A hero holidaymaker has been awarded £9,000 compensation in an accident abroad claim after cutting his foot on broken pool tiles when he jumped in to help a struggling child.
The father, who had travelled to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands on an easyJet package holiday, was with his family at the hotel pool when he saw a young girl getting into difficulty in the water.
After jumping in and carrying the child to her mother who was holding a baby, he then noticed “a river of blood” coming from his foot.
When I jumped in and cut myself I didn’t feel anything at first as it must have been the adrenalin kicking-in, but when I lifted my foot out there was just so much blood.
The man, who had travelled from Bristol Airport to the Oasis Dunas resort for the 7-day break, was attended to by two hotel lifeguards who brought a first-aid kit.
“Well, I bandaged my foot myself and it was obvious that I was going to need stitches,” he said.
Arrange a call back
The injury was officially reported
The hotel reception recommended a local clinic where he required 14 stitches to his foot and he was also prescribed antibiotics and painkillers, he also had to limp around for the remainder of the trip.
The injury was officially reported to the hotel in a written report and the man’s wife called the easyJet customer support team. He recalled.
Hotels and travel companies really should look after their guests, but this didn’t really happen. There was no follow-up to ask how I was.
I teach scuba diving and there was no preventative maintenance on that pool, people were getting in and they couldn’t see what was under the water. It’s neglect and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. These sorts of things need to be prevented for the sake of other families.
After returning home to the UK following the summer holiday in 2022, the man received a tetanus jab at his local NHS clinic and his stitches were later removed but the wound took months to heal and remains painful.
After contacting Hudgell Solicitors he was represented by Anne Thomson, an expert in accident and injury abroad compensation claims.
“It was clear that the holiday provider had failed in its duty of care to my client,” she said.
This was a nasty cut that ruined his and his family’s holiday, and it could have been prevented.
We alleged that easyJet Holidays was negligent as they had failed to ensure the swimming pool was adequately maintained. The pool was not only defective it was also a dangerous hazard.
I’m pleased that the travel firm acknowledged that and agreed damages.
In an out-of-court settlement easyJet Holidays agreed to pay compensation of £9,000 for the father’s injuries and the loss of enjoyment of the family holiday.
We had a great experience with Anne representing us and it was really worth being patient; we were all happy with the outcome.
Common failings
Hotels and resorts have a duty of care to safeguard guests against accidents and injuries. You maybe able to claim for minor slips on wet or defective surfaces to drowning if the pool was unattended.
The common failings we see are:
- Lack of safety signage in and around the pool.
- Damaged and missing tiles in and surrounding the pool area.
- Defective or broken drainage systems / grids around the pool.
No matter what the circumstances of your accident or injury our solicitors can advise on your eligibility to pursue a claim.
Learn more: Experts in Swimming Pool Accidents Abroad
