Hudgell Solicitors’ holiday illness compensation claims specialists have been contacted by a number of families who claim to have been taken ill whilst staying at the Hotel Playa Pesquero in Cuba this summer – including members of a large wedding party.
Holidaymakers, who travelled on package holidays through Thomas Cook, have complained of falling severely ill with diarrhoea, sickness and stomach cramps at the five-star venue.
It has seen many take to review site TripAdvisor to detail their disappointment, saying they spent the majority of their holidays battling illness. Widespread sickness has been alleged at various times during the summer, as have cases of food poisoning.
The hotel has responded to all claims on the review site, pointing to ‘traveller’s diarrhoea’ as a cause and alleging some clients fail to follow hygiene measures in place.
The matter has led to coverage in the national media, with Thomas Cook issuing statements to newspapers confirming it has been made aware of illness reports from customers staying at the hotel, a situation it says it has ‘monitored closely’.
Hudgell Solicitors instructed by holidaymakers taken ill at hotel
Our team at Hudgell Solicitors have been contacted by a number of people who say they suffered from similar illnesses, including 10 members of a wedding party who stayed at the hotel this April.
Of this party, four members, including the bride, groom and best man, have since been told by doctors that their illness was caused by Salmonella poisoning, which is obviously a matter of great concern and something we wish to investigate further.
The bride was one of the worst in terms of illness as she had to have an ambulance waiting at the airport on her return home, having been taken very ill on the airplane.
She was carried from the plane by paramedics, taken to hospital and immediately placed on a drip – not the ideal ending to any holiday, never mind your own wedding, and no doubt a frightening experience for all who travelled with her.
We feel that serious questions must be asked, especially given a number of people have confirmed cases of Salmonella poisoning, and the hygiene concerns a number of people have highlighted to us from their time at the hotel.
Salmonella infection is usually caused by eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs or egg products, and it is an infection commonly carried by birds.
It is clear that the bride in particular was seriously ill, and as Salmonella infections can be so dehydrating, life-threatening complications can develop. This was obviously a very serious illness and a dangerous situation on their journey home.
We are aware of many other holidaymakers describing similar experiences of illness on platforms such as TripAdvisor, and given we have been contacted by people throughout this year, we are looking to establish whether there has been a longer term problem.
This was obviously a very distressing time for our clients, particularly the bride and groom given it was their wedding.
However, it was also a highly anticipated and expensive holiday for all guests.
When holidays are ruined by their illness or injury, and hotels are found to have failed to meet basic standards of safety, it is only right that people are full compensated for their suffering and loss by making an illness or injury on holiday claim.