Concerns Raised Regarding Bulgarian Holiday Resort

The family of a nine-year-old boy from Swansea who was hospitalised with E.coli shortly after returning from a stay at a Bulgarian holiday resort have called on lawyers to help them gain answers regarding his illness.

Keegan-Rhys Vickers developed symptoms including sickness and diarrhoea days into his two-week break at the four-star Hotel Marvel Sunny Beach resort.

The illness proved so severe that the symptoms persisted on his return home.  Keegan-Rhys was admitted to hospital for specialist treatment. Following tests, it was confirmed that he was suffering from E.coli.

Keegan-Rhys’s mum Natalie Bennett, 37, and dad Carl Vickers, 40, have instructed Irwin Mitchell’s specialist International Personal Injury team to investigate how their son developed the illness.

The legal experts have vast experience of providing advice and support to thousands of people who have suffered injury and illness during holidays, helping them to access vital financial support to aid their recovery in the process. The team has recovered millions of pounds in compensation from tour operators, including representing over 600 holidaymakers who were affected by illness at the Holiday Village Hotel in Turkey, and over 1,000 people who fell ill following holidays at the Bahia Principe in the Dominican Republic. The firm also notably acts for over 50 holidaymakers who suffered illness at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel, Egypt.

Expert Opinion

“The family are understandably frustrated by everything they have been through and remain very concerned by the problems faced by young Keegan-Rhys.

Through our work, we have seen first-hand on many occasions how serious E.coli can be and we feel that the issues Keegan-Rhys faced cannot be downplayed.

We are determined to help the family gain the answers we feel they deserve regarding what they have been through. If any hygiene issues are identified it is important that lessons are learned to prevent others having their holiday ruined by similar issues.”
Jatinder Paul - Partner

Keegan-Rhys and his family’s stay at the Hotel Marvel Sunny Beach was booked through Balkan Holidays and began on 10 August 2019.  His illness problems started to emerge five days later.

Natalie recalls: “It was absolutely awful and really difficult to see Keegan-Rhys struggling so much. We hoped it would just pass, however his illness seemed to get even worse by the time we were home so we knew he needed hospital treatment.

No parent should have to see their child struggle in such a way and I was stunned when the illness was confirmed as E.coli. When you go on holiday you never expect something like that to happen.”

She added: “We had noticed some issues at the resort, with some of the food being cold and seemingly undercooked. The swimming pool also did not always seem like the cleanest, while there were cracked tiles and mould in our bathroom too.

We are upset and frustrated at how things turned out. Keegan-Rhys should not have had to go through that. We want answers as to how this could have happened, as we would not want other families to have their holidays ruined as we did.”

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