Personal Injury Solicitors

A young family whose baby ended up in hospital on a drip after contracting food poisoning on a package holiday has been offered just £130 as a “goodwill gesture” by tour operator Thomson.

The Daily Mail reports that James Todd and Helen Bell from Walker near Newcastle were staying with their 17-month-old daughter Brooke at the all-inclusive Grupotel Mar de Menorca at the resort Cala Canutells when the toddler fell ill.

The couple say they complained from the first day of their holiday about poor hygiene and food preparation at the hotel – including catering staff using the same utensils to cook and serve raw and cooked meat.

Food was also served undercooked, the couple say.

They told their holiday representative in resort, but no action was taken until their daughter fell ill. The couple sat up with her all night before taking her to hospital the next morning

Brooke was placed on three different drips to treat severe bouts of sickness and diarrhoea – but medics at first struggled to find a suitable vein to attach the drips to. The toddler was screaming in pain and terror at what was happening to her, the couple say.

Mr Todd said that after their experience, chefs at the hotel began to use gloves for serving food – and also began to use different utensils. He told the Daily Mail:

“The food was not cooked properly and I was constantly complaining to the rep – the chefs were using the same utensils on raw meat and then moving the cooked meat about and serving it to customers.

“The holiday went from bad to disastrous when Helen woke up just before midnight and found Brooke face down choking in her cot. We were up all night with diarrhoea and vomiting and took her to hospital the following morning.

“She was taken into a room and doctors tried several times to find a vein. She was frightened and screaming and did not know what was going on.

“After what seemed a lifetime in hospital and being on three different drip bags, our little girl was allowed to leave – but we were told to see her own doctor when we got home.”
Mr Todd says the family has been traumatised by the holiday – and his partner is now scared to go to sleep in case their daughter chokes again. Mr Todd added that he finds it difficult to sleep and wakes after having nightmares.

He added that some of the facilities promised in the brochure were also not available at the hotel.

The family is now seeking a full refund on the £1,200 “nightmare” holiday – as well as out-of-pocket expenses for having to pay to eat out in the resort after Brooke’s illness.

Thomson has offered the couple £130 as a final settlement. A spokesman for the tour operator said the couple’s complaints were being investigated.

Duncan Lewis Holiday Food Poisoning Solicitors

Duncan Lewis holiday food poisoning solicitors can advise holidaymakers who fall ill on package holidays as a result of negligence on how to make no win no fee Holiday Accident & Illness Claims.

Holiday food poisoning claims fall under the area of law known as personal injury – personal injury claimants usually have three years from the date of illness or injury in which to make a compensation claim.

Children have until the age of 21 to make a Holiday Food Poisoning Claim, or parents or guardians can help a child make a claim by acting as their Litigation Friend – your Duncan Lewis holiday claims solicitor will be able to explain more about this.

For expert legal advice on no win no fee Holiday Food Poisoning Claims, contact Duncan Lewis solicitors for a free initial assessment of your claim on 020 7923 4020.