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Widow calls for insurance fix

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Widow calls for insurance fix

An asbestos widow has called on the government to help asbestos victims and their families overcome barriers to obtaining compensation. Caroline Squires from Wacton in Norfolk has voiced her support for an Employers' Liability Insurance Bureau (ELIB) after her husband, Almer, died from asbestos related cancer mesothelioma. Mr Squires, died in October 2008, aged 66. He was exposed to asbestos whilst working as a management trainee for County Oil Heat Company in Guildford between 1962 and 1964. The company later changed its name to Oilheat Services (Guildford) Limited. The family's attempt to claim compensation is destined to founder because the employer is no longer in business and its insurer cannot be traced. As many as one in 10 asbestos victims are unable to trace their employer's insurer and are left with nothing. Mrs Squires has joined with asbestos campaigners and unions in calling for the government to set up an Employers' Liability Insurance Bureau (ELIB). An ELIB would act as a fund of last resort to compensate injured workers where the employer has ceased trading and the insurer cannot be found. Joanne Carlin from the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team said: 'Mrs Squires' predicament is common because many of the employers who negligently exposed their workers to asbestos have ceased trading and records of their insurers have been lost or destroyed. An ELIB is the only answer to ensure that innocent victims like Mr Squires and his family receive the compensation they are entitled to.'

Thompsons Solicitors news release.

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