Travel Experts Launch Investigation Following Legionnaires’ Disease Diagnosis

Travel law specialists at Irwin Mitchell have launched an investigation into the cause of a holidaymaker’s illness following a stay at an Italian Hotel.

Michael Scott was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease and was admitted to intensive care for several days after a romantic four-day break with his wife at the three-star Hotel Verona in Rome, Italy, to celebrate Michael’s birthday and their 25^th wedding anniversary, through Jet2 Holidays Ltd.

The couple, from Inverness, flew to Rome in June 2014 for a short break, but after returning to the UK, Michael began suffering with shortness of breath and kidney pain.

The 46-year-old was initially diagnosed with a kidney infection but his condition continued to deteriorate and he was admitted to intensive care at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness where medics conducted tests which indicated Legionellosis, which was affecting both of his lungs.

Michael was discharged a few days later and has since had to have counselling to help him come to terms with the emotional trauma caused by his illness.

Michael, who is employed by Highland Council in their community works department, still suffers from a shortness of breath on exertion and reduced stamina as a result of his illness. He has had to have time off work because of his illness and was initially only able to return to work on a phased basis with reduced hours.

The disease has had such an impact on Michael that he has instructed specialist international travel lawyers to launch an investigation to try and determine how and why he ended up falling so ill.

Michael told his legal team that the “old and dated” looking air conditioning unit in their hotel room was not working properly and had water dripping from it.

He also said the shower facilities were not clean and the bed sheets were not cleaned during their stay.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious lung infection caused by Legionella bacteria and it is usually caught by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water.

The couple claim that a French holidaymaker, who was also a guest at the hotel in September 2014, had been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease following his stay.

Clare Pearson, a specialist International Personal Injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Michael, said:

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“Cases like this, where Michael has ended up very ill and being admitted to an intensive care unit, needing counselling to cope with the psychological impact, missed months of work and is still suffering long term side effects of this illness, show just how serious an issue Legionnaires’ disease is.

“We are committed to undertaking a thorough investigation as to the cause of Michael’s illness following his stay at the hotel to determine whether it was the source of the bacteria which has had such a devastating impact on Michael’s life.” Clare Pearson - Legal Executive & Associate

Michael said: “When we booked this holiday it was to celebrate our 25^th anniversary and my birthday and a lot of thought and planning went into the trip. Now we look back and remember that trip for all the wrong reasons. No holiday should result in you ending up being ill in the way that I was.

“When you book a package holiday you put your trust in the tour operator to make your health and wellbeing a priority.

“It’s really important for me to find out what exactly caused me to fall so ill, so that if there have been any failings these can be addressed in the hope of preventing anyone else suffering in the way I have.”