Holiday Illness Claim

Julian Hurley has received £286,500 in compensation after suffering serious gastric illness while on honeymoon in Venezuela.

Mr Hurley instructed travel law specialists at Irwin Mitchell to pursue a claim for compensation after the holiday left him in hospital for five days. He was treated with intravenous drugs and antibiotics.

Our client and his wife stayed at the Costa Caribe Hotel in Veneuzuela as part of a package with First Choice in August 2004. He was unable to seek medical advice whilst abroad, but on his return home was admitted to Doncaster Royal Infirmary where he was diagnosed with shigella, a condition that is potentially fatal.

Mr Hurley now suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, post traumatic stress and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The couple raised specific concerns about the standard of food at the hotel. Mr Hurley said: “When we went to the hotel restaurant I tried a variety of different dishes which included cooked meats. The food was of an extremely poor standard. A lot of the dishes were undercooked, and some of them were almost cold. It was an all inclusive package and we had not taken much money with us, so we had little option but to eat what was offered.

“The impact that this hellish holiday has had on our lives has been devastating. I now struggle to walk long distances and find myself getting tired easily. I am still suffering from symptoms to this day and will do for the rest of my life which has been very difficult to come to terms with.

“I also had to reduce the number of hours I could go to work and to this day I have not returned to my pre-holiday working pattern. This has impacted on my relationship with my wife as instead of me being the main breadwinner, she is. She now has to look after me rather than the other way around.

“I am delighted with the settlement that Irwin Mitchell was able to achieve for me. It will allow me and Jayne to close this awful chapter in our lives and start looking to the future.”

Elizabeth Tetzner, a specialist in travel law, called on tour operators to make sure that hygiene standards at hotels are maintained, adding that “My clients have been through enough. Their honeymoon was ruined and Mr Hurley will suffer symptoms for the rest of his life. This settlement will hopefully go some way to helping them put this behind them and move on with their lives.”