fibers work their way into the tissues, causing inflammation, and ultimately, cancer. Many times, the cancer that develops is mesothelioma cancer, which means the cancer is in the lining of the lungs. Other times, such as in Lawrence’s case, asbestos cancer festers and develops in the organs themselves.

Materials such as insulation, ceiling tiles, floor tiles, cement and drywall pose little risk in their final state, but once any of these materials is moved or cut, asbestos fibers are released into the air.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 4,800 Americans lose their lives each year due to lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The World Health Organization is seeking a worldwide ban on asbestos production and use.

An asbestos lung cancer lawsuit can result in an award of millions of dollars to the plaintiffs, depending upon the circumstances of the asbestos exposure.