In this video, attorney Joseph T. Kremer discusses asbestos exposure at the Chevrolet Axle Plant in Buffalo, where his own family members once worked. Joe shares firsthand experiences of how brake assembly processes exposed workers and their families to hazardous asbestos dust, leading to serious health issues. Learn about occupational and household asbestos risks, their devastating impacts, and the legal rights available to those affected.

Hello, my name is Joe Kremer. I’m a partner at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford. I’ve been an attorney since 1988 and have spent more than 25 years representing victims of asbestos exposure.

Today, I want to speak about a place that is deeply personal to me—the Chevrolet Axle Plant in Buffalo, one of the three major Chevy plants in the area. While there was also an engine plant and a forge and foundry located in Tonawanda, my focus today is on the Axle Plant, where my grandfather, my uncles, and my father all worked.

The Chevy Axle Plant produced rear axles, back when most vehicles were rear-wheel drive. They manufactured the complete axle assembly, including the brake components. These brake systems used drum brakes, which functioned using two curved, asbestos-lined surfaces. When the brake pedal was pressed, these surfaces pushed against the inside of a metal drum to stop the vehicle.

At the Chevrolet Buffalo plant, workers would take these brake linings and grind them down to the proper size using large industrial grinders. This grinding process generated significant amounts of asbestos dust, and it occurred continuously across all three shifts—work that my grandfather, my uncle, and my father were all involved in.

This type of exposure took a serious toll not only on workers but on their families. My grandfather developed cancer caused by asbestos. My uncle John, who became a foreman at the plant, passed away from lung cancer in his 40s. I grew up in a duplex on the east side of Buffalo with my grandparents. My mother regularly washed the work clothes of my father, grandfather, and my two uncles, often shaking out the asbestos-laden dust in the basement before laundering the clothing. Tragically, my mother later developed and died from lung cancer in her 50s, a result of secondhand exposure to asbestos fibers brought home on their clothing.

This type of occupational and household asbestos exposure is not just dangerous—it can be devastating. It affected my own family, as it has affected many others who worked at the Chevy Buffalo plant.

At Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, we are here to help. We hope you and your family are never affected by an asbestos-related disease, but if you are, please contact us. We will come to your home, provide a free consultation, and help you understand your legal rights and options.

Thank you.

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Since 1995, the attorneys at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC have been helping clients in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, NY, who have been injured due to asbestos exposure. Through our tireless efforts, we have helped to shape and reform asbestos laws throughout the state of New York. We have a full team of lawyers devoted to representing people exposed to asbestos.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, please contact us today and we will schedule an appointment to come to your home and meet with you and your family to explain your legal rights.