Mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos
A Bedford widow, who described her husband as her soul mate, received £300,000 compensation after he died, aged 67, in May 2009 from mesothelioma – an incurable cancer caused by asbestos.
Mr S, an electrician, was exposed to asbestos from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s when he worked for three different employers who provided him with no protection against the fatal dust. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2008 and sought advice from asbestos claim specialists Thompsons Solicitors.
Former employers negligently exposed him to asbetsos
In the factory where Mr S worked for Associated Electrical Industries Ltd, in Willesden Lane, London, the boilers and pipes were insulated with asbestos in poor condition. He also worked as a maintenance electrician for Smiths Industries in London. Here too, the boilers and pipes were lagged with asbestos and the furnace shop, where Mr S regularly carried out routine maintenance, was constructed from materials containing asbestos. The whole factory was dusty, hot and dirty.
Mr S also worked as a Service Engineer for Indesit in London and Peterborough where he repaired toasters by replacing broken asbestos sheets and fixed irons by removing damaged asbestos plates. He spent whole days removing asbestos bricks in order to reach heating units on housing estates while warm air from the heaters circulated the asbestos dust.
Mr S’s widow described her husband as very fit and healthy all his life. ‘He did all the work around our home and garden. Friends called him “Mr Fix It” because he was the sort of man who would help anyone if he could. He genuinely enjoyed helping people.’
Diagnosed with mesothelioma
It was only four years after he retired when Mr S developed a fever and had an unbearable pain in his side. Doctors originally thought he had pleurisy, but a year later he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Mrs S cared for her husband throughout his illness, helping him to do all the things he once took for granted.
Mrs S said, ‘Our family has been devastated and my whole world has been destroyed by his death. It is so dreadful that those firms let him work in such dangerous conditions, risking his life. That is why I was determined to carry on fighting for his compensation. They have stolen our retirement time away from us. Thankfully I have a very close family and I have my granddaughters to focus on and keep me going’.
Lorna Webster of Thompsons Solicitors said: ‘When I met Mr S he impressed me as a true gentleman. He was very dignified in the face of this terrible illness. The compensation we obtained for Mrs S will provide her with the financial security that he wanted her to have.’
Asbestos disease diagnosis? Talk to us for advice and support on how to secure compensation.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we can support you with advice on how to make a claim.
The process will be explained in plain English and with no obligation – our priority is to provide you with the best, expert advice on whether you have a valid case for compensation, and to signpost you to further sources of support.
There are strict time limits applied to making a claim – usually three years from the date of diagnosis. It doesn’t matter if the exposure to asbestos took place – as it often does – decades ago, the three year time limit applies to the date of knowledge of diagnosis or date of death.
For further information, visit our How to Make A Compensation Claim page.