BELLEVILLE — The widow of a crane operator blames several manufacturing companies for the death of her husband.
Helen Harris, individually and as special administrator of the estate of Shirley B. Harris, filed a complaint on Aug. 31 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against the companies, including Borg-Warner Morse TEC LLC, Sterling Fluid Systems USA LLC and Zurn Industries LLC.
According to the complaint, Shirley Harris inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers while working as a crane operator for more than 30 years. In addition, he was secondarily exposed to asbestos through his wife, who worked in a paint factory, the complaint states. Shirley Harris was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2016 and died the next year. The plaintiff alleges the companies knew about the hazards of asbestos, but did not warn her husband.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensatory damages of more than $50,000. She is represented by Randy L. Gori of Gori, Julian & Associates PC in Edwardsville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 18-L-575