The widow of a former town councillor who died of an asbestos-related disease has won compensation from his former employer.
Ted Hissey, 75, was exposed to asbestos many years ago when he worked for what was then the Department of the Environment (DoE) at Trecwn Royal Naval Armaments Depot, between 1990 and 1993. In 2006 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer that usually attacks the outer lining of the lungs. In the space of one year, Mr Hissey went from being an active man to being bed bound before he died.
The Department for Communities and Local Government, which took over responsibility for many functions of the former DoE, admitted liability for Mr Hissey’s illness shortly before the case was due to come to court. Mr Hissey’s widow has now received an undisclosed amount in compensation.
Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more mesothelioma cases as a result of employers having failed to protect their workers from harmful asbestos in the past. Workers exposed to asbestos dust are at risk of developing a number of diseases of varying severity, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural plaques and pleural thickening.
It is estimated that more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year in the UK, and that one person dies from the disease every five hours. The number of deaths from mesothelioma increased from 153 in 1968 to 1,969 in 2004 and is expected to peak at 2,450 a year between 2011 and 2015.
We are experienced in handling claims for all kinds of industrial injuries. Contact Jason Claridge for advice.
