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Facing the death of a loved one is rarely an easy process, but it can be especially difficult when their death was the result of another’s negligence. When dealing with asbestos exposure, this often involves families losing their loved ones to extremely devastating diseases, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. Some of these families in South Carolina choose to pursue compensation on behalf of their loved ones.

A jury in a different state recently awarded $18.5 million to a family whose loved one had developed mesothelioma. Their suit claimed that while working at a brake shop from 1971 to 1983, the victim had performed as many as 12 brake jobs per day. The brakes that he worked on were lined with asbestos, which he was neither warned of or provided safety gear for.

The mesothelioma diagnosis came in March 2017, and he died later that same year. His family’s suit named not only the company that owned the brake shop for which the man had worked, but also Ford Motor Co. and two other companies. Those other two companies settled out of court, and Ford was ultimately not found responsible.

All three of the victim’s surviving children received $1 million for anguish. This was on top of nearly $342,000 for medical expenses related to his asbestos exposure and $5 million for pain and suffering. Additional awards — including $10 million for punitive damages — were also awarded by the jury.

Asbestos exposure is deadly, but it can take years and even decades before related symptoms begin to develop. Because of this, victims in South Carolina might struggle to demonstrate negligence as they try to seek compensation for their injuries. Because of this and the sometimes time-sensitive nature of these illnesses, working with an experienced attorney can be helpful for some victims and their families.