Expert Travel Lawyers Secure Significant Settlement After Five-Year Legal Battle

A teenager who suffered serious gastric illness after contracting a potentially fatal strain of E-Coli and the Giardia parasite after staying at the Holiday Village Turkey has received a substantial settlement after medical experts concluded that his kidneys were so badly damaged that there is a possibility they could fail in the future.

Bradie Perkins, from Leicester, now 18, travelled to the notorious hotel with his family in October 2010. He felt lethargic and tired during the last few days and on his return home had to be rushed to A&E twice because of severe diarrhoea, stomach cramps, dehydration and other gastric symptoms.

Specialist international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell secured the out-of-court settlement from tour operator TUI UK Ltd, trading as First Choice Holidays and Flights Limited, after it was alleged that food hygiene failures had caused Bradie’s illness. The law firm also represented 26 other holidaymakers who were ill at the same hotel in 2010, although these claims were settled in 2012.

Bradie’s case eventually settled last month just four weeks before a trial was due to begin and TUI UK Limited denied liability for his illness throughout the claim. Under the terms of the settlement Bradie will also be entitled to seek further compensation if his kidneys fail in the future as potentially anticipated by the expert nephrologists instructed by the parties.

The Holiday Village in Sarigerme, Turkey, was featured on BBC’s Watchdog programme around the time of the family’s trip and Irwin Mitchell has now represented hundreds of holidaymakers staying at the notorious resort at different times over the past decade.

Amandeep Dhillon, a Partner and expert travel lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who represented the holidaymakers including Bradie, said:

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“While hundreds of holidaymakers became ill at the Holiday Village in Turkey over the last decade, Bradie unfortunately suffered from a very serious gastric illness including a potentially deadly strain of E-coli, as well as the Giardia parasite.

“He and his parents were terrified when he was hospitalised and it will now affect his life forever. He has missed out on his dream career in the Navy and had his life massively affected at a time when he should have been able to concentrate on being a teenager and completing his studies." Amandeep Dhillon - Partner

Jatinder Paul, an Associate Solicitor, who was also part of the legal team who represented Bradie, said: “Bradie’s case was very complex and his kidney problems meant that we had to gather extensive expert medical evidence from nephrologists, psychologists, gastroenterologists and fatigue specialists to show how his life may be affected in the long term. Hopefully now that he has the settlement he and his family can focus on the future and begin to move on with their lives as he seeks to complete his A-Levels and go to university.

“I hope all tour operators will take note of this case and recognise the serious impact that gastric holiday illness can have, particularly on young people.”

Bradie travelled to Turkey with father Craig, 43, mother Michelle, 39, and his two younger sisters Madison and Betsy.

The family told their team of lawyers that food from previous meals was often re-used the next day and cold food was occasionally topped up with hot food. Food was sometimes undercooked and often left uncovered while flies, insects and cats were frequently seen in the restaurant. There were also instances where the pool was closed due to children defecating in the water but the family never saw the pool drained and re-filled.

On their return home Bradie was twice rushed to A&E at Leicester Royal Infirmary and underwent numerous tests during his hospital admission before he was eventually diagnosed with E-Coli, Giardia and the kidney condition known as Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS). He was then transferred to the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham for dialysis but tests in June 2014 indicated that his kidneys were functioning at about two-thirds of normal as a result of the damage sustained by his illness. Although, his kidney function continues to improve his future prognosis remains uncertain.

Bradie, who lives in Earl Shilton, Leicester, and is currently studying for his A-levels at college, said: “I remember my parents were worried before we went because of the Watchdog programme and when we first arrived the hotel they were still filming and it just didn’t seem very clean.

“I knew something was wrong when I became so tired and for the last few days of my holiday I felt like I spent more time in the hotel room than I did with my family actually enjoying myself.

“I was devastated at being told I couldn’t join the Navy and it’s made me have to re-think my future plans. I’ll have to live with the effects of my illness forever and will always be watching what I eat or worrying about where to go on holiday. The settlement gives me peace of mind in that if my kidneys do fail in the future, that I will be able to get the specialist treatment and support I will need.”