Mr Wykes was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009.
He previously worked with asbestos as a carpenter for a small
firm known as L & A Freeman in Hinckley in Leicester.
He was regularly asked to cut corrugated asbestos sheets to size
using a hand saw and he was not provided with any protective masks
or clothing. He inhaled large quantities of asbestos dust. He had
not been exposed to asbestos in any of his other jobs.
He contacted Field Fisher Waterhouse following his diagnosis
and it was clear at an early stage that the company Mr Wykes
had worked for was dormant. The insurers could not be located for
the period of time that Mr Wykes had worked for them.
We obtained a company search report which showed that L &
A Freeman had in fact been taken over by the Taylor Wimpey group.
Wimpey's initially tried to argue that they only took over the
assets of L & A Freeman and they could not assist with any
insurance information.
After further clarification was sought and documentation
requested relating to the acquisition of the company the Wimpey
group confirmed that the liabilities for L & A Freeman were
transferred to them and they would act as the paymaster to the
claim even though the insurers could not be located.
Dushal
Mehta successfully concluded the claim for Mr Wykes without the
need to issue court proceedings and Mr Wykes recovered full
compensation at no cost to him.
After the case Mr Wykes said that he was happy with the speedy
conclusion and received much more compensation than he
expected.