£79,267 Compensation for Asbestos Related Illness

How We Helped

Mr Reynolds contacted our Industrial Disease Solicitors to claim compensation and his case was taken on by Partner, Anthony Waddington, who specialises in Asbestos Claims.

Anthony gathered details of Mr Reynolds’ complete working history to find out when and where he was exposed to asbestos, so that we could identify who was responsible for causing his condition – this information would summarise who we could make a claim against.Mr Reynolds told us that he believed he was exposed to asbestos during his time at Appledore Dockyard, where he worked as an apprentice welder back in 1967. After completing his apprenticeship, he became a fully qualified welder, and remained at the company until 1984 – so he had a seventeen-year career with this employer.

The dockyard he worked at was a dry dock that dealt with the building of a whole range of ships, including military vessels, ferries, oil tankers and tugs. Dry docks are docks that can be drained of water to allow repairs and inspection of boats or ships. Mr Reynolds was involved in the construction of ships from start to finish, and as a welder, he’d be called to work in every part of these vessels.

Asbestos was used as an insulator on the service pipes running through the ships and our client stated that he had recalled seeing pipes being lagged with asbestos – which would come in pre-cut sections before being cut and fitted on board the ship. Asbestos sheeting was also used to line sections of the cabins and the bulkheads below decks, an area where our client frequently worked.

Along with this, Mr Reynolds would regularly work next to and nearby people cutting the asbestos sheeting, often in cramped, enclosed areas without proper ventilation. Vast amounts of asbestos dust would spew out when the asbestos sheets were cut with electric saws.

While the people who were cutting the asbestos sheeting were provided with paper masks, these were not provided to Mr Reynolds or to other tradesmen working close by. Athough he was given a welding mask to protect him from sparks which he used when carrying out welding, this did not provide any respiratory protection. Our client wasn’t given any other protection when he walked around the ship – even when he would walk through areas where the asbestos work was being carried out. Furthermore, Mr Reynolds told us that even if he had been given a paper mask, it would have been unlikely to have provided much protection anyway due to the volume of dust.

Anthony Waddington argued that our client wasn’t given any warnings about the dangers of asbestos exposure when he was working at the Appledore Dockyard, and that no special precautions were taken to reduce his exposure when he was walking through areas where asbestos was being cut and fitted. In addition, Anthony found that while some ships did have extractor units to try to remove the asbestos dust, these weren’t always effective.

Mr Reynolds couldn’t recall any other period of employment when he was exposed to asbestos, so Anthony was confident that the exposure that caused his Mesothelioma occurred during his 17-year employment at Appledore Dockyard.

During the Case

Sadly, our client Mr Reynolds passed away while the claim was ongoing. Anthony continued the claim on behalf of his Estate for the benefit of his son Darren, and attended the Inquest into the death with the family at Devon County Hall.

Solicitor Anthony Waddington dealt with the coroner, providing evidence to support their investigations and supporting their conclusion that Mr Reynolds died as a result of his exposure to asbestos. Anthony also took care of the Probate for the family in order that his son could continue the claim on behalf of Mr Reynold’s Estate.

The Outcome

Anthony secured a compensation settlement of £79,267 for the benefit of the deceased's son from Appledore Shipbuilders. He also obtained Mr Reynolds’ government benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions within 6 weeks of instruction. He managed to secure a £13,998 lump sum – plus a weekly Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit payment of £174.

How Simpson Millar Can Help

For many of our clients, the legal process is dealt with within weeks of diagnosis through the Veterans Agency or Mesothelioma Payment Scheme. This takes away so much stress and is a quick, almost rubber stamp process, allowing lump sums of compensation to be paid out quickly so that our clients can make their own financial arrangements whilst they are well enough to do so.

We understand that working with a Solicitor may seem daunting, and that feeling often isn’t helped by the legal jargon, so we’ll always speak to you in straightforward terms. We are compassionate and understanding and can help families even with the death of a loved one – Call us on 0808 239 0144 and let us, help you.