Lawyers Contacted By Passengers Who Experienced Illness On Cruises Taken In 2015

The devastated family of a man who was suspected to have contracted Legionnaire’s disease during a cruise on the Arcadia ship in 2012 have revealed their shock after specialist lawyers helping them gain answers as to what caused them to fall ill were instructed by passengers affected by issues on the same ship earlier this year.

David Doble’s 77-year-old father Anthony suffered with respiratory symptoms such as breathing difficulties and coughing while on board the Arcadia cruise ship in April 2012. Despite treatment in the ship’s medical centre and being transferred to a hospital in Cape Town, he died a month later.

Now David and his mother Annette, who are taking legal action alongside 12 others against Carnival PLC (t/a as P & O Cruises) regarding the problems in 2012 with the help of Irwin Mitchell, have revealed their concerns after their lawyers were instructed by passengers affected by problems on the ship in January 2015.

The latest passengers to seek help to investigate the cause of illnesses they suffered whilst on-board the Arcadia ship include one passenger who suffered Campylobacter, as well as other passengers affected by other conditions such as acute bronchitis and an upper respiratory tract infection.

Expert Opinion

“Our clients who were on board this ship in 2012 have endured an incredibly difficult few years since their ordeals and still want answers regarding what they faced.

“However, due to Carnival not accepting responsibility for these claims it has meant we have been left with little choice but to issue Court proceedings.

“We have also now been asked by passengers affected by problems on the same ship this year to investigate the cause of the illness they suffered whilst on cruises taken this year.” Clare Pearson - Legal Executive & Associate

2012 CASE STUDY

Anthony Doble and his wife Annette had booked their cruise to celebrate her 70th birthday in 2012, but it turned into a nightmare when his terrified wife was told on her birthday that the life support machine that her husband was on should be switched off.

He had begun to suffer breathing difficulties and developed a severe cough just over a week into his voyage. He spent three days in the ship’s medical centre where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and doctors took the decision to admit him to the Christian Barnard Memorial Hospital in Cape Town, where he was eventually diagnosed with suspected Legionnaires’ disease. He died in May 2012 in the same hospital.

David Doble, 50, from Weybridge, Surrey, said: “My dad was fit and healthy before he went on that cruise. One minute we were telling my parents to enjoy themselves, the next I am flying to Cape Town because they said they were going to turn his life support machine off. I insisted on further tests when I got there and these came back positive for legionella bacteria.

“My mother is taking legal action because we want to know what happened to my father. My mother has told me about the ‘Arcadia Cough’ which other passengers were also suffering with and we deserve answers as to what happened.

“The loss of dad remains very raw so it is really disturbing to see that more cruise passengers travelling on the same ship just this year have suffered illness issues. We would urge Carnival to take action to fully investigate these fresh concerns and ensure that steps are taken to protect future passengers from further issues. No one else should face the nightmare we have been through.”

2015 CASE STUDIES

Irwin Mitchell’s specialist illness lawyers have been instructed by eight people who endured problems with illness whilst on the Arcadia cruise ship earlier this year.

Among those affected are retired couple Alan and Patricia Blears, from Warrington, who were both prescribed antibiotics and confined to their cabin for 48 hours after developing respiratory tract infections during their cruise in March and April.

Patricia recalls: “Our trip was ruined by the illness we suffered and it was also not very nice listening to other passengers coughing in the public areas. You just never expect to fall ill on holiday and particularly like this. We both needed to see the ship’s doctor and had visits from a nurse every few hours so our temperatures could be checked. It was horrendous.

“We’re still struggling now with on-going symptoms and are so frustrated – we really feel we deserve to know how this happened and what if anything could be done to prevent these issues from happening again.”

Others affected include Jill and Peter Dodd from Spalding in Lincolnshire, who are continuing to suffer the effects of the illness they suffered on their cruise on the ship from January 6th, embarking in Southampton and disembarking in San Francisco.

Jill recalled: “I fell ill with gastric symptoms just a few days into the cruise and then in the second week Peter began coughing up blood and mucus and later I was suffering from similar respiratory symptoms.

“We both saw the doctor on board the ship and were given medication but the rest of the holiday was just not as enjoyable because of our symptoms. It was subsequently confirmed that Campylobacter was the cause of the symptoms and they are still impacting on my life now.

“We’ve been on cruises before but this was undoubtedly the most expensive holiday we had ever paid for. Frustratingly, it was also the worst. We just want to know how we came to be ill and what if anything can be done to stop others facing what we’ve been through.”

If you have fallen ill while on a cruise ship, our personal injury claims team could help you to secure compensation. See our Cruise Illness Claims page for more information.