Answers Demanded After Problems During Birthday Break At Protur Safari Park

A Middlesbrough family has spoken of how a special birthday break at a Spanish resort last summer became a chaotic holiday nightmare blighted by illness after instructing expert travel illness lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate their concerns.

Deborah Crawford has revealed how she, her partner Ian and their two sons all suffered ear infections during their stay at the Protur Safari Park resort in Majorca in July and August 2014, during which Ian celebrated his 52^nd birthday.

Upon arrival Deborah and Ian had concerns regarding their room as they said it was not of the standard they expected and that patches on the walls suggested it contained damp. This turned out to be just one in a series of issues they went on to suffer during the stay.

Deborah’s baby son later choked on a piece of plastic that was found in his lasagne. She gave her son the Heimlich manoeuvre but as he continued to choke she used her fingers to remove the plastic from his throat.

The 44-year-old, from Marton, went on to develop pneumonia during the holiday and needed six months off work as she struggled with the illness and shortness of breath. She also developed a skin condition and sought advice from a local pharmacist who advised she was suffering from scabies.

Deborah and Ian, now 53, have now instructed specialist lawyers in Irwin Mitchell’s International Personal Injury team to investigate the cause of the illness they suffered during the Thomson Holidays break.

Jennifer Downing, a specialist travel illness lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, who is acting for the family, said: 

Expert Opinion

“We are extremely concerned to hear of the range of problems which affected Deborah and Ian’s holiday.

“We have now begun investigations into the cause of the illness and other concerns which ruined their holiday.

“We would welcome any feedback from holidaymakers who also stayed at the Protur Safari Park who may be able to assist with our investigations and encourage them to come forward and provide us with their account of events.” Jennifer Downing - Solicitor

Deborah recalls: “After a couple of days, we all suffered with ear aches, we visited the pharmacy and were given drops but it quickly became clear that we’d suffered some kind of infection – this was confirmed when we visited our GP once we returned home.

“It was just one thing after another, which meant that the majority of the holiday was a write-off. When Blaise choked on a piece of plastic we found in one of his meals, we could barely believe it – the holiday was supposed to be a relaxing break and a celebration yet we could not wait to get home.

“Nothing can change what we have been through and we are so upset and frustrated, however, we do hope that we can get the answers we are looking for regarding the problems we encountered.”