Irwin Mitchell’s specialist Asbestos Related Disease team has helped the family of a man claim compensation, after he was exposed to asbestos during his employment.

Mr D was exposed to asbestos during his employment at Birmingham City Transport Department between 1950 and 1953, when he was employed as a fitter’s mate. Although he was not directly involved in any processes that used asbestos, Mr D frequently worked in close proximity to colleagues who were.

Mr D worked alongside men who changed asbestos brake shoes on buses and during the last year of his employment, Birmingham City Transport employed insulation engineers to lag all of the pipe work and the boilers with asbestos. They applied three coats of lagging to the pipes. Mr D frequently spent time in immediate vicinity of the insulation engineers when they were mixing the lagging, which was done in the small enclosed space of the boiler room. He could not help but inhale the asbestos dust which this threw up into the atmosphere.

Mr D was diagnosed with the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma, following several months of chest pain.

He decided to contact Irwin Mitchell’s specialised asbestos related disease team and one of our experienced solicitors, Iain Shoolbred, was able to deal with his claim. Sadly, Mr D died shortly before the claim could be concluded, but his wife and daughter continued to pursue the claim in his name. With Iain’s help, the family of Mr D successfully recovered over £140,000 in compensation.

Iain Shoolbred, associate solicitor, who acted for Mr D’s family said: "Mr D was exposed to asbestos in the early 1950s. Nevertheless, the dangers posed by substantial asbestos exposures such as applying lagging, were well known to employers by that time.

"Even though Mr D was not working with asbestos himself, we were able to establish that the Transport Department were negligent in failing to protect him from the harmful asbestos dust generated by such activities."

Our expert asbestos lawyers will provide you with free initial advice on your compensation claim if you or a loved one has suffered due to contracting mesothelioma. See our Mesothelioma Claims page for more information.

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