Richard Smith Had Hoped For Answers As To How He Came To Develop The Disease Before He Passed Away

The wife of a grandfather-of-14 who died from asbestos-related cancer has spoken of her shock at her husband’s sudden death just three months after he was diagnosed.

Pamela Smith from Sandy, in Bedfordshire, said husband Richard, a life-long carpenter and part-time DJ, longed for answers as to how he became exposed to asbestos before he passed away earlier this year.

Richard, a father-of-four, grandfather to 14 and a great grandfather-of-one was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs which develops decades after exposure to asbestos dust, in October 2015 after suffering from repeated chest infections and shortness of breath. He died on January 2 2016, aged just 64.

Pamela instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to continue Richard’s search for the source of his exposure.

She said: “Richard was always so healthy. He loved life, his work and his horse, Sky.

“His diagnosis and then his death such a short time later really hit us hard. He was always the life and soul of the party, always fun, always joking. Everyone knew him and that was proven by the 300 people who came to pay their respects at his funeral.

“He was looking forward to his retirement, which would have been in April this year as he’d planned to build up his DJ-ing and help out at the local school. He never had any real opportunity to accept his diagnosis. He just left us too quickly.

“Now my family and I just want to know how he got mesothelioma; how he was exposed to asbestos. We have so many questions, if anyone could help it would enable us to move on and just think of Richard in happier times.”

Richard left school aged 15 in 1966 and started work as a carpenter started working joinery firm R & H Wells in Gamlingay before moving on two years later to Potton Timber and Engineering in Potton, close to Sandy, where he worked until 1973 and where he believed he was exposed to asbestos.

Irwin Mitchell is now appealing for anyone who worked at Potton Timber and Engineering in the 1960s and 1970s to come forward with any information they may have about the use of asbestos at the firm.

Expert Opinion

“Mesothelioma is an aggressive and incurable cancer which causes so much distress for its victims and their families. Through our work we represent a large number of people who develop mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos decades ago.

“Before he died, Richard told us that during his time at Potton Timber & Engineering he made blocks from modular housing, sawing his blocks to size for use in the building industry.

“Richard told us he and his colleagues were not warned of the dangers of working with asbestos, nor were they provided with any training or any respiratory protective equipment such as masks. He said the cutting process caused dust to spread through the factory and it was each man’s job to clear up the mess they each made.

“Sadly, Richard will never have the answers he hoped for prior to his death, but it is important to his family to know how he came to be exposed to asbestos. Nothing can of course bring Richard back, but with these answers his family can focus on happier memories and, of course, the future.” Ian Bailey - Partner

Anyone who worked at Potton Timber and Engineering in the 1960s and 1970s and has any information regarding the use of asbestos at the firm, no matter how insignificant it may seem, should contact Ian Bailey at Irwin Mitchell on 0207 421 4754 or email Ian.Bailey@Irwinmitchell.com

Our expert asbestos solicitors will provide you with free initial advice on your compensation claim if you or a loved one has suffered due to contracting mesothelioma. See our Mesothelioma Claims page for more information.