Melloney acted for John* in relation to a claim for compensation arising from his occupational exposure to asbestos. John had commenced a four year carpentry apprenticeship in 1970 (aged 16) with the Commission for New Towns and as a result of his exposure to asbestos developed mesothelioma. Circumstances of asbestos exposure Part of John’s duties as an apprentice was to fit asbestos fireproof panels to the front doors of council flats. This needed to be done for every flat owned by the Commission for New Towns. The asbestos panels were received in large sheets and needed to be cut to size before being fitted to the doors. John would frequently cut the panels to size using a handsaw or a skill saw. Sawing the panels generated clouds of breathable asbestos dust, with further dust being created when nails were hammered into the doors during the fitting process. Dust would cover John’s hands and clothes, as well as hanging in the air directly around where he was working. This was a daily job for the young apprentice for approximately 18 months. John also carried out maintenance work that involved corrugated asbestos roofing sheets. The old sheets would need to be unbolted and ripped out of place before being discarded. The discarded sheets would fall to the ground and break into pieces. John and his colleagues would also smash the sheets up to make removal easier. When the old sheets fractured and broke dust would be thrown into the air and stick to John’s clothes. New asbestos panels would then be cut to size, drilled and bolted into place to replace the old asbestos sheeting. John also worked closely with asbestos soffits, removing damaged ones that had cracked and replacing them with plywood soffits. His asbestos exposure while at the Commission for New Towns was heavy and regular. Symptoms develop In the summer of 2023 John had started to notice pains in his back. He underwent an x-ray at Watford General Hospital and was informed that he had fluid of his lung. He later had a biopsy and was told in October 2023 that he had developed the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma. The claims process John first contacted Boyes Turner after learning of his mesothelioma diagnosis. Melloney visited John at home to take a detailed statement from him, setting out the circumstances of his asbestos exposure. Melloney had pursued the successor to the Commission for New Towns successfully before so she swiftly made contact with them to initiate John’s claim, presenting the evidence gathered. Unfortunately, John’s condition deteriorated quickly and he passed away before the claim could be concluded. An inquest into John’s death was commenced as mesothelioma is most commonly caused by occupational exposure to asbestos. John’s son was able to proceed with the claim on behalf of his father’s Estate and negotiations continued. A settlement was agreed, which included compensation for financial losses incurred by John and his family, including his wife who was financially dependant on John at the time of his death. John’s son said “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally, and of course all of your supporting team for all their expertise, effort, hard work and dedication with this compensation claim. It has been a journey for us as a family, both while my Dad was here and a bit harder since his departure. Your efforts are hugely and genuinely appreciated by us all.” *All names have been anonymised For more information about how the mesothelioma and asbestos disease claims team can help you or your loved ones after a diagnosis of an asbestos related disease, please contact the team by email on asbestos@boyesturner.com or by telephone on 0118 952 7199.
