Expert Asbestos-Related Lawyers Issue Court Proceedings In Fight For Answers

The devastated widow of a former lagger from Middlesbrough is appealing for those who worked alongside her husband for information after her lawyers issued court proceedings against his former employers following his death from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

It was only after Lawrence Hutchinson died that the presence of the asbestos related disease was discovered and at an Inquest into his death the Coroner informed Lawrence’s widow, Marlene, that Lawrence had died from peritoneal mesothelioma.  Lawrence passed away in January 2015, aged 83.  

Mesothelioma is a terminal and aggressive form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and is caused by exposure to asbestos decades before any symptoms begin to show.

Now Marlene, 67, and her legal team at Irwin Mitchell are appealing for those who worked alongside Lawrence at Joseph Nadin Contracting Ltd, in the North East, between 1956 and 1978.

While working for the company, Lawrence worked on numerous different sites, including council buildings and schools, removing old asbestos lagging and applying new asbestos lagging.

It is understood that Lawrence would remove the old asbestos lagging using hand tools to knock through the old lagging and then rip it off. This process would create a lot of dust, and Marlene recalls Lawrence being covered in asbestos dust when he would return home from work.

Marlene, who was married to Lawrence for 45 years and had two children with him, said: “Every evening when Lawrence would get home from work, he would be covered from head to toe in asbestos dust. 

“He would have a bath on his return every evening as it would be on his face, in his ears and nose and all over his hands. When I patted his overalls, the dust could be seen rising into the air from them. 

“Lawrence had always been fit and healthy the whole time I had known him. Prior to the onset of his illness he would help me with the gardening and would always do the DIY jobs around the house, including building his own shed.

“I urge any of his former colleagues to contact my legal team at Irwin Mitchell if they have any information on the working conditions he endured. Unfortunately we were not able to get answers for Lawrence while he was alive due to being unaware of his illness, but I am determined to get justice for him now.”

Roger Maddocks, a Partner and expert industrial disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Unfortunately, we often see cases like Lawrence’s where victims were unaware they were battling mesothelioma until it was too late.

“Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive, unforgiving, and sadly terminal cancer caused by asbestos exposure decades before symptoms develop. All too often we see a case like this where workers spent time working in environments where they were exposed to and working with asbestos and were not made aware, by their employers, of the dangers of asbestos dust.

“We are committed to get answers for Marlene and justice for Lawrence by investigating the working conditions at his former employers. We have been left with no choice but to issue legal proceedings and appeal to Lawrence’s former colleagues for help.” Roger Maddocks - Partner

Anyone who worked with Lawrence and can provide any information is asked to contact Michael McGowan at Irwin Mitchell on 0191 279 0104 or email Michael.McGowan@IrwinMitchell.com.

Our expert asbestos lawyers will provide you with free initial advice on your compensation claim if you or a loved one has suffered due to an asbestos related illness. See our Asbestos-Related Disease Claims Guide for more information.