Mechanic awarded £300,000 damages
21st, March 2007
A car mechanic has been awarded £300,000 from his former employer after being diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure.
Jonathan Hutchinson was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003. It is believed that he developed the condition as a result of his employment in a number of mechanical firms during the 70s and 80s which required him to strip vehicles of their asbestos brake pads.
Three mechanical firms; Wilcox & Co, Maytone V Ltd, and 205 Ltd (formerly Lex Motor) were involved in the settlement but did not accept liability.
In 2004, Hutchinson underwent surgery to remove a lung. Although he is currently clear of the cancer, it is highly expected that it will return in the next decade.
According to the British Lung Foundation more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year in Britain, and someone dies from it every five hours.
Experts have predicted that a mesothelioma epidemic will peak within ten years, predominantly affecting those in their sixties, with links to the construction industry.