Asbestos Mum Wins £10,000 Mesothelioma Payout
A PENSIONER won £10,000 in damages yesterday over the asbestos-related death of her shipbuilder son. Widow Annie Little watched her son Ian Cruickshank, 52, die in agony from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining.
She claimed the disease was caused by him breathing asbestos fibres during 16 years working in Clyde shipyards.
Annie, 82, sued Fairfield Shipyard and others for a bereavement award.
At the Court of Session yesterday, Lord Brodie said he considered £10,000 to be ‘just’ damages.
Annie, of Renfrew, said later: ‘No amount of money can ever compensate for the death of my son.
‘But I felt it was only right to pursue this case as a matter of principle so that it might benefit other mothers who face a similar situation in the future.’
Her lawyer Laura Blane said: ‘This tragic case breaks new ground in the fight to win just compensation for this group of relatives of the victims of asbestos.’
The court heard that Ian started becoming breathless in 2000.
That summer he told his mum he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma and had perhaps six months to live.
Annie was with her only son when he died in hospital in 2001.
Her legal team had argued for an award of £20,000, with lawyers acting for the shipyard claiming £3000 to £4000 would be appropriate.
Lord Brodie said Annie was ‘an entirely credible and reliable witness’.
He added: ‘During the remainder of her life, Mrs Little would have had the society and emotional support of the deceased had it not been for his premature death.’
ASBESTOS MUM WINS �10,000 PAYOUT
Jan 12 2005
A PENSIONER won �10,000 in damages yesterday over the asbestos-related death of her shipbuilder son.
Widow Annie Little watched her son Ian Cruickshank, 52, die in agony from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining.
She claimed the disease was caused by him breathing asbestos fibres during 16 years working in Clyde shipyards.
Annie, 82, sued Fairfield Shipyard and others for a bereavement award.
At the Court of Session yesterday, Lord Brodie said he considered �10,000 to be ‘just’ damages.
Annie, of Renfrew, said later: ‘No amount of money can ever compensate for the death of my son.
‘But I felt it was only right to pursue this case as a matter of principle so that it might benefit other mothers who face a similar situation in the future.’
Her lawyer Laura Blane said: ‘This tragic case breaks new ground in the fight to win just compensation for this group of relatives of the victims of asbestos.’
The court heard that Ian started becoming breathless in 2000.
That summer he told his mum he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma and had perhaps six months to live.
Annie was with her only son when he died in hospital in 2001.
Her legal team had argued for an award of �20,000, with lawyers acting for the shipyard claiming �3000 to �4000 would be appropriate.
Lord Brodie said Annie was ‘an entirely credible and reliable witness’.
He added: ‘During the remainder of her life, Mrs Little would have had the society and emotional support of the deceased had it not been for his premature death.’
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