£212,500 Damages for Asbestos Death
Date online: 26/10/2011
A compensation settlement of £212,500 has been awarded to the widow of a former joiner who died as a result of being exposed to asbestos at work.
The man had worked as a joiner for a building firm from 1958 to 1968. He and his wife later moved to Wales, where they ran a pub and he also worked as a quantity surveyor. It wasn’t until many years later, after he had retired, that he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He and his wife had been planning to travel around the world, but his health deteriorated very quickly after the diagnosis and he passed away in August 2010.
Mesothelioma is an extremely malignant cancer, the most common type of which is pleural mesothelioma. This affects the lining of the lungs and is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. The disease has a long incubation period, and does not normally develop until 30-40 years after the initial exposure. The prognosis for sufferers is poor as the disease is usually at an advanced stage by the time symptoms appear.
After the man’s diagnosis, a nurse mentioned that he might be able to claim compensation. The man and his wife decided to make a claim after discovering that the risks associated with asbestos had been known for many years. His wife continued the claim after his death.
His former employer agreed to settle the claim out of court. In addition to paying damages to the man’s family, the company has also agreed a settlement with St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield to help cover the cost of the care he received during his final days.
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