A woman whose holiday was ruined by a salmonella infection has won £22,000 in damages.
Stacey Sewell, 32, was on an all inclusive package holiday with her family at a four star hotel in Gran Canaria when she contracted the bug. The symptoms can be severe and include vomiting, headaches, stomach cramps and fever. As a result of the infection, she spent almost the entire holiday in bed and when she returned home, she had to be admitted to hospital and was put on a drip for four days.
The former care worker had a pre-existing bowel condition, colitis, which was exacerbated by the salmonella infection and, over the following year, she experienced worse symptoms than before.
When her colitis eventually improved, Mrs Sewell continued to suffer the after effects of the salmonella infection. She had to give up work and was later diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). She may eventually need to have her bowel removed in order to control the colitis, but this course of action would not alleviate the troublesome side effects of IBS.
Mrs Sewell brought a personal injury claim against the tour operator, Thomas Cook, which admitted liability and agreed to settle the claim for £22,000.
If you have had your holiday ruined by illness and wish to claim compensation from the tour operator, you will need to demonstrate that the resort they have contracted themselves to is the source of the sickness and that there was a failure to exercise reasonable care to prevent the infection or contamination.
Contact us as soon as possible for advice on how to proceed.