International Personal Injury Lawyers Secure Justice After Ruined Trip Which Left Mum With Ongoing Gastric Symptoms

A family-of-three whose three star Tunisian holiday was ruined when each of them fell ill with ‘horrendous’ gastric symptoms have won their battle for justice after expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell secured them £23,600 from their tour operator.

Sunsave Travel Limited agreed the settlement after Christopher Sheldon, 47, and wife Amanda, 45, instructed Irwin Mitchell to investigate their ‘holiday nightmare’ at the Caribbean World Resort between October 5th and October 19th 2011, where they and their 26-year-old son, Daniel, fell ill with symptoms including; stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and bad headaches.

The family, from Ashington in Northumberland, recalled issues such as some chicken dishes being undercooked and on occasion damaged and dirty crockery being provided to eat from. The family have also stated that sometimes uncovered and re-heated food was being left for long periods of time during a sitting and they advise that a couple of times they saw cats roaming around the restaurant.

Since the Sheldon’s returned from their family holiday, son Daniel and Christopher have recovered from their gastric illness but Amanda still suffers with on-going gastric related symptoms.

Bradford-based Sunsave Travel Limited, who the family booked their trip through, denied any liability in respect of the family’s claims.  Irwin Mitchell subsequently issued court proceedings. The tour operator has now settled the case, with the five-figure sum reflecting the severity of their illness and the symptoms Amanda continues to suffer.

Nichola Blackburn, the legal specialist in Irwin Mitchell’s International Personal Injury team said: “What was supposed to be a lovely family holiday with their son became ruined by illness. The family saved up hard for their trip and it ended up being one they will never forget, for all the wrong reasons.

“Sunsave Travel Limited denied liability, Court proceedings were therefore issued.

“We are pleased that a settlement has been agreed that reflects the illness each family member endured while at the hotel, and also takes into account the on-going altered bowel habits Amanda faces as a result of the holiday.”

Christopher, formerly a manager in the food and drink industry, said: “We were appalled by the state of the restaurant when we arrived and it isn’t something I expected from a three-star resort, it was disgusting. We even overheard staff at one point saying that they would not eat in the restaurant.

“We all fell ill with horrendous symptoms a few days into the holiday. This meant that we were not able to go on any excursions or explore the local area as we had hoped because we had to stay at the hotel as we felt too ill to travel.

“My wife is still suffering with stomach issues which she finds very uncomfortable and at times embarrassing. We did not expect our annual holiday to turn out the way it did.

“We are pleased that our legal battle is now over and feel like we can finally move on from our ordeal.”