No asbestos claim for Manchester widow

When the widow of a Manchester man lost her husband to asbestos related cancer, she was dealt a further blow when she was told she could not claim compensation for his death as he was diagnosed too early.

Chorlton woman Irene Pointon lost her beloved husband Sidney in February last year following a battle with Cancer which began on July 16, 2012.

Irene now has a battle of her own as she has appointed a Manchester law firm to fight for the compensation she and her family deserve.

When Sidney was diagnosed with incurable Cancer, the condition was traced back to the early 1960's when he was just 21 years old and working for Manchester company, Morgan & Crossley.

The firm manufactured asbestos brake linings and employees were subjected to what has been described as a storm of toxic dust on a daily basis.  

When brave Sidney lost his tragic battle for life, his wife Irene discovered she could not get any compensation from the Diffuse Mesothelioma payment scheme as this was only launched 15 days after her husband's diagnosis.

This was a cruel blow to the family as potentially, they miss out on up to £100,000 in compensation. Set up to help families who cannot trace the insurers of defunct companies like Morgan & Crossley, the rules it seems are rigid.

Devastated, Irene told reporters from the Manchester Evening News, "To watch my husband die from this terrible disease was heart-breaking for me, my son and daughter and for our three grandchildren."

Speaking to the newspaper, Irene says, "It was wrong that Sid was exposed to asbestos by his employer when the dangers were widely known. He was given no warnings about asbestos dust nor was he provided with a mask for protection.  I was so upset when his employers' insurers could not be traced but thought that the Mesothelioma scheme would help".

Manchester lawyers Pannone are now supporting the family in their fight for compensation and are urging anyone who worked at Morgan & Crossley to come forward.

Industrial Disease specialists are only too familiar with the inflexibility of the scheme and Irene's solicitor Alicia Rendell is calling for a common sense approach to help families like the Pointons.

If you or a member of your family has suffered from an industrial disease, call us on 0800 811844 or email our team at compensation@mellorhargreaves.co.uk to discuss a claim.

Mellor Hargreaves Ltd

Industrial Disease Solicitors

Oldham, Manchester, National

Tel: 0800 811 844