Lawyers Secure Interim Payment As Battle For Justice Over ‘Four-Year Nightmare’ Continues

A Washington man who has suffered significant problems, and required major foot surgery, following an accident during a holiday in Egypt in 2010 has called on tour operators to put safety first in order to prevent others from facing his “nightmare”, after lawyers helped him secure financial support whilst his claim remains on-going.

Mark Robson, 44, has revealed how he has lost his independence and had to leave his job at Nissan in Sunderland in April 2013 as a result of the problems he continues to endure after injuring his foot in the swimming pool at the Tropicana Jasmine Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh in August 2010.

Despite expecting the gash to his toe to heal quickly, he had to seek medical attention on return to the UK when there was no improvement. Doctors then diagnosed a bone infection called osteomyelitis and since then, Mark has seen his life completely turned upside down.

In the past four years, he has been admitted to hospital three times for treatment and had major amputation surgery on the affected foot, which led to him agreeing to leave his job at Nissan due to the on-going problems he suffered.  He is now reliant on his wife and loved ones for help with even the most basic day-to-day tasks.  However his suffering is not over yet, as he begins his recovery from a mid-foot amputation earlier this month.

Specialist lawyers in Irwin Mitchell’s International Personal Injury team are representing Mark in his legal battle with tour operator TUI UK Limited, trading as Thomson, regarding his ordeal and have helped him secure an interim payment of £25,000 to help with his living and care costs. The legal experts are also compiling medical evidence to support their on-going work to secure justice for him after the tour operator admitted liability for the accident but required Mark to prove that the problems he has since suffered are as a result of the accident.

Mark Robson and his wife Gillian’s break at the Tropicana Jasmine Hotel in August 2010 was their first two week holiday since their honeymoon 16 years earlier. The day after they arrived at the hotel, he felt pain in his right foot when climbing out of the pool and noticed it was bleeding.

He recalls: “I realised I must have caught it on the lining the pool, which was quite sharp and had what seemed to be a rough concrete surface. I got it bandaged up but thought it would heal fairly quickly like a standard wound.

“It stopped me from swimming for the rest of the holiday and also stopped us going on an excursion or two, but ultimately I didn’t think there would be any lasting damage.”

On his return to the UK, Mark sought medical attention when he noticed the wound had not healed. A local walk-in centre told him his toe may be infected so he went to Sunderland Royal Hospital and was prescribed antibiotics. However, by 2 September 2010, the wound had not healed and he was still experiencing symptoms in his toe.  His GP referred him to the Podiatry Clinic at the hospital and he was admitted for treatment..

Mark added: “I was referred to a specialist clinic at the hospital where I was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, a bone infection, and admitted for two weeks. I was discharged with antibiotics and had time off work and for a while I improved, but then the symptoms just kept returning.”

In February 2012, Mark was informed that the bone infection had returned and he had an operation to remove his second toe and also to take one other bone out of his right foot.

While he was able to eventually return to his work as Vehicle Quality Assessment Operative at Nissan in Sunderland, the ongoing infection, as well as knee and back pain caused by his altered gait due to the foot injury, led him to sign an agreement to leave the role in April 2013 after the recurrence of the infection necessitated a further period of leave from January 2013. He is now beginning his rehabilitation after having a mid-foot amputation and it is hoped this will resolve the problems once and for all.

Mark said: “The impact this whole issue has had on me has been devastating. As well as having no choice but to leave work, I now need assistance with basic household tasks and I cannot drive – so am almost entirely reliant on my wife, family and friends. I have completely lost my independence as I cannot bear weight on my leg.

“The holiday to the Tropicana Jasmine Hotel has become memorable for all of the wrong reasons. I just hope that no one else faces what I have been through, which is why tour operators and resorts have to make sure that the safety of holidaymakers is a top priority.”