Substantial mesothelioma claim settlement for an 81 year old power station worker

Mr M was an 81 year old retired power station worker when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He had worked all his life in the electricity generating industry, and had been hands-on until 1971, when he moved into management. He described having to chip thick layers of asbestos off huge turbines and pipework in order to carry out repairs and servicing work, and laggers re-lagging them when the work was completed. The Work was incredibly dusty and noisy. He was never given any protective equipment.

His wife was also unwell with a recurrence of cancer. It was important that Mr M’s claim be concluded as soon as possible because if it had not been possible to settle it within his lifetime the defendants would have been entitled to details of his wife’s own state of health, which would have meant the compensation payable would have been much lower. The claim was settled for well over £100k, just five months after we were instructed.

Helen Childs, partner and mesothelioma claims specialist, says, “Mr M’s case illustrates the importance of taking full instructions and carrying out a speedy evaluation of the claim. The normal rule of thumb is that claims for dependants rather than for the mesothelioma sufferer themselves are more valuable. Mr M’s family circumstances meant that the opposite was true, and the compensation for Mrs M would probably been around half as much. As a result Mr M was very keen to settle as soon as possible.”