Legal News

A throat cancer patient who booked a cruise to recover from cancer treatment was confined to his cabin after developing symptoms of holiday sickness and diarrhoea.

The Daily Mail reports that 53-year-old Robert Keywood from Mexborough in South Yorkshire had undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy when he and his wife decided to book the cruise on board Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth cruise liner in April 2014.

The ship was sailing from Singapore to Dubai on a ten-day cruise.

However, Mr Keywood – a steel engineer – fell ill with symptoms which included stomach cramps, fever, diarrhoea, lack of appetite and lethargy.

Mr Keywood and his wife Verena allege that food on board the Queen Elizabeth was served “lukewarm” – and fruit served was not always fresh.

The couple say that water in the swimming pool looked dirty – and public lavatories on board would not always flush properly.

Mr Keywood added that in the ship’s dining rooms, water dripped from the ceiling – and staff used buckets to catch it.

“This was meant to be a holiday where my wife and I could relax and take it easy,” Mr Keywood said.

“I had been having treatment for throat cancer and we just wanted to get away and enjoy ourselves – we were very disappointed to see that the conditions were well below the standard we expected.

‘You just don’t expect to get ill when you’re booking a holiday – the cruise was only for ten days, but I spent most of it being ill and feeling weak and was still not feeling right when we returned home.”

Mr Keywood claims that the ship’s captain announced that 80 passengers on board the cruise liner had fallen ill with symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea.

Mr and Mrs Keywood are now considering legal action for compensation for their ruined holiday.

A spokesman for Cunard told the Mail:

“Norovirus is the most common cause of stomach bugs in England and Wales – and according to Public Heath England, outbreaks are common in semi-enclosed environments such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, restaurants and hotels.

“All our ships have stringent ongoing cleaning and hygiene policies in place as part of normal operations – and if there is an occurrence of illness on board, we then implement comprehensive disinfection protocols, developed in conjunction with UK and international health authorities.

“We confirm we have been contacted by Mr Keywood’s legal advisors and we have provided our response, but we cannot comment further on individual cases.”

Mr Keywood’s legal team said that Cunard had denied liability for his illness on board the Queen Elizabeth and added:

“The exact cause of the illness Mr Keywood suffered – and whether it was contracted on board the ship has not yet been established; and we are now supporting him in his quest for answers as to what caused him to fall ill.

“As part of this investigation, we will seek to determine whether more could and should have been done to prevent Mr Keywood from becoming ill.”

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors – No win no fee Holiday Illness and Accidents Claims

Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors can advise holidaymakers who become ill or suffer injury on package holidays as a result of negligence on how to make a no win no fee claim for holiday illness or holiday accident compensation.

Personal injury claimants have three years from the date of illness, diagnosis of illness or date of injury in a holiday accident in which to claim.

Claims can be made under the Package Travel Regulations, as well as the Montreal Convention or the Athens Convention for holiday illness or accidents on board aircraft or on board ships at sea.

Children can make claims for holiday illness or holiday accident compensation up to the age of 21.

For expert legal advice on no win no fee Holiday Illness and Accident Claims, call Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors on 020 7923 4020.