Our asbestos related disease solicitors helped a man get a six-figure compensation settlement from his former employer.
James* was a labourer in the 1970s and worked on demolition sites for many years. He believed his asbestos exposure happened during his employment at three particular companies.
He worked for A Ogden & Sons (Demolitions) Limited for six months in 1975 and 1976. He worked at the Newton Abbot Power Station where he had to remove wooden slats and pipework from inside a cooling tower.
The pipework in the tower was made of asbestos cement. James used a sledgehammer to remove the piping which fell to the floor as it was removed. This created asbestos dust which James inhaled regularly.
James also cut steel at the power station. To get to the cutting area, James had to walk through an area where people were removing asbestos lagging (insulation) from pipes. He walked through this area many times a day over many months, exposing him to large amounts of asbestos dust.
James also worked for two other companies where he had to dismantle huts with asbestos roofs. He also had to remove asbestos lagging from pipework in calorifier rooms for the HMS Raleigh (a royal navy training facility).
James contacted our solicitors in September 2016 after his doctor diagnosed him with mesothelioma. We gathered expert evidence from a respiratory consultant. The consultant gave evidence on James’ life expectancy without mesothelioma and his expectancy now that he had mesothelioma.
This evidence was enough for the insurers of Ogden & Sons to admit responsibility in early 2017 and James got a five figure interim payment. There was no information on the insurers of the other two companies James worked for. This meant we could claim the full compensation from Ogden & Sons' employers' liability insurance because of James' mesothelioma diagnosis.
Our team went further and gathered evidence from a consultant oncologist. They commented on James’ suitability for non-NHS funded treatment including immunotherapy. Our lawyers were aiming to get funding for this treatment from the insurers of James employer.
James had tried immunotherapy before but had a bad reaction to it. We argued that although there weren’t any suitable treatments for James at present, there could be in future.
James’ claim was settled in April 2019 with a six figure settlement. We also negotiated an agreement over future non-NHS funded treatment.
Unfortunately, James passed away soon after the claim settled. He left behind his partner and two children from a previous marriage. His family can now rest assured James’ got the justice he deserved and their future finances are secure.
Laura Wilkinson, the solicitor who led the claim, said:
“So often we see cases where companies don’t protect their workers leading to illnesses or accidents that can have devastating effects on people. We’re glad we can at least help our clients get some justice and compensation for what they’ve had to endure.”
If you or a loved one is affected by an asbestos related disease, contact our team today. Call us on 0370 1500 100 or send us an email and we’ll call you back.
*Not client's real name
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