Man wins asbestos payout before death
November 29, 2007
A cancer sufferer who launched an asbestos-related compensation claim received a High Court victory just days before his death, it has emerged.
George Alexander, who was 71, was exposed to the deadly mineral during his work as an electrical fitter in the 1970s and 1980s.
An out-of-court settlement was reached last Thursday with his ex-employers Hammersmith and Fulham Council awarding him £88,000, the Argus reports.
Mr Alexander died on Sunday of asbestos-related mesothelioma - a type of cancer.
Talking to the newspaper, his lawyer Helen England said: "Hopefully it was a relief before he passed away.
She added that he had been "really, really pleased" by the settlement, resulting from an original £100,000 compensation claim.
Asbestos, responsible for around 4,000 deaths a year, is the single biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK.
Its toll among workers is equivalent to around 15 times the current rate of occupational fatal accidents.