Travel Lawyers Secure Settlements For Family Continuing To Suffer Illness Four Years After Fuerteventura Holiday

Seven holidaymakers who had their lives ‘turned upside down’ after suffering illness during a holiday in Fuerteventura, which left one of them on an IV drip and suffering with Salmonella, have reached a settlement after legal action by expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

The group, which includes Veronica Fisher, 63, her daughter Anna Marie, 44, her grandson Matteo, and four other members of the family from Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol travelled to the Lobos Bahia Club hotel for a two-week break at the end of August 2010. Two further members of the family who travelled with the group are continuing to pursue claims.

Specialist international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who have secured settlements of up to £18,000, for seven members of the family after their tour operator Lowcostholidays Limited, say they hope the family can now put the ordeal behind them and move on with their lives. Lowcostholidays continued to dispute the family were sold a package holiday, but subject to that point being proved accepted breach of duty.

The family told the legal team at Irwin Mitchell that the conditions were in their opinion ‘unsafe for children’ and that the hotel was ‘unhygienic’.  The family report that food at the hotel was served lukewarm and undercooked on occasions.

In addition tiles were missing from the hotel swimming pool and electricity supplies in the hotel rooms were unsafe as lights kept tripping and some wires were exposed around the plug socket/light fittings.

Soon after arriving they all fell ill, suffering with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and stomach cramps. Anna Marie was left so ill she visited the clinic at the hotel and was placed on an IV drip.

On her return to the UK, she visited her GP and, following tests, was informed she has contracted Salmonella. She is now unable to eat and drink dairy products as a consequence of the illness and, four years on from the ill-fated holiday, continues to suffer with post-infective Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Her son Matteo, 21, has also been diagnosed with post-infective IBS and her mother Veronica took two months to recover from similar symptoms. All three have now been awarded significant sums after their holiday was ruined and for the impact the illness has had on their day-to-day lives.

The four other members of the family moved to a different hotel after just four days of their week-long break as they felt the hotel was ‘unsafe for children’.

Clare Pearson a  travel law expert within the International Personal Injury team at Irwin Mitchell, representing the group, said: 

Expert Opinion

“This family suffered a significant ordeal and their holidays were ruined by the problems they suffered at the hotel.

“Aside from making their holiday extremely unpleasant, the illness has had a continuing impact, with many of them suffering from some form of symptoms.

“What should have been a two-week break for the family to spend together relaxing was completely ruined by the illness, which left one of them on an IV drip with Salmonella and post-infective IBS.

“We hope that, now the final settlement has been provided for seven members of the family, they will be able to get on with their lives and put this terrible ordeal behind them.” Clare Pearson - Legal Executive & Associate

Anna Marie, a cleaner, said: “We went on holiday to enjoy some much-needed time away, but we ended up going through an absolutely horrendous experience. The last thing I expected when booking the holiday was to end up spending most of my break stuck in my hotel room or on a drip at the hotel’s clinic.

“The conditions were so bad that some of our family moved to a different resort halfway through the holiday and  the illness didn’t just affect us during our holiday. We all continued to suffer symptoms long after our return to the UK and some of us have been diagnosed with IBS which is likely to be with us for the foreseeable future.

“Now a settlement has been secured we will finally be able to move on from what we went through and the impact it has had on our day-to-day lives.”

Expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are continuing to act on behalf of two other members of the family who suffered illness following their stay at the hotel and continue to struggle with ongoing health problems as a result.