Law firms wants compensation payments equalised
Thompsons highlight limited bereavement rights in England & Wales compared to Scotland
Personal injury claim specialists Thompsons have launched a campaign to increase the amount of compensation paid to the families of asbestos-related cancer victims in England & Wales.
Thompsons have highlighted the fact that south of the border, only the surviving spouse of a deceased victim can claim for the effects of bereavement, and the amount is limited to £10,000 by the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, prior to which no such claim was allowed in England.
In Scotland other close family members can also claim, and the amount to be awarded is left to the courts. Payments of up to £30,000 have been ordered to Scottish widows.
Ian McFall, head of asbestos policy at Thompsons, said the imbalance in rights was unjust and could not be allowed to continue, and that £10,000 was "a derisory sum for the grief caused by the death of a close family member".
He added: "Whole families suffer terribly when they lose a loved one to mesothelioma. They carry the emotional burden with them the rest of their lives."
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