News Desk May to August 2009

Teenager's compensation trebled by Thompsons

A student badly injured in a car crash and who was advised by an insurance company that his injuries were worth just £5,000 in accident compensation has received almost three times the amount in damages after help from Thompsons Solicitors

Confectioner’s search for witnesses

The family of a confectioner have renewed their appeal for information from her former work colleagues after she died from an asbestos-related disease.

Family’s search for information on Tower Brewery

The family of a former brewery worker who died after being diagnosed with an asbestos related disease has renewed its call for help from his former colleagues.

Mesothelioma caused by exposure to father’s work overalls

A widower whose wife died from an asbestos related cancer from contact with dust on her father’s overalls has received a substantial sum in compensation

Family’s search for boiler fitter’s former workmates

John Albrow, 78, from Milton Keynes, died from mesothelioma, an asbestos related lung cancer, in January 2009.

Broken alarms and staff shortages led to violent attack on Nurse

UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, is today (20 August) calling for a rapid response to the Boorman report, to ensure that quality occupational health services are available to staff across the NHS.

Sick note plans unfit

Plans to abolish the “sick note” in favour of the “well note” could force sick and injured people back to work before they are fit to return, warns Thompsons Solicitors, Britain’s most experienced trade union and personal injury law firm.

Jail threat vital to deter union blacklists

Employers and consultants who blacklist trade unionists should face the full weight of the criminal law including the ultimate sanction of imprisonment, according to Thompsons Solicitors, which acts for the majority of British unions

UNISON calls for an end to back-breaking work as lifeguard forced to retire receives £50,000 in compensation

Back injuries are one of the most common causes of workplace injury and employers lose millions of pounds in lost working days and in compensation each year.

School Caretaker receives compensation for hernia

A school caretaker, who needed surgery after suffering a hernia from lifting a heavy room divider, has received compensation, with help from UNISON.

Hunt for cause of worker's cancer

The solicitor of a cancer survivor from Bradford is looking for information about his working conditions.

Van driver freed by firefighters

A delivery driver who was freed by the fire service when a faulty van door crushed his hand has received £7,000 in compensation.

Faulty bath injures care assistant

Faulty work equipment forced a care assistant to take sick leave for three months after she suffered from whiplash injuries

Mesothelioma sufferer warns of dangers of asbestos

A plasterer who has just months to live has received a substantial sum in compensation just ten months after he developed asbestos related cancer.

Former Ford employee compensated for vibration injury

A fitter for car manufacturer Ford has received £8,500 in compensation after his hands were left permanently damaged by using vibrating tools at work

Compensation for redundant Walsall delivery workers

Scores of GMB members have won the right to claim compensation after they were sacked without notice by their employers

Widower compensated for double tragedy

A widower who saw his wife die from the asbestos cancer, mesothelioma, has received compensation from his former employers after he was also diagnosed with an asbestos related disease

£10,000 for council worker forced to work on broken chair

A council worker, who suffered a slipped disc after being forced to use a broken chair at work, has received £10,000 in compensation, with help from UNISON.

Nuclear worker compensated for mesothelioma

A former nuclear power plant worker who has been told he has just months to live has received £177,000 in compensation after he was diagnosed with an asbestos related disease.

Teacher’s family receives £580,000

The devastated family of a dedicated teacher, who was killed while cycling home from work, has received £580,000 compensation, with help from UNISON.

Unison backs warning by family of asbestos death joiner

The family of a joiner, who died from mesothelioma before he could benefit from his compensation, have warned employers that the deaths will continue unless workers are made aware of and protected against the risks.

Battle won for permanent contract

UNISON, the UK’s leading public sector trade union, has won a three year long battle for a permanent job, for a member who had been working in the same role for 10 years.

Holidaymaker loses two stone after food poisoning

A holidaymaker who suffered salmonella food poisoning while visiting a five star hotel in Jamaica has received a significant sum in compensation.

£17,000 each for sacked workers

Unite the union has successfully secured more than £17,000 in compensation each for 21 members who were made redundant while working at a power station in Plymouth

Woman's leg crushed in workplace accident

A Unite member who was forced to take six months off work after her leg was crushed in a workplace accident has received £14,500 in compensation.

Thompsons renew call for director duties

Thompsons Solicitors has called on the Government to legally force company directors to take responsibility for accidents at work

Retired policeman’s widow receives compensation for asbestos death

The widow of a former policeman has received a substantial sum in compensation after he died from an asbestos related disease.

Cautious welcome for asbestos claims announcement

Government plans to examine the process for tracking and tracing the former employers and insurers of the victims of asbestos-related disease are welcome if they lead to the setting up of an Employer’s Liability Insurance Bureau (ELIB)

£175,000 for plumber with terminal asbestos disease

A hospital plumber, who has been told he has only months to live after developing mesothelioma, has received £175,000 in compensation, with the help of UNISON.

