£120,000 for Holiday Makers Following Legionnaires Outbreak at Grand Sarba, Turkey

Grand Sarba hotel, Icmeler, Turkey

Law firm Irwin Mitchell have successfully recovered damages against tour operator Goldtrail totalling more than £120,000 for 9 people after they became ill whilst in Icmeler, Turkey.

The holidaymakers travelled during September and October of 2004 to the Grand Sarba 1 Hotel in Icmeler, Turkey.

All nine became ill with respiratory related problems within the first few days of arrival. Six of the nine individuals were subsequently diagnosed with Legionnaires disease.

Mr Peter Maitland (75) from Wrexham in Wales was one of those affected by Legionnaires. He said “this holiday was supposed to be a time for myself and my wife to relax, however it was quite the opposite.”

“I am appalled at the standards of the hotel. A number of people suffered illness and still continue to suffer on-going symptoms.  I am pleased that this nightmare has come to a conclusion.”

Suki Chhokar, Partner in the Travel Law team at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors said “This was an especially serious outbreak of a potentially fatal disease. A number of holidaymakers were hospitalised and continue to suffer from on-going symptoms.”

“Tour operators need to be aware of their duty of care to their paying customer’s, to ensure their health and safety are protected from illness or injury at the destinations they send them to.”

“We are delighted that our clients will receive the compensation that they are rightly entitled to. By taking action of this kind we also hope that the chances of similar outbreaks of illness in future will decrease, as hotels and tour operators realise the consequences of not adhering to the most basic levels of hygiene.”

If you have been affected by a similar incident, fill in our online claims form for free advice.