Widow gets £355,000 asbestos payout
Widow gets £355,000 asbestos payout
THE widow of a former Vickers employee who died from mesothelioma has received a £355,000 payout. Jean Allen, 69, secured the compensation following the death of her husband Keith from the asbestos-related cancer in 2004. Mr Allen, 71, developed the disease as a result of exposures during his 25 years working for Vickers. He began at the firm in 1961 and his work often took him into condenser and turbine areas of power stations. He was also involved with the navy's earliest nuclear submarines and during these years he was exposed to asbestos lagging operations. Despite being past retirement age, Mr Allen was working for a Norwegian company dealing with offshore gas and oil projects when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2002. Mrs Allen said: 'The company that Keith worked for in Norway held his job open for him and were totally supportive when we were trying to find out what was happening. They didn't want to lose him.' Mrs Allen's solicitors said her husband's age made the large payout unusual. Pauline Chandler, a solicitor with Manchester's Pannone law firm, said: 'The value of this settlement is a reflection of how active and healthy Keith Allen was before mesothelioma struck him down.' She said Mr Allen was an example of an active elderly person who could have been shown to people who consider the over-60s, and the over-70s, past it and boring, to prove it was not true. In a second asbestos-related case, Brian Brady has been awarded £7,500 after a ruling by Birmingham Crown Court that he should be compensated for the asbestos-related condition pleural thickening. The 71-year-old was exposed to asbestos fibres as an instrument mechanic for British Alcan in Workington and now suffers from shortness of breath and is unable to carry out every day tasks like gardening.
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