‘Nightmare’ Marmaris Palace Stay Was First Time Children Had Been Abroad

A family have revealed how their first holiday abroad together at a Turkish resort three years ago was ruined by serious illnesses including salmonella, as lawyers launch legal action to help them gain justice in relation to the ‘nightmare’.

Ian and Cheryl Jordan, from Barrow in Furness, fell ill just days into their stay at the Marmaris Palace in June 2014, which was the first time they had been abroad with their children Luke, 9, Lewis, 7, and Bayleigh, 15.

Upon return to the UK, it was confirmed that Ian had contracted salmonella and unfortunately both Ian and Cheryl continue to suffer gastric symptoms three years on.

Following their ordeal, the family instructed lawyers in the International Personal Injury team at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the problems they faced and the experts have now issued proceedings against tour operator Thomas Cook.

Expert Opinion

“This holiday was meant to be a memorable one for our clients, yet they went on to face a series of problems which continue to affect them to this day.

“Their story demonstrates the huge impact that illnesses like salmonella can have on victims, often leading them to develop long-term health problems from which they never fully recover.

“As such, the seriousness of these problems cannot be downplayed and, as an out of court settlement has not been reached with Thomas Cook, we have been left with no option but to launch legal action to secure answers and justice regarding these issues.” Jennifer Downing - Solicitor

Cheryl Jordan, 47, fell ill just three days into the ten-day holiday at Marmaris Palace, with Ian, 48, then experiencing symptoms a day later. Their son Lewis then also faced similar problems.

Ian, who is a welder, recalled: “When you go on holiday you simply do not expect this kind of thing to happen to you. While we had seen some issues which made us concerned, such as some of the food being left uncovered for a long time and even on occasions birds pecking at leftovers, we didn’t think much of it at the time.

“We self-medicated to get through the holiday but with the symptoms not letting up we all had to go to the GP, which was when my diagnosis of salmonella was confirmed.”

Three years on, Cheryl and Ian are continuing to suffer from IBS symptoms linked to the illness problems they endured.

Ian added: “The fact this illness is still affecting us three years on is unbelievable. This was meant to be an amazing first time abroad with the kids and it was an absolute nightmare.

“We really feel we deserve some answers regarding what we went through and whether anything can be done to learn lessons from this so no one else suffers problems like this in the future.

Read more about the work of Irwin Mitchell's International Personal Injury Team here.