Mr C was diagnosed with mesothelioma in March 2009. Shortly afterwards he contacted us to pursue a claim for compensation on his behalf.  Mr C’s only exposure to asbestos was whilst working for Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited in Barrow. He spent his whole working life with the firm from 1953-1993. His exposure was during the 1950s and 1960s when he worked as a boilermaker.

Mr C’s illness was unusually slow to progress. The initial onset of symptoms was in 2005. Over the next few years he underwent numerous painful and invasive tests, the results of which were all inconclusive. 

Finally in March 2009 he was given the devastating diagnosis of mesothelioma. He was 71 years old.

In April 2010 Mr C travelled from his home in Cumbria to Blackpool for surgery. He was admitted to hospital for a partial pleurectomy, removing some of the lining of his lung. For weeks after the operation he was completely debilitated and in considerable pain. He also had prolonged radiotherapy treatment to which he developed a severe skin reaction.

Prior to the onset of his illness Mr C had always been very active. He enjoyed fell walking and climbing. He and his wife spent their holidays walking in Spain and Portugal. As a result of his symptoms he was exhausted and often fell asleep during the day. He found this very frustrating.

When he retired, aged 55, Mr C purchased a 1 acre plot of land behind his house. Up until his illness he had spent his retirement working hard to clear the trees and scrub. Over time he landscaped the whole area putting in steps, arbours and benches. He then cleared another area and built play equipment for his grandchildren.  

He was also very skilled at wood carving. He had a workshop at home and spent many hours creating beautiful items such as rocking horses.

The case was dealt with on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis so that Mr C and his family did not have to worry about funding a claim. We used a fast track court procedure to ensure that his case was dealt with as quickly as possible.

We pursued a claim against BAE Systems Marine (Holdings) Limited, the successors in title to Vickers Shipbuilding.  We pressed the defendants and they admitted exposing Mr C to asbestos dust early on and a voluntary interim payment to him was made.

We successfully settled the claim without going to trial in December 2009, within Mr C’s lifetime. He received his substantial damages in full.

Mr C continued his brave fight against mesothelioma for several more months and sadly passed away at home in May this year.

Contact details:

Telephone: 0161 834 1251                
E-mail: nf@johnpickering.co.uk       
Website: www.johnpickering.co.uk               
FREEPHONE: 0808 1440957 

Notes

John Pickering and Partners LLP- Specialist mesothelioma compensation solicitors.

We are a specialist personal injury law firm.  We have been handling claims for industrial disease for over 30 years.  Most of our work involves acting for asbestos disease victims. 

We only act for the sufferers of asbestos diseases and never act for the organisations that caused the asbestos exposure or their insurers.  We have an ethical approach and pledge to donate 10% of our net profits every year to good causes that help asbestos sufferers. 

Click here to find out about our donations to good causes.  We have also been involved in most of the landmark judgments that shape this area of law.  Find out more about us or find out about our reported cases.  We are on the panels of several asbestos support groups and are ranked highly by legal guides.  Click here to find out more about what others have said about us.

John Pickering and Partners LLP is a niche legal practice that has represented Claimants in the leading asbestos "test cases" in the last ten years. The firm represented Sylvia Barker in Barker v Corus (UK) Plc, a case that highlighted the legal tactics of employers and insurers trying to cut back their compensation liabilities to mesothelioma sufferers, and which prompted the amendment of the Compensation Act 2006 to ensure full compensation for mesothelioma claims. The firm represented two of the three Claimants in the Fairchild appeal, in which the insurance industry tried unsuccessfully to block compensation altogether for mesothelioma sufferers unable to identify which of two or more sources of asbestos exposure had caused their illness.

The firm represented Alice Jefferson, a mesothelioma sufferer, whose illness and compensation claim against Cape Asbestos were featured in the important documentary "Alice: A Fight For Life."   Shown by Yorkshire Television in July 1982, the programme was an important catalyst for legal change and public awareness of the plight of mesothelioma and other asbestos disease sufferers and a prompt for important legal reform.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining of certain bodily organs.  It most commonly affects the lining of the lungs (the pleura) but it can affect other areas including organs in the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum).

According to the British Lung Foundation, more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year in the UK and there is one mesothelioma death 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 between 2011 and 2015.

The British Lung Foundation, supported by John Pickering and Partners LLP, launched the first Action Mesothelioma Day on 27th February 2006, to raise awareness about mesothelioma, to improve the treatment and care of mesothelioma patients, and to lobby for better funding for research into mesothelioma and for the protection and education of people working with asbestos.

If you need advice about an asbestos related illness, contact us now for information about making a claim for compensation.