Bid to trace co-workers of tragic victim of asbestos

The son of a cancer victim is urging his former work colleagues to come forward with information about his exposure to asbestos.

Cyclist receives compensation for accident

A keen cyclist who was badly injured when a car knocked him down has received £5,000 in compensation.

Long hours at desk causes blood clot

An administrator who suffered a life threatening blood clot from long hours sitting at her desk has received a substantial sum in compensation.

Compensation for bricklayer's widow

The widow of a bricklayer who sadly died from an asbestos related disease has received £135,000 in compensation.

£35,000 damages for worker’s fall

A Unite member who was off work for more than 20 months following a workplace accident has received £35,000 in compensation.

Goggles fail to prevent serious eye injury

A steel erector received £6,500 in compensation after he suffered permanent damage to his eye during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium.

Significant injury proposal will complicate motor insurance claims

Controversial Government proposals would severely undermine the ability of motorists to claim compensation for damaged property and could have far-reaching consequences for personal injury claimants, according to Thompsons Solicitors, the UK’s most experienced personal injury law firm.

Keen athlete forced to retire after workplace injury

A man who had to give up endurance sport after injuring his leg at work has received £5,250 in compensation.

Asbestos danger in river and canal boats

Thompsons Solicitors is highlighting the hidden danger of asbestos for the thousands of people who live in boats across the UK.

Tailor’s family receives compensation

The family of a former tailor has received more than £162,000 in compensation after he died from industrial disease mesothelioma.

Welder forced to retire early

A welder who was forced to retire after he injured his back at work has received more than £37,000 in compensation.

£250,000 for badly injured firefighter

A firefighter who suffered extensive injuries when he fell down a 20ft pit while trying to put out a blaze has received £250,000 in compensation.

Electrician’s widow receives £290,000 damages

The widow of an electrician has received £290,000 compensation after her husband died from asbestos related cancer mesothelioma.

Film artiste receives compensation for broken elbow

A film extra acting in a violent scene for a British movie has received compensation after he was injured on set.

Radiographer compensated for broken ankle

A radiographer who broke her ankle in a workplace accident has received £3,000 in compensation after help from her trade union

Train company denied responsibility for faulty equipment

A keen horse rider who damaged her knee as she worked in an express train buffet car has been awarded more than £5,000 in compensation.

Rugby dreams destroyed by A&E mistake

A promising county–level rugby player had to give up his sport after a hospital failed to spot his fractured wrist.

Welder suffers memory loss after head injury

A welder who has been off work for almost two years after he fractured his skull in a workplace accident has received a substantial sum in compensation.

E Bay-Style bidding plans threaten specialist legal support for those accused of work-related crime

Government proposals to introduce bidding for criminal defence work will mean the end of specialist advice and representation for defendants accused of work-related crimes.

Loophole for strike-breakers

Businesses are exploiting a loophole in the law banning the supply of strike-breakers by employment agencies, says Thompsons Solicitors.

Make animal keepers liable for injuries

Existing law is virtually unusable in compensation claims by people injured by animals but planned amendments will only make matters worse, says Thompsons Solicitors.

£250,000 compensation for asbestos widow

The widow of an electrician whose death was caused by exposure to asbestos while rewiring a police station has received £250,000 in compensation.

Drivers warned to exchange insurance details

A Unite member has warned of the importance of exchanging insurance details with drivers when involved in a car accident.

Compensation recovered for asbestosis victim

Electrician Ken Morton, 70, from the Wirral was diagnosed with asbestosis with a 2-3% disability in 2006 after retiring from a 45-year career where he was exposed to asbestos on a regular basis.

Settlement for asbestos lung cancer widow

The widow of a pleural plaques sufferer who went on to die from asbestos related lung cancer has received £91,000 in compensation with help from the trade union Unite.

Four year fight for compensation

Three businesses have paid compensation to a Yorkshire insulation engineer who broke his ankle on an uneven surface on a building site.

Pensioner receives compensation for fall

A pensioner has received a substantial sum in compensation after she tripped on a faulty pavement smashing her jaw and teeth.

Payout for injured Land Rover worker

A car production worker who had to undergo two operations after he tripped and smashed his nose at work has received a substantial sum in compensation.

GMB member compensated for vibration injury

Keith Rowley, 55, from Stourbridge was left with the debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), also known as Vibration White Finger, after using vibrating tools in his job as a fitter.

