Family Instruct Lawyers To Investigate Man’s Mesothelioma Death

The son of a former painter from Cumbria is appealing for information on how his dad was exposed to the asbestos that claimed his life.

David Crowe, from Whitehaven, Cumbria, died at age 67 from mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the lining of the lung associated with exposure to asbestos, often decades previously.

David’s son, also called David Shilton Crowe, aged 42 instructed specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his dad’s illness and if it could be linked to his work history. David has joined his legal team to appeal to his dad’s former workmates to come forward with information they may have on his working conditions.

They are keen to trace anyone who worked with David during his time as a painter employed by Pyeroy. During his time with Pyeroy, David worked at a number of locations on behalf of the company. These included at the now demolished Marchon Chemical Plant in Whitehaven, between 1975 and 1984 and at Sellafield Nuclear Plant in Seascale, from 1984 to 1992.

Beth Liddle, the expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing David Shilton Crowe, said: “David’s family are still struggling to come to terms with his death. The impact on all of them is another reminder of the terrible legacy asbestos exposure continues to have on families across the county.

“Nothing can bring David back, but David Shilton Crowe and the family would be very grateful if anyone out there who remembers working with David could come forward. Details of his working conditions would go some way to answering the questions the family have and giving some closure following what has been a traumatic period for all of them.”

While employed by Pyeroy, David’s role at the Marchon Chemical Plant involved scraping off old paint and cleaning down surfaces so they were suitable for painting. Before his death, David said he would often be removing lagging and coatings from pipes for this purpose, which he believed contained asbestos.

In 1984, David moved to work as an industrial painter at the Sellafield site in Seascale. He was employed by ED Williams. David worked there for around 2 years doing painting work.

David was married to Carole in 1975 and the couple had two children together, David Shilton Crowe, 42 and Joanne McNamara, 48. David had four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

In his spare time, David was a big Wigan rugby fan and enjoyed attending and watching the games when he could.

David had been in good health until he began to develop symptoms, including breathlessness in October 2021. Following tests and a scan he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in August 2022. David died five months later, surrounded by his family on 18 January 2023.

David Shilton Crowe said: “Dad had been in pretty good shape for his age, so his cancer diagnosis came as a shock to all of us. We hadn’t heard of mesothelioma before dad’s diagnosis but we now know only too well what a horrible disease it is.

“Dad was such a much-loved part of the family and it’s been particularly hard to explain what happened to the children. Kids are resilient but they’ve really missed their grandad, particularly over the Christmas period.

“Dad was keen to follow up on the facts around his asbestos exposure but the disease progressed too fast. Now is the right time to finish what dad started and find some of the answers he was looking for.

“If any of dad’s former colleagues from Pyeroy, or people who remember him from his time at work could come forward, it would mean a lot to hear from them. They may have the details that can help complete the picture of dad’s working life and allow us to finally move on.

“We all miss dad so much, more than I can say and while nothing can now bring him back to us, at least the answers would provide some peace of mind for us all."

Anyone with information on David’s working conditions that could help the family is asked to contact Beth Liddle at Irwin Mitchell on 0191 434 2047 or email: Beth.Liddle@IrwinMitchell.com

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