Widow receives compensation after asbestos death
Widow receives compensation after asbestos death
06 Jan 2012
A widow has been awarded compensation after her husband died as a
result of inhaling asbestos at work.
John Bromley, 62, had worked for Stafford Corporation – now
Stafford Borough Council – for 37 years as a building inspector and
surveyor, the Staffordshire Newsletter reports.
In the 1970s, his role involved making sure enough asbestos had
been sprayed on to beams to make them fireproof, so batches of the
deadly building material were often made up in his presence.
Mr Bromley began to suffer from shortness of breath in October
2009, which worsened and then became a persistent cough and
vomiting.
He was diagnosed with the terminal lung disease mesothelioma and
although he underwent months of chemotherapy, the victim died in
January 2010.
His widow Angela took legal action against Stafford Borough Council
and has now won an undisclosed six-figure sum in compensation from
its insurers as part of an out-of-court settlement.
“Even as long ago as the 1950s, there was an awareness of the
dangers of asbestos and Stafford Corporation should have done more
to protect their employees,” her legal representative said.
In late 2011, the widow of 66-year-old joiner William Wolff secured
GBP 258,520 in compensation after he also died from
mesothelioma.
He had breathed in asbestos fibres at Weir Construction, which
admitted that it had negligently exposed him to asbestos dust and
agreed to the settlement.
Anyone affected by industrial diseases should seek the advice of a
solicitor as soon as possible, even if the company where exposure
took place is no longer in existence, as it may be possible to
track down their insurers.
Article source: http://www.hja.net/legal-news/news-articles-list/directnews-import/widow-receives-compensation.aspx