Specialist Lawyers Investigating After Former Shop Fitter Died From Mesothelioma

The widow of a Bradford man who died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma just weeks after he was diagnosed with the illness is appealing for his former work colleagues to come forward and help in the search for answers regarding how he has exposed to the deadly material.

Jeffrey Rushworth, who was living in Bridlington up until his death, passed away aged 82 on October 31st last year, shortly after being diagnosed with the cancer.

His widow Joan has instructed asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell in her fight for justice regarding Jeffrey’s death and is now calling on former colleagues to get in touch if they have vital information about the presence of the material during his decades of work as a shop fitter/joiner.

Jeffrey worked for a Bradford shopfitting company called Makins in the 1950s, before moving on to work for Charles Castles, which was also based in the city, in the 1960s. From 1969 to 1994, he was employed by Northern Design, a company also based in Bradford.

Joan Rushworth, 82, said: “Jeffrey started to have symptoms in the early part of 2014 and at first we didn’t know what was causing his health problems.  It was terrible to watch Jeffrey battle this disease, especially as we didn’t know what was causing his illness at the time. 

“Having worked hard all his life, Jeffrey and I moved to Bridlington so we could enjoy the beautiful Yorkshire coastline in our retirement. We had no idea that there was a spectre lying undiscovered in his working history that would cut short our time together.

“By the time we learned it was mesothelioma Jeffrey only had a matter of weeks to live.  I would urge anyone who worked with Jeffrey to come forward with any information they have so we can understand how he came to suffer this awful illness and secure justice regarding his death.”

Anyone with information about working conditions at any of the firms that Jeffrey was working for should contact Mark Aldridge at Irwin Mitchell on 0113 394 6757 or e-mail Mark.Aldridge@IrwinMitchell.com