Houston Silicosis Attorney

Client Profile: Odis and Shirley Howell

Silicosis is a serious lung disease that is caused by exposure to silica, one of the most common minerals on earth. Dust from the crushing or breaking of sand or rocks containing silica is extremely dangerous. That's why sandblasters, miners and foundry workers are particularly at risk for contracting silicosis.

Because employers have known the dangers of breathing silica dust for decades, companies typically strive to protect their workers from exposure by giving them respirators. Unfortunately, many brands of respirators do not provide adequate protection against the development of silicosis. This is the reason why Odis and Shirley Howell came to know WK.

Mr. Howell (known as "Sunny" to his friends) spent 45 years working for Johns-Manville Corp. in Lompoc, California – just outside of Santa Barbara. He was a heavy equipment operator, using a bulldozer to transport raw materials on "the Hill," as the Johns-Manville plant was known.

Because of the way silica breaks into an infinite number of tiny, white particles, Mrs. Howell notes that, from a distance, the Hill "looks like snow." It is these snow-like particles that accumulate in the lungs and eventually cause silicosis. As Mr. Howell points out, though, he was never given any indication that he was at risk for silicosis during his 45 years of service to Johns-Manville because he was wearing a respirator.

In 1994, Mr. Howell was diagnosed with silicosis. But it wasn’t until 2000 that he met attorneys from WB. Mr. Howell was invited to attend a silicosis screening that was sponsored by the firm. Attorneys John Fabry and Robert Shuttlesworth uncovered a provision in California law that allowed Mr. Howell to bring suit against the manufacturer of his respirator. Because neither Mr. Howell nor Johns-Manville was ever made aware of the fact that his respirator was defective, WB was able to file a claim.

After two years of wrangling with defense attorneys, John and Robert were able to win a generous settlement for the Howells. Mrs. Howell calls her experience of working with Wk"wonderful" and is committed to working with us again, "if I ever need a law firm for anything else."

Wk continues to pursue silicosis cases all over the U.S. John and his team have won dozens of verdicts and settlements in this area, especially when it comes to going after manufacturers of defective respirators (as in the case of Mr. Howell). For more information, please call (713) 230-2284.