Asbestos Related Conditions

How to make a claim for asbestosis

People who have suffered negligent exposure to asbestos may develop a condition called asbestosis. This term is sometimes misused to describe all types of asbestos-related conditions, but in fact is a specific medical condition of fibrosis of the lungs.

Those who have developed asbestosis due to years of being exposed to asbestos may be eligible to make a claim for compensation. Learn about asbestosis and if you are eligible to make a claim:

What is asbestosis?

Asbestosis is a serious lung condition that is caused by breathing in asbestos fibres over many years, which causes scarring of the lungs. It generally develops decades after exposure and can be due to long-term moderate exposure to asbestos or even short-term heavy exposure.

Sadly, there is no cure for asbestosis once it has developed – it is not possible to reverse the damage to the lungs that the exposure has caused. People who have asbestosis also have a higher risk of developing other asbestos-related conditions, including pleural diseases and mesothelioma.

Newcastle and the North East have always felt the effects of asbestos exposure particularly strongly due to our shipbuilding and industrial heritage, and it’s one of the worst regions in the UK for asbestosis and asbestos-related diseases.

Symptoms of asbestosis:

  • persistent cough
  • shortness of breath
  • wheezing
  • fatigue
  • pain in the chest or shoulder
  • in more advanced cases, people experience swollen fingertips

Asbestosis symptoms typically don’t develop for ten to twenty years after exposure, so asbestosis often occurs in people reaching retirement age.

Dawn Bagley

Solicitor - Director of Personal Injury & Medical Negligence

Kathryn Shingles

Associate Solicitor - Personal Injury

Hayley Watson

Legal Clerk - Personal Injury

John Muxworthy

Costs Director and Solicitor

Kirsty Dockerty

Legal Clerk - Personal Injury & Medical Negligence

What should I do if I think I have developed asbestosis?

Consult your GP immediately if you are experiencing the symptoms of asbestosis and you believe that you were exposed to asbestos in the past. Your GP will check your lungs and enquire about your work history, and you may need a chest X-ray or a CT scan of your lungs.

If you are diagnosed with asbestosis, you may be eligible for compensation.

How do I make a claim for asbestosis?

You will need to contact a personal injury solicitor within three years of receiving an asbestosis diagnosis. The three-year time limit is only for the diagnosis, rather than for when you were exposed to asbestos.

We will a free initial consultation to discuss your situation and explain your options to you. Our personal injury team will fight to get you as much compensation as possible, which is to cover how much your health has suffered from the asbestos exposure and to pay for the necessary aids and adaptions you may need for your lifetime.

Our process involves gathering a medical report from a respiratory disease expert to analyse your health, as well as gathering the evidence that your employer or other defendant was aware of the risk of exposure to asbestos to prove that they were negligent. We can do this even if the company is no longer trading via the insurance company that was insuring them at the time of exposure.

We have successfully secured hundreds of asbestosis claims for people in the North East over the last two decades.

How much does it cost to make an asbestosis claim?

Browell Smith & Co Solicitors always work on a No Win, No Fee basis for asbestos-related claims.

This means that if your compensation case is not successful, we are not paid for the work undertaken and we will not look to you for our legal fees. In addition, we will arrange appropriate insurance cover to meet any expenses incurred on your behalf along with the other parties’ legal costs.

Personal injury claims can also be funded by way of Legal Expenses Insurance. We will explore all funding options available to you before advising you of the most appropriate method.

When you win your case, the losing party will pay our basic legal costs along with any expenses incurred.

Make an asbestosis claim

Contact our asbestos solicitors on 0191 691 3416 or by emailing advice@browells2.urdev.co.uk to discuss making a claim for asbestosis. We will fight to secure you the compensation you deserve.

Browell Smith & Co are the leading asbestos solicitor in the North East of England and have been recognised by the Legal 500 for our personal injury services. We have been serving the North East for over 20 years and pride ourselves on our sympathetic, professional services.

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