Compensation claim

Solicitors take on asbestos compensation claim

The family of a man who died from lung cancer have been awarded $600,000 for their asbestos compensation claim .

The case is thought to have broken legal history in Australia, as Paul Cotton had no previous history of suffering from an asbestos-related disease such as mesolthelioma or asbestosis.

After he passed away at the age of 45 in 2002, his family decided to contact a personal injury solicitor and make an industrial illness compensation claim.

It is believed that Mr Cotton was exposed to asbestos during the 1970s when he worked in South Australia laying James Hardie asbestos water pipes.

He also came into contact with the hazardous material whilst working at a chemical plant in the 1990s.

Compensation solicitor Tim Hammond said the successful asbestos compensation claim is a landmark victory for Mr Cotton's wife and four children, which will ensure that they are financially secure in the future.