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Female Focus


Page 11 Asbestosis, could you have it?


Asbestosis is a long term lung condition caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. It can cause significant breathing problems that affect a person’s day to day activities.


I have recently successfully concluded a claim for asbestosis for an expat who moved to Spain in 1982. Steve Levey started to have trouble with his breathing a few years ago and was referred to Denia Hospital. He was asked whether he worked with asbestos. This question came as a surprise because although Steve had worked with asbestos, it was a long time ago in the 1950s.


File photo


After he was diagnosed with asbestosis, Steve contacted me and I met him in Calpe. Steve told me that he worked for a company called Bernard Hastie straight from school as a laggers mate. His job was to make the lagging. He did this by tipping bags of asbestos into drums of water and then mixing it with his hands. Of course, this meant that the dust went everywhere and that Steve was exposed to huge amounts of asbestos dust. Like most people, he worked on different sites, mainly in boiler houses, but the worst job he did was at the House of Commons.


At our meeting in Calpe I went through the claim and explained what would happen and he gave me a detailed description of how he came into contact with asbestos. I needed to get medical evidence from a consultant in the UK and for this I obtained Steve’s medical records from Denia and had them translated. The insurers for Bernard Hastie then paid the claim as well as the costs so that Steve did not have to lose any of his damages. I also helped with a successful application for benefits in the UK.


As a result of his asbestosis, Steve’s breathing was getting worse and he was finding hills difficult so he could not walk to his local square. With some of the money from the claim he bought himself a car which at least means he can get round more easily.


I can be contacted on 00 44 1244 340560 at info@woodslaw.co.uk or alternatively you can visit my website at www.woodslaw.co.uk.


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