Asbestos compensation amounts
How much compensation will I receive?
If you are suffering from an asbestos industrial illness such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, pleural thickening or asbest0s-related lung cancer, you may be entitled to compensation. The actual amount that you receive after winning an asbestos compensation claim will be determined by the court according to the particular circumstances of your case, but in any event if you entrust your claim to Humphreys & Co. Solicitors, you can rest assured that we will recover for you the maximum possible compensation amount.
There are two types of compensation potentially available in any asbestos compensation claim, known as special and general damages. General damages compensate you for the asbestos-related illness itself (in other words, your pain, suffering and loss of amenity) and the amount is set by the court. Special damages compensate you for actual financial losses that you have incurred as a result of your illness up to the date of the court hearing and for future losses thereafter.
Interest is payable on both general damages (at 2% per year) and special damages (at 1.5% per year) from the date that a successful asbestos compensation claim was started (by serving the claim form on the defendant).
General damages
The general damages amounts awarded in asbestos compensation claims are usually in accordance with the 10th Judicial Studies Board Guidelines (though a court is not required to follow these amounts), which provide for the following compensation amounts for people suffering from asbestos-related illnesses:
- Mesothelioma: £35,000-£83,750
- Lung cancer: £51,500-£66,000
- Asbestosis: £31,500-£69,500
- Pleural thickening: £21,250-£51,500
- Pleural thickening (in less severe cases awarded as provisional damages): £4,350-£7,250
The amounts awarded within the compensation bracket for each condition will depend upon the extent and duration of the suffering and impairment caused to the individual concerned.
Special damages
Special damages will be awarded for any financial losses that were reasonably foreseeable and caused by the asbestos exposure. It is also worth noting that the amount of special damages awarded can significantly exceed the compensation amounts awarded under general damages. This amount awarded may include, but is not limited to:
- Private medical expenses
- Past or future loss of earnings or pension
- The cost of a carer
- Decorating and gardening costs
- Funeral expenses
- Bereavement damages
Getting compensation for a further asbestos-related illness.
It is an unfortunate fact of asbestos-related illnesses that some of the people diagnosed with non-malignant conditions such as asbestosis or pleural thickening may later go on to develop on of the malignant asbestos-related conditions. In asbestos compensation claims, it is possible for successful claimants to accept a ‘once and for all’ settlement payment that factors in their increased risk of later developing a further asbestos-related illness as a result of the exposure at issue in that case (final damages). People who take this compensation amount (which is higher than they would otherwise be entitled to based on their current illness) are not able to later come back to court and obtain compensation for further asbestos-related illnesses.
It may therefore be necessary during the course of your asbestos compensation claim to decide whether to take an increased settlement payment or to take a reduced payment (provisional damages), with the option of returning to court if you do later develop further asbestos-related illness. The asbestos compensation claims solicitors at Humphreys & Co. are very experienced in representing the victims of asbestos industrial diseases and will be able to advise you as to your best option should this situation arise.
Example compensation amounts
It can be difficult to put the compensation amounts above into perspective. The asbestos compensation claims department at Humphreys & Co has extensive experience of winning the maximum compensation available for the victims of asbestos industrial diseases. To get an idea, please see below some recent examples of the asbestos compensation amounts that we have obtained for our clients:
We take pride in our impressive track record of asbestos compensation claims success, even in difficult cases. To find out about making a claim today, please contact us.
