A Trust Fund Victims Can't Trust
Larry Vucelich, Jr.'s story
St.Clairsville, Ohio. Larry is a 37-year-old veteran. He served our country as a Marine in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Larry was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal form of cancer that is caused only by asbestos. Prior to this diagnosis he was very athletic and in excellent health.
Larry’s grandfather, Jack, worked for the B&O railroad when Larry was growing up. Jack would bring asbestos fibers home on his clothes, not knowing the devastating consequences it would one day have for his grandson. Larry was also exposed to asbestos when his father, Larry Vucelich, Sr., made household repairs with materials that contained asbestos. If he had known then that he was putting his family in danger, he would have done things differently.
Larry and his wife, Michelle, have two young children Brendan, four years old, and Brycon, one year old. Larry was forced to leave his job as a supervisor at a coal mine because of his illness. He now stays at home with the boys while Michelle works as a teacher.
How would the asbestos bailout bill hurt Larry’s family?
Larry has a pending court date in Ohio state courts this summer. If the asbestos bailout bill is enacted then Larry and his family would never see their day in court, and they would have to start the claims process again from the beginning.
Larry’s case exemplifies how the one-size-fits-all approach of the asbestos bailout bill is inadequate. He and his family must bear significant cost for life-extending medical treatments and have lost their source of income from his job. Michelle is facing the prospect of life without Larry, living as a single, working mom. Under the asbestos bill, they would not receive adequate compensation for their medical expenses or his lost wages, unlike in the tort system.
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