Corries win female asbestos lung cancer claim

Corries have secured compensation approaching £100,000 for a 88 year old woman diagnosed with asbestos lung cancer. Her case may help thousands of others diagnosed with asbestos disease.

Read here about how we won this important case and how many others may be missing out on compensation.

Corries are leading UK asbestos lawyers. Call our friendly team now for a FREE no obligation chat on 0800 083 7839.

Asbestos lung cancer – not just a man’s disease

There are about 2,600 people affected by the asbestos cancer mesothelioma each year.

Of the 40,000 lung cancers found each year about 10% are thought to be caused or made worse by asbestos exposure.

Historically most asbestos cancers have affected men, particularly those in industries where asbestos was heavily used. However, as years pass the number of women affected by mesothelioma has steadily increased so that about one in six victims of this disease are female. That figure may rise in the years to come.

The number of asbestos lung cancers affecting females is however very low.

Female asbestos lung cancer – the medical hurdles

To prove a claim for this condition we need to show that the victim was exposed to at least one year of heavy exposure to asbestos or two to five years or longer of steady exposure to meet 25 fibre ml years of exposure.

Admitedly ,very few women would meet this criteria as exposure came from office work and when going on the factory shopfloor. On some occasions some jobs involve greater exposure that first thought.

That was the case with Mrs L. We have acted for other female asbestos victims before as can be seen here https://www.corries.co.uk/asbestos-cancer-female-win-of-155000-from-washing-work-clothes/

Female Asbestos Lung cancer – Mrs L and the case that bucked the trend

Our client Mrs L had worked for an asbestos company called Bells Asbestos from 1955 to 1960. She had a second spell from 1966 to 1973. At this time she worked on a hammerpress which worked with and close to other asbestos products. This involved the use of an asbestos sheet which cut flanges which were commonly used at that time.

She moved on to office work after a few years. In her second spell when she went back following the birth of her children.

Over those years she had a greater asbestos dose than she had at first realised. In 2019 she developed a primary lung cancer and had this treated by surgery to remove it.

Importantly, at no point did it cross the mind of those treating her nor did Mrs L about asbestos. In addition she nor they thought of asbestos as a factor in her health. No one signposted her to seek health. Without our work Mrs L would have probably died without any recognition of the part that asbestos played in her health.

Female asbestos lung cancer – picking up the baton

Mrs L saw Corries advert in the national media and thought she would make an enquiry. We looked into the case. Our team were careful in making sure that Mrs L’s case could progress.

We had to get her medical records and get them renewed. Her medical team had not put the issue of asbestos exposure to Mrs L at all. No one signposted her to a lawyer or for any advice. It should be noted that she had smoked for a few years as a teenager and then stopped. It can only be assumed that they had not identified a cause of the cancer.

Corries to the rescue

We took the time to work up a long an detailed statement about her working life. The hammerpress and gaskets would have given off asbestos fibres for several years. In addition even as an office worker she would go on the shopfloor and still get exposure to asbestos.

We thought that whilst her case was unusual we believed that Mrs L had been a missed cause. We used our access to special medical experts to find one who was prepared to help.

Consequently, a supportive report was secured. As well as that we polished up her other evidence. Furthermore, we were able to put the case to the defendant insurers.

Female Asbestos claims – the outcome

The defendant’s looked at the case. They quickly realised that whilst the case was unusual it was one which would win if we went to trial. Negotiations started and we have settled the case securing life changing compensation for Mrs L.

Thankfully, her lung cancer has remained in remission. her future looks more secure but there are no guarantees. She has monies to help her in the future.

Female Asbestos cancer claims -the future

Corries Director Howard Bonnett who manages our leading UK asbestos claims team commented

” There is a sadly spreading awful industrial heritage of asbestos disease. These malignant diseases will continue to affect people for the next 30 years. Sadly, many of these victims will be female and many will not be signposted to lawyers or for other support.

Because of this case if you know any woman who has been diagnosed with lung cancer in the last three years I urge them to contact us. If they have worked with asbestos then we should look into this for them. For many the medical criteria may not be met but comfort may be given if they know they have looked into it.

For those who have asbestos as a cause, even a modest number could get life changing compensation”

Female lung cancer – the need for greater awareness

At Corries we are going to do all that we can to raise the issue of female asbestos cancer victims. Our aims are to:-

Increase awareness of asbestos cancers

To signpost women to benefits and compensation and;

Make sure that they are getting the right and early treatment for the cancer.

Corries asbestos team are here and ready to help you. Call us FREE on 0800 079 7983. Or e mail us at info@corries.co.uk. Our team will happily work with you to see if we can help.