Successful mesothelioma claim for family of worker at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Billingham.
Mr J worked at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Billingham from 1954 until his retirement in the 1980s. He started work as a general pump maintenance worker, latterly becoming a plant hire supervisor. His work regularly brought him into contact with airborne asbestos dust, and entailed checking pump housing oil and water pump levels, and general duties such as cleaning work areas; particularly after maintenance and repair work was carried out.
Mr J also worked during factory shutdowns replacing pipes. He worked on cranes and other mobile plant throughout the ICI sites, removing plant and pipe-works from numerous different workplaces, particularly before and after shutdown maintenance and repairs. He worked in the cracker plants, ammonia plants, acid tank and plants, nylon plants and the generator plant, as well as other locations within Imperial Chemical Industries Billingham.
During shutdown, significant work was being carried on throughout the plant, with pipefitters and laggers renewing and replacing pipes and equipment. When he was plant hire supervisor, Mr J hired out all types of heavy-duty tools and vehicles, pumps, portacabins etc. He carried out on-site inspections of all the hire and ICI equipment.
Coroner's initial diagnosis of asbestosis,
Mr J developed breathlessness and became increasingly frail before he sadly died. There was an inquest into his death, and a postmortem was carried out. The pathologist confirmed the cause of death was asbestosis, and the coroner recorded a verdict of industrial disease.
Mr J lived alone, but before his final illness was very fit and well, and entirely independent. As his illness progressed, he needed care and assistance from his relatives. He underwent investigations into the cause of his illness at hospital but was too unwell for a biopsy.
RWK Goodman's mesothelioma solicitors instructed to investigate.
His family instructed our mesothelioma solicitors at RWK Goodman to investigate a claim after the inquest, and we immediately obtained his medical history and instructed the pathologist/coroner to retain his lung tissue samples.
Our medical expert considered the radiology from the hospitals and confirmed that in his opinion they were more consistent with a diagnosis of mesothelioma than asbestosis. We instructed a histopathologist to examine the tissue samples that had been taken at post mortem, and a diagnosis of mesothelioma that had somehow been missed at post mortem was confirmed.
The claim then settled for its full valuation. As Mr J had mesothelioma we were able to recover our legal fees in full from the defendants, meaning that his family received the full compensation due to them.
Contact our specialist asbestos and mesothelioma solicitors to find out more about whether you can make a claim for compensation.
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