Travel Lawyers Call For Safety Improvements

Specialist travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have called on a luxury tour operator to ensure that safety improvements are made after a man from Wales was left with permanent nerve damage following an accident while on holiday in St Lucia.

Nick Fletcher-Brewer from North Wales suffered serious injuries when he walked through an unmarked glass patio door while staying at the St Lucian by Rex Resorts Hotel in December 2007.

Mr Fletcher-Brewer had left the door open while going for breakfast with his wife, but while they were out a cleaner closed the door. The lack of signs or stickers on the glass made it difficult to tell that the door had been closed and Mr Fletcher-Brewer walked through the glass, which shattered as it was not safety glass.

The shattered glass severed Mr Fletcher-Brewer’s hamstrings and he also suffered severe cuts to his head back and foot. He was taken to hospital in St Lucia for surgery on his hamstrings and was kept in for three nights.

Three and a half years on from the accident, Mr Fletcher-Brewer, who is an hotelier himself, still suffers from nerve damage in his leg. He will have ongoing pain for the rest of his life. For six months after the accident he needed a wheelchair or walking stick, which made it difficult for him to work.

Lawyers from Irwin Mitchell are helping Mr Fletcher-Brewer to seek compensation for loss of earnings and to fund his ongoing rehabilitation. The firm is urging luxury tour operator Kuoni Travel Ltd to improve safety measures at its hotels in order to avoid similar incidents in future.

Sandeep Aujla, a travel law specialist at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Our client suffered injuries which will affect his life forever. He  is lucky that the injuries weren’t even more serious, as the shattered glass could have caused all kinds of problems.

“Holiday companies need to ensure that they take every step possible to protect their customers. Holidaymakers have a right to go on holiday, in this case with a luxury travel brand, and enjoy their holiday free from the worry that the accommodation might not follow basic safety standards.

“Ensuring that sufficient labels are placed on the patio doors is a relatively inexpensive measure which can greatly improve safety. We urge Kuoni, and other tour operators, to make sure they take these extra steps to protect customers.

“Mr Fletcher-Brewer’s two-week break to St Lucia should have been the holiday of a lifetime, but instead it was ruined by injuries which now have a long term effect on his life.”