Families Of Previous Tragedies Say Latest Fatal Crash Is ‘Heart-Breaking’ and ‘More Must Be Done’

Specialist travel lawyers who have represented the families of past victims of Turkish Jeep Safari crashes have called for urgent improvements to safety standards and stronger regulation to protect tourists after the latest incident in which two Britons who were killed this week.

The call comes after two British nationals were killed and two more hospitalised after an accident involving an open-top jeep on safari near Fethiye in Turkey on Monday 23 June. Three Turkish nationals were also injured in the trip which is believed to have been returning from an excursion.

Irwin Mitchell’s expert travel law team has represented several families in recent years who have lost loved ones in accidents while taking part in activities in Turkey including jeep safaris, parasailing, jet-skiing and hot air ballooning. 

Travel lawyers are today calling for better regulation of the tourist industry in the country while families whose relatives have died in previous accidents in Turkey said the latest news was ‘heart-breaking’ adding that it was ‘deeply frustrating’ that little seems to have improved since they were hit by tragedies years ago.

Philip Banks, a Partner at Irwin Mitchell specialising in international serious injury cases, said:

Expert Opinion

This latest Turkish Jeep incident is incredibly sad and our thoughts are with the families of the victims. We’ve represented several families affected by similar incidents in recent years and have seen first-hand the devastating impact that it has on the lives of everyone involved.

“Similar accidents have been happening for years and the authorities need to look at the safety record of these excursions and realise that improvements must be made. It is vital that stronger regulation of the market is considered as our previous clients certainly feel that there was no way of them knowing which companies were reputable and whether the organisers had been involved in any past accidents.

“It is crucial that lessons are learned from this latest jeep safari incident to help prevent others from suffering in future.” Philip Banks - Partner

Siriol Roe’s husband Perry was killed in 2006 when a jeep they were travelling in with their two children on a Turkish excursion overturned after it swerved off a country road. The family had booked the sight-seeing trip through a local travel firm.

Siriol 48, from Ottery St Mary, in Devon, said: “The publicity leaflets we saw were professional and advertised that the company was fully insured. We felt that an organised tourist trip where we travelled in convoy with guides was a safe option but the driver was young and seemed inexperienced – he drove dangerously and at high speed.

“The driver tried to overtake another jeep and lost control of our vehicle which swerved off the road and landed upside down. Most of the passengers were thrown from the vehicle and I was knocked unconscious. Both my children were badly injured and Perry died at the scene.”

Siriol suffered multiple fractures and a ruptured spleen and the whole family has battled with the psychological trauma since the incident.

She added: “Turkey is a beautiful country and understandably very popular with Tourists. However, their standards of health and safety are very different to those in Europe and road safety is particularly poor.”

“It’s heart-breaking to hear about the latest incident and I feel for the families involved. It’s just so frustrating that all these years after our accident it is still happening to others. There needs to be some sort of system to help people understand what they are booking and to let tourists know about the safety record of companies abroad.”

Irwin Mitchell client Gagandeep Singh, 35, from Feltham, Middlesex, was also involved in a fatal jeep crash whilst on holiday in Turkey in 2008 with his wife Jasmail.

Gagandeep said:  “We were travelling down a road and, all of a sudden, the driver swerved to avoid a parked truck. But he swerved too late and the back of the jeep hit the truck causing an accident. I was taken to the local hospital and I had broken my nose, fractured my jaw and cheekbone and also broken several teeth. 

“I had to have an operation to have my jaw wired in Turkey and I was then flown back to the UK. It was so sad to learn that two holidaymakers were killed in the accident we were involved in and it must also be devastating for the families of those who have been killed in the latest crash. More needs to be done to stop this from happening again.”

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in Accidents Abroad Claims.