Injury compensation news

Family compensated for teacher's mesothelioma death

The family of a teacher who died from mesothelioma, an asbestos related cancer, has been awarded £116,000 in compensation.

John Murphy, of Tameside, was exposed to asbestos during the 16 years he worked for Harts Head High School.

During the 1970s the school built temporary classrooms with movable walls that would sometimes be taken from one place to another.

In the 1980s traces of asbestos were removed from the schools premises after the poisonous material began flaking from the ceilings.

Mr Murphy's sister, Janis Bradbury, was helped in her claim for personal injury compensation by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

According to figures released by the ATL, 147 educational staff, half of them teachers, died of mesothelioma between 1991 and 2000.

The case took three years for Tameside Borough Council to admit liability for Mr Murphy's death.

Ms Bradbury said, "ATL did a fantastic job but if John had been alive the case would have been dealt with quicker."