Recently Ivan Simic, Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury and expert in Dust Diseases Litigation, acted for a client whose dad and brother had both died of asbestos related diseases. Ivan’s client grew up in a large loving family who had migrated to Australia in the 1950s. Dad went to work at James Hardie. He would come home covered in asbestos dust. His clothes would be full of it. Eventually one of his sons went and joined him working at the factory. He would also come home covered in asbestos dust. Both died of asbestos related diseases at an early age. Ivan’s client was one of the daughters in the family. She helped wash the clothes of her dad and brother. Before washing the clothes, she would give them a good shake-out not realising that she was breathing in deadly asbestos dust. Dad was allowed to bring home off cuts of asbestos sheeting which he used around the home, again not realising that he was exposing the family to deadly asbestos fibres. Eventually, Ivan’s client witnessed her dad and brother both die slow painful deaths. What she didn’t realise was that she had also been given a death sentence. Having developed an asbestos related condition, she contacted Ivan at Taylor & Scott. Ivan investigated the facts and circumstances of her exposure and was able to commence a claim for her in the Dust Diseases Tribunal. Eventually Ivan was able to achieve a very satisfactory settlement of her claim. Discussing her feelings with Ivan, she stated to him that as her health deteriorated, she often looked back on her life feeling very very bitter and angry as to how her family had been devastated by their exposure to asbestos.
At Taylor & Scott “ We Care For You.”
