Corries Solicitors fighting to raise awareness of unknown asbestos scheme

An unknown asbestos compensation scheme is still failing to compensate victims of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.

Corries are leading asbestos claim specialists. No one fights harder for you. Call us FREE now on 0800 083 7839 and see if we can help you.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung, the stomach or other body membranes. It is a known consequence of exposure to asbestos. There are a reported 2600 deaths each year and the annual figure has still not peaked.

The condition will cause the premature deaths of hundreds of thousands of people over the next 20-25 years.

Is there compensation for these victims of asbestos disease?

For many victims a claim can be started against their former employer. If the company is alive or if there are traced insurance policies then a case can normally be made

Corries are specialists in making such claims for compensation.  These claims can yield hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation. The amount depends on the patient’s age, suffering, loss of life and other financial factors.

But what if the company is gone bust and with no insurance?

This is exactly where the situation where this unknown scheme kicks in.

In the April 2014 the Government, after lengthy consultation with the insurance industry set up the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (the DMPS).

The scheme is intended to provide a fund of last resort for those people with mesothelioma who had worked for companies where no company nor insurer could be traced.  It operates by the provision of a levy of employment liability policies. It has an annual pot of funds of about £35 – 40 million.

Is the scheme widely known about?

We at Corries have to report that it is not.  Neither the insurance industry nor the Government have funded nor spent any money directing people to this potential outcome.  Many victims are put off by the thought of instructing a solicitor or going to court proceedings. They simply do not know what’s in front of them. Many do not know about the scheme and that a case can be made with a solicitor if the facts allow. They can quickly be advised if they meet the Scheme criteria.

So what can be done?

Corries are working to make sure that people are made aware of this scheme. We want to encourage them to make a scheme claim as quickly as possible.

What’s in it for you?

Good question.  The scheme makes provision for the payment of £7000 of legal cost of any scheme payment to be paid to the solicitors. This gives the Claimant peace of mind whatever money they get (if they are successful) is theirs. In addition they will know that we as lawyers get paid to do a good and comprehensive job for them

What about other asbestos diseases?

There is no similar scheme sadly for other diseases. At Corries we believe that extending this scheme for asbestos lung cancer victims should be done as well.

All that remains for other asbestos victims suffering lung cancer, pleural thickening or asbestosis is to try make a common-law claim. We can help those victims with claims for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

Is any way of helping yourself should the worst happened in the future?

This is a risk that even if you do not have mesothelioma now you may be unlucky enough to get it in the future. At Corries we offer an entirely free pleural plaque register.

Most people who have been exposed to asbestos disease develop a scarring of the lining of the lung. This is known as pleural plaques.  This is a benign condition that causes no symptoms. We suspect many sat reading this article may have this and not even know.

Sadly since 2005 the insurance industry stopped 30 practice of paying out compensation for this condition. In 2007 the House of Lords court then ruled out compensation entirely.  There was a brief Ministry of justice scheme claim in 2010. This paid £5000 to existing victims no compensation has been available.

Pleural Plaques register – what is involved?

We invite asbestos victims to join our FREE pleural plaque register. We write to victims and then send off for people’s HM revenue schedule. When this comes back we can work out full details of when and where they were exposed to asbestos.

So what is the point of that?

There are several benefits to this

1. Firstly we have your exposure to asbestos recorded when you have been able to remember it

2. In the event that you develop a condition in the future then this important work has already been done. This takes time off your new claim so you will get your compensation much more quickly

3. We can cross refer this to other people working at the same place. If they agree then gather supporting evidence to firm up your claim.

4. You will be given a blue card which you can keep in a safe place. If at any point in the future you are diagnosed with any of the conditions mentioned above a quick call can help us to trigger off a chain of enquiries for you.

All of this is done for FREE. As a firm we will make our money in costs making the case for you in the future. You will get your compensation first.

History tells us that those exposed to asbestos who have pleural plaques are more vulnerable to get other abesstos disease. That is simple common sense. Our experience is that 2 or 3 people out of every 10 with pleural plaques will suffer something else due to asbestos before they die.

Summary

Corries are leading asbestos disease lawyers.  We are one of only a handful Solicitors in the country keeping an asbestos pleural plaque register.  We think it is important to invest in the needs and future hopes of asbestos disease victims.

Many of the people are pleural plaques register will fortunately never need our help.  But for those that do we are here and we are ready.

Do you know someone with asbestos disease who has been diagnosed in the last three years?  Get them to give us a call on (0800) 083 7839 FREE for a no obligation chat.  We are in the office today Sunday 24th of March from 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM so give us a call today.  Other than this we are opening office hours from 9.00 AM to 5.oo PM monday to friday and we are always happy to help