Holiday pay ruling is victory for common sense

The House of Lords has decided in the long-running case of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs v Stringer, Ainsworth and ors that workers who are denied holiday pay can pursue a claim to an employment tribunal for unauthorised deduction from wages under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA)

Chimney manufacturer compensates asbestos victim

A member of the trade union UNITE who is suffering from asbestos related cancer has received substantial compensation following help from Thompsons Solicitors.

Bid to trace cancer victim’s co-workers

Did you work with Edward Anglesey in the Wirral, Cheshire or Merseyside area during the 1960's or 1970's?

Heroes’ boost from Thompsons

Employees at Thompsons Solicitors in Plymouth have helped raise money for a charity which helps wounded armed forces personnel.

Inquest of Aileen Andrews

A statement provided by the family of Aileen Andrews to assist journalists reporting on their mother’s inquest beginning on Monday, June 1, 2009 at Bristol’s Coroner’s Court

Family wins £3.8m compensation

A family cared for their desperately ill son for more than 10 years without realising they could receive millions of pounds in compensation

Payout for man whose hand was crushed

A GMB member who lost four fingers in a horrific workplace accident and later had to have his thumb amputated has received a six-figure sum in compensation.

CICA concedes chase by gunmen is traumatic

ASLEF needed to take the case of Driver Quncy Oji to an Appeal before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) would concede that being chased down an underground tunnel, dropped to the floor and threatened by armed men is a traumatic experience that merits compensation.

BECTU member sacked after workplace injury

A BECTU member has received a substantial sum in compensation after he was sacked by his employers following a workplace accident in which he broke his foot.

Employer rapped for ignoring workers’ concerns

Gerard Healey, 59, from Formby in Merseyside had to take 15 weeks off work after he hurt his left arm while lifting heavy wooden pallets.

Ignored health and safety concerns leads to injury

London Underground has paid substantial compensation to a Tube driver after it ignored complaints about dirty, hazardous train carriages.

MOD settle Devonport asbestos claim

The widow of a Ministry of Defence shipyard worker has received £140,000 in compensation after her husband died of an asbestos related lung cancer.

Injured dad couldn't hold his baby

A young dad was left unable to hold his new baby son when his hand was crushed during a workplace accident.

Engineer compensated for horrific injuries

A man who suffered a horrific injury when his arm was pulled into a machine has received £50,000 in compensation.

Thompsons welcomes Colombian activist

A persecuted Colombian political activist will meet union leaders and staff from Thompsons Solicitors on a visit to the UK on Thursday (May 21, 2009)

Mesothelioma sufferer’s family receives compensation

Thompsons Solicitors has helped the family of a former Unite member, who died of an asbestos-related disease, to recover substantial damages

Thousands join call for National Centre for Asbestos

A petition with over 24,000 signatures will be handed into 10 Downing Street this week calling on the Government to fund a National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease (NCARD) in the UK

Court of Appeal upholds landmark ruling on age discrimination against Rolls Royce

On 14th May 2009 Unite the Union, Britain’s biggest union, succeeded in securing a landmark Judgment from the Court of Appeal against Rolls Royce in one of the first cases on age discrimination to be considered by the higher courts.

Hartlepool docker awarded compensation

A man dying from an asbestos related cancer has received substantial compensation following a three day trial in Teesside High Court.

Crush injury caused by crane

A machinist for a renowned aerospace company has received compensation after his index finger on his dominant hand was crushed in a workplace accident.

Cataract operation left man blinded in right eye

A man who was blinded in one eye following routine surgery that went wrong has received a substantial sum in compensation after support from Thompsons Solicitors.

£400,000 compensation for Antibiotic overdose

An assistant social worker was forced to give up the job she loved after she received a medication overdose while she was in hospital for a hip operation.

Successful fight for asbestos compensation

A proud businessman has told of his successful battle for compensation after he was diagnosed with fatal lung cancer, mesothelioma.

NASUWT legal challenge secures greater protection for falsely accused teachers

As a result of a legal challenge mounted by the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, in defence of one of its members, fewer teachers who face allegations made by pupils will now suffer the trauma of being arrested and having their DNA, fingerprints and photographs taken and retained when attending a police station following such an allegation.

Pleural Plaques announcement delayed again

Pleural plaques sufferers have been told that the long awaited government announcement on compensation will be made before the summer.

Payout for brain injury

A labourer from South Shields who suffered extensive brain injury in a workplace accident has received substantial sum in compensation.

GMB member compensated for vibration injury

Alexander Simpson, 60, from Workington in Cumbria was left with debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), also known as Vibration White Finger, after using vibrating tools in his job for an engineering company.

Surgical pin left inside patient

A hospital which left surgical equipment inside a patient has paid an out of court settlement.

The two largest trade union firms in the UK combine to create one firm

On 1 May 2009 Rowley Ashworth will join Thompsons to create a combined firm.