Former resident exposed to the dust as a child
A 61-year-old woman diagnosed with fatal asbestos cancer years after being exposed to the dust has successfully recovered over £70,000 compensation from the Turner & Newall Asbestos Trust.
The woman, who lived only 500 yards from the Turner Brothers asbestos factory in Hindley Green as a child in the 1950s and 60s, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer, in the autumn of 2012.
First person to be compensated for environmental exposure from the Turner and Newall plant near Wigan
The former resident of Hindley Green is believed to be the first person to be compensated for environmental exposure from the Turner and Newall plant near Wigan.
The woman, who was a keen runner, visited her GP after noticing unusual shortness of breath. A chest X-ray revealed a shadow on her lung which was later diagnosed as mesothelioma.
She contacted Thompsons Solicitors to investigate her case for compensation. Thompsons secured damages of over £70,000 from the Turner & Newall Asbestos Trust which was set up to compensate people exposed to asbestos by the company after it went into Administration in 2001.
She had lived near the asbestos factory between the age of 5 and 19.
She said: “When we were growing up, clouds of asbestos dust were visible in the air and would get on our clothes. I spent my childhood playing in the fields that surrounded the plant. I remember asbestos dust being brought in to our house on the shoes and clothes of visitors; it lined the outside window panes.”
She said: “This illness has completely shattered my life. Growing up next to the Hindley Green Turner Brothers factory all those years ago caused my cancer. I had always been busy, fit and active. This has been an extremely distressing time for myself and my family.”
Steven Dickens from Thompsons Solicitors said: “Many people diagnosed with mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos decades ago while at work and this caused their condition. But in this case the mesothelioma was caused by the Turner Brothers factory polluting the local environment. We believe this is the first successful mesothelioma claim to the Turner & Newall Trust for an environmental exposure case relating to the factory at Hindley Green.”
Asbestos disease diagnosis? Talk to us for advice and support on how to secure compensation.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we can support you with advice on how to make a claim.
The process will be explained in plain English and with no obligation – our priority is to provide you with the best, expert advice on whether you have a valid case for compensation, and to signpost you to further sources of support.
There are strict time limits applied to making a claim – usually three years from the date of diagnosis. It doesn’t matter if the exposure to asbestos took place – as it often does – decades ago, the three year time limit applies to the date of knowledge of diagnosis or date of death.
For further information, visit our How to Make A Compensation Claim page.