Specialist Lawyers At Irwin Mitchell Helped To Recover Damages

The family of a former fitter who worked on numerous shipyards in the North East have received a six-figure settlement after the man initially instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how he was exposed to the asbestos which led to him being diagnosed with mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer caused by exposure to the dangerous dust.

Eric Oliver, 73 from Newcastle, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October 2016, and died in April this year, the day after the settlement was agreed. Mesothelioma is an asbestos-related cancer which affects the lining of the lungs and is caused by exposure to asbestos often decades before symptoms begin to appear.

After being diagnosed, Eric instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell in December 2016 to investigate how and where he came into contact with the deadly material. Following his death, Eric’s brother Barry took over the claim.

Both Barry and his legal team believed Eric was exposed to asbestos while employed by Swan Hunters, a shipbuilding design and engineering company based in the North East.

Eric, who was a widow following the death of his wife, Jackie, in 2003, first began working for the firm as an apprentice in 1961 remaining with the firm until 1965. He worked for the firm again between 1968 to 1972, and 1977 until 1996.

Barry, 56 from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, said: “Eric’s diagnosis came as a shock, and I know he had found it hard at times to come to terms with his condition. 

“I, along with the rest of the family, am grateful to our legal team at Irwin Mitchell for their hard work on Eric’s behalf in getting justice for him and a quick settlement from his former employer. 

“It is very frustrating to know that Eric developed this deadly disease purely because he went to work every day and did his job.” 

During Eric’s three different spells with Swan Hunter he was exposed to asbestos in the same way, and in his first two spells this exposure was on almost a daily basis. Eric was exposed to asbestos dust and fibres as a result of the work done by laggers on the ships.

The laggers would be on board to apply asbestos lagging to the pipework. This process would create a lot of dust which would linger in the air and be inhaled by those on board the ships. 

Eric would also be exposed to asbestos when working on repairs on the ship as this process would involve removing the asbestos lagging from the pipework in order to be able to repair the pipes. The process of stripping the lagging off the pipework was again very dusty and the dust would linger in the air.

Emma Crowther, an expert in asbestos related disease cases at Irwin Mitchell who acted for Eric, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Mesothelioma causes over 2,500 deaths every year in the UK and causes a great deal of pain and suffering for victims like Eric and his family.

“On this occasion, we have managed to resolve the situation quickly in less than four months and reached a settlement with Eric’s former employer, Swan Hunter, saving Eric and his family a lot of unnecessary stress.

“Sadly, this case just further highlights how many employers did not do enough to manage the risks of asbestos exposure, despite knowing the dangers it posed to workers’ health.” Emma Crowther - Senior Associate Solicitor