At Asbestos Justice we are delighted to report that we have recently succeeded in an asbestosis claim for Mr V, who suffered with debilitating symptoms associated with this asbestos related condition dating back to early 2020.
Mr V did live alone prior to the COVID pandemic, but his daughter moved in with him during that time to care for her father on a full-time basis.
Mr V had been regularly exposed to harmful amounts of asbestos dust during the course of his work for Shell Tankers Limited in the Merchant Navy between 1962/63 and 1981/82 approximately as well as when working for other companies such as C A Parsons & Company Limited, ICI Limited and NEI Parsons Limited.
It was common for Mr V to be working in a contaminated environment when others removed asbestos lagging from pipework in the factories and onboard the ships he sailed on.
Difficulties in Recalling Specifics
Unfortunately, Mr V also suffers with a form of dementia and initially, he struggled to remember specifics in terms of how often he came to be exposed to airborne asbestos dust in his work for Shell.
However, our specialist asbestos disease solicitor spent extra time with him and his daughter and obtained a detailed enough exposure history to allow the asbestosis claim to be run on an entirely no win no fee basis.
Proof of Employment with Shell
The solicitors for the main polluting company, Shell, insisted on seeing Mr V’s Seaman’s Discharge Book in order to assess which vessels he sailed on during specific times as understandably, he experienced some problems in recalling all of the names of the ships he worked on decades ago.
National Archives no longer retain full Seaman’s Discharge Books but our specialist team were able to track down some of Mr V’s work records relating to his time spent working in the Merchant Navy, which were relied upon as proof of his employment on certain vessels, all of which had their own individual insurance cover.
Delays in Receiving a Response from the Defendants
We experienced delays in hearing back from the Defendants in the case who struggled to agree apportionment between them, so much so that we had to instruct an engineer to prepare a report to show that Mr V’s exposure dose exceeded 25 f/ml years, which is a requirement to prove a legal claim for asbestosis under the so called, Helsinki criteria.
Medical evidence was obtained from a Respiratory Consultant in support of the asbestosis claim but no offers were forthcoming from the Defendants promptly.
Perseverance Pays
This was a complex, multi-defendant asbestosis claim with potential issues on exposure but thanks to our specialist asbestos disease solicitors’ dedication and expertise, the claim settled in a little over 9 months from instruction for a significant sum of £65,000.00.
Mr V’s last wish is to be able to use his compensation to pay for his family to visit him from Australia later this year and he is now able to arrange this, thanks to the perseverance of our team in his successful case.
If you require assistance in pursuing an Asbestosis Claim or believe you have a valid claim for any other asbestos disease, then please contact us today on our freephone number 0800 038 6767. Alternatively, head over to the ‘Contact Us’ page, complete the form and we will be in touch.