Asbestos claimant Colin seeking help
AFORMER pipe fitter suffering from a lung disease believes it may have been caused during his years working with asbestos.
Colin Vaill, 56, from Skelmersdale, was diagnosed with pleural thickening – a disease in which scarring thickens the lining of the lungs – about 18 months ago and now wants former colleagues to help him gain answers about the illness.
Colin, who is married to Jeanette, first worked as a labourer for Liverpool-based Abaar Engineering for eight months in 1977.
He then returned to the company as a pipe fitter and welder between 1988 and 1990, before heading back again for a third period which ran from 1990 to 1997.
He now believes that exposure to asbestos in this work had led to the disease and has lawyers in Irwin Mitchell’s specialist asbestos-related disease team to help him understand how his illness emerged and whether more could have been done to prevent it.
He said: “My role for the company involved a lot of commercial work, including projects at the Liverpool docks and also at the Tate & Lyle building too. The job basically meant I had to rip old lagging off both pipes and boilers, before then repairing and replacing the pipework.
“It is hugely frustrating to think that my illness has developed as a result of my work and it begs the question as to why more was not done to protect me from the risks.
“I am desperate for answers in relation to this and any help would be hugely appreciated.”
As part of their work, the legal experts are keen to hear from anyone who worked with Colin when he was employed by Abaar Engineering in three stints during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Armon Momenabadi, the solicitor and specialist asbestos lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office who is representing Colin, said: “The details of this case are like many we come across day after day, with a victim developing a serious asbestosrelated illness many years after they are thought to have been exposed to such materials.
“It is a tragic and unfortunate truth that asbestos has had a huge and terrible impact on so many lives down the years and we are determined to do everything we can to help Colin get answers regarding his own condition.
“We would be hugely grateful to anyone who can help us in this fight to secure him the justice he deserves.”
Anyone with information related to this case is urged to contact Armon Momenabadi at Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office on 0161 838 3099 or email Armon.Momenabadi@IrwinMitchell.com.
The Advertiser tried to contact Abaar Engineering for comment