Irwin Mitchell ‘Concerned’ After Being Instructed Once Again Regarding Turkish Resort

The parents of a toddler who developed E.Coli while the family was on holiday at the Holiday Village Turkey in Sarigerme have instructed specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who have successfully represented hundreds of holidaymakers affected by illness problems at the Turkish resort.

Sophie Hogg, 29, from Brighton, has revealed how her holiday at the resort in July with her partner Nicholas, 32, and their children Mia, five, and Olivia, who is 18 months, was ruined when the latter developed severe diarrhoea that lasted for more than a week.

Upon their return to the UK and with the symptoms persisting, she took Olivia to their family GP and following tests it was confirmed that she had developed E.Coli, a gastric illness which can have debilitating symptoms, especially for children and the elderly.

The family have now instructed legal experts in Irwin Mitchell’s International Personal Injury team to investigate what they endured during the holiday booked through TUI UK Limited.

The specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have vast experience in securing justice for holidaymakers who have suffered injury or illness abroad and this case marks just the latest occasion that they have been contacted for help regarding the Holiday Village Turkey resort. As well as successfully representing holidaymakers affected by issues at the site in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014, the lawyers notably secured £1.7 million for around 600 people who suffered serious illness including E.Coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter at the resort in 2009.

Expert Opinion

“We are hugely concerned about the issues that our clients have faced and are already working to investigate their experiences.

“Sadly however, their case is yet another instance where we have been contacted regarding the Holiday Village Turkey and this in itself is very worrying. This resort’s name has emerged too many times down the years and it is absolutely vital that, where possible, steps are taken to learn lessons from cases like this when holidaymakers have been affected by serious illness. Although the latest case is still in the investigation phase it begs the question of whether lessons have been learned.

“Gastric illnesses like E.Coli can have a significant impact on victims, particularly the elderly and children, so the seriousness of this issue cannot be underestimated.” Amandeep Dhillon - Partner

Sophie and her family’s stay at the Holiday Village Turkey started on July 2nd and she herself started to develop stomach cramps and diarrhoea two days in. Around 48 hours later Olivia then started to suffer from similar symptoms.

Sophie said: “While I was not in a good way, we were all just so worried about Olivia. It was awful to see how the illness affected her – no parent should have to see their child in such a state.

“We hoped everything would subside by the time we got home but the symptoms just went nowhere – that’s when we knew we had to go to see our GP. While my tests came back negative, we were told Olivia had E.Coli.

“While initially we were completely focused on ensuring she got better, now we are simply angry. To see our daughter suffer like that was horrendous and we just want some answers regarding what we have been through. Nothing will change what has happened, but we hope that taking this action will ensure no other child goes through what Olivia has.”

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling holiday illness cases.