Our client worked for an engineering company from around 1981 to 1990 and was mainly involved in stripping down, cleaning and repairing boilers and pipes. He reported working at various sites, which included the Royal Courts of Justice. Many of these places had old asbestos lagging on the pipes which had been there for many years and had not been replaced. He had to frequently disturb the lagging to do his daily work and was therefore exposed to significant quantities of asbestos.
In around December 2007, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is a terminal cancer that present medical evidence indicates can only be caused by asbestos. Sadly, our client passed away only about two months after we first met with him. His widow pursued the claim on his behalf. Following the receipt of a letter of claim, the defendant admitted liability and subsequently settled the widow’s claim for a gross sum of about £134,000.
Our comments
We first saw our client shortly after his diagnosis and then about two months later shortly before he sadly passed away. The deterioration in his condition over this short period was shocking. Mesothelioma has a very profound effect on any sufferer. Many are aware that mesothelioma is a terminal condition, but few know about the severity of symptoms many sufferers have to endure. This in turn affects the family around them, especially wives and partners, who have to continue caring for the sufferer both day and night. While such a settlement can never make up for what has happened, it can provide invaluable financial assistance for the inevitable costs associated with such illness.
This case also illustrates that asbestos exposure is not a problem of a bygone era and many who worked at these types of places in the 1980’s continued to be exposed to asbestos. Sadly, people continue to develop asbestos diseases either from work done many decades ago, or more recently.
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