A FORMER docks worker had a statement read out in court yesterday – at his own inquest.
The words of Gerald Lydiate were read out at Blackburn Coroner’s Court following his death from cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
The 73-year-old, who lived with his second wife Wendy in Blackburn Road, Haslingden, lost his fight against lung cancer in Royal Blackburn Hospital on April 19.
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In his statement, he spoke of raw asbestos raining down on him ‘like snow’ in the 1960s.
But he wrote of feeling privileged to be able to work in such a highly-paid position because he had a wife and five children to feed.
Mr Lydiate had received a payout due to his exposure before his death, the court was told.
Coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of death of the occupational disease of exposure to asbestos.
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