Food poisoning in the Caribbean

A holiday of a lifetime turned into a nightmare for a 28 year old Architectural Technician from Colchester in Essex, after severe food poisoning ruined his Caribbean holiday and left him with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a permanent condition as a result of his holiday from hell.

Mr Paul Willey booked the dream holiday to the Iberostar Hotel in the Dominican Republic with his girlfriend to celebrate his graduation. Instead of a relaxing holiday he suffered from severe diarrhoea, stomach cramps and shivering fits.

Mr Willey had to seek treatment from the resort doctor and was given medication and a number of injections to relieve his symptoms. On his return home Mr Willey continued to suffer from symptoms and had to have time off work.

Mr Willey has subsequently developed irritable bowel syndrome and has to maintain a special diet to control the ongoing symptoms from the food poisoning which are likely to remain with him for the rest of his life.
 
Mr Willey reported the illness to the tour operator MyTravel, who later admitted liability. After a lengthy legal battle Mr Willey was awarded damages of £13,000 for his Pain, Suffering and Loss of Amenity in addition to damages for his ruined Caribbean holiday.

Mr Willey said "My health has been put in danger by the actions of the tour operator. Not only was my holiday ruined but I now feel as if my life revolves around my symptoms. In many ways I wish I had never gone on holiday and struggle to face going on holiday again. I have had to make lots of adjustments to my diet and find that I have to be very careful with what I eat and when."

Clare Pearson, travel litigation specialist in the firm of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors which represented Mr Willey in his claim for compensation said "Unfortunately Mr Willey is just one of many clients that I represent who come back from holiday with gastric illness, who then go on to develop symptoms on a long term basis. I constantly hear the travel industry talk about hygiene and customers welfare being of paramount importance however I continue to receive enquiries from holidaymakers who have suffered illness as a result of poor hygiene. Tour operators need to monitor these incidents more closely and act more quickly when guests start to become ill."

If you or someone you know has suffered from food poisoning abroad, our solicitors can help. Visit our illness abroad compensation section.