Deanna Trevarthen died in 2016 from mesothelioma, a lung cancer caused by asbestos fibres. Photo: suppliedACC has lost a long-running court battle over a woman who died from cancer caused by inhaling asbestos. Before her death, she pushed to get ACC cover for financial assistance, but was rejected because she was not exposed to asbestos at work. But the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision, confirmed that non work-related mesothelioma such as Trevarthen's was a personal injury for which ACC cover was available. It found the operative cause of the personal injury was an accident - the inhalation of asbestos fibres.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 27, 2021 00:33 UTC