"Ground-breaking" asbestos finding.

[Nostalgia]

Taken from Geelong Advertiser 21/02/08.
FORD could be wide open to massive asbestos compensation claims following a landmark court ruling, Geelong lawyers said yesterday.
The car manufacturer could be subject to class actions similar to those against building supplier James Hardie after the Blue Oval was found negligent in a "ground breaking" Supreme Court Of W.A case.
Ford Motor Company was ordered to pay Perth motor mechanic Antonino Lo Presti $840,000 after contracting asbestosis in 2001 from working with brake pads in the 1970s and 80s.
The court heard Mr Lo Presti was working in Ford dealerships without protective equipment, ventilation or warnings, long before asbestos was banned in 2003.
He now spends 24-hours a day on oxygen, helpless and almost immobile, under the care of his wife.
Ford Australia declined to comment but is reportedly considering an appeal. Yesterday, Slater and Gordon Lawyers said the case would allow thousands of former automotive workers exposed to asbestos to seek compensation. Geelong lawyer Danny Connor said the WA court's decision set a precedent for lawyers' legal framework in arguing cases.
He said Ford knew the deadly risks but failed to warn their workers who were exposed on a daily basis.
"It sets the precedent to another class of worker who have been exposed to asbestos at work so it's ground breaking in that regard," he said.
"Ford is one of the two largest vehicle manufacturers in Geelong and probably used alot of this type of material until it was banned in 2003."
Mr Connor moved to Geelong after working with the law firm's asbestos department in Melbourne.
He said future automotive industry asbestos claims could rival those from workers fighting for compensation from James Hardie, such as the recently deceased Bernie Banton.
"Potentially when you think of the number of cars sold in the Australian market and worked on by mechanics - unfortunately but possibly," Mr Connor said.
"But by the time a worker has contracted the illness it's going to take their life away so time is of the essence.
In a release yesterday, Mr Lo Presti said asbestosis had "ruined my life". I can now only walk short distances and my breathlessness is getting worse. I can no longer provide for my own family," he said.