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Warning to Holidaymakers

Thursday 24th March, 2016

 

Warning to Holidaymakers of sickness and accidents abroad this summer

Summer is almost here and it’s time to start thinking about getting ready for summer holidays. Thousands of us will jet off abroad and most will have a good time without incident.  Unfortunately, though the consequences of having an accident or becoming unwell can be appalling.

Aidan Wilcox, head of international travel law at Aegis Legal Solicitors said people need to be aware that standards abroad are often not as high those we have come to expect in the UK.

 

Aidan Wilcox and his travel law team at Aegis Legal are representing thousands of holidaymakers who have had the misfortune of suffering illness caused by sickness bugs at various hotels, particularly all-inclusive packages, in a number of popular holiday destinations, including Mexico, Egypt, Dominican Republic, Tunisia and Turkey.

Aidan Wilcox said “I have handled literally thousands of cases of people who have had their holidays ruined due to illness caused by eating half cooked food from a hotel buffet or swimming in a contaminated pool. As well as people who have been injured in an accident during their holiday.  Some people have even ended up with serious medical conditions affecting their whole lives.”

 

In a lot of cases victims of illness are staying in hotels on an all-inclusive basis. They begin to feel unwell with stomach cramps, severe diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, high temperatures and have had to stay in bed.  Symptoms can last for most of the holiday and can continue when victims return home.

 

There are some steps people can take to stay safe whilst travelling abroad, watch out for food being undercooked, not served at the correct temperature and stored in uncovered trays.  Food can often be recycled from previous meals, reheated and served on more than one occasion.  Suitable refrigeration is often not provided at hotels and insects, birds and stray cats are seen around the food and bar areas.  Drinks served at hotel bars can be watered down or served with ice made with local tap water.  Salads and fruits, often thought to be a healthy and safe option may have been washed with contaminated water.

 

Aidan advises “If you do get ill or have an accident make sure you report it to the holiday rep; visit the doctor; keep a note of everything that happens and any poor hygiene practices and get photos or video evidence, if you can.”

 

Most people do not have any problems on holiday, but if you do, Aidan Wilcox advises people to seek legal advice as holiday companies often brush off complaints.

 

Aidan says that “with expert legal advice, holidaymakers can recover compensation for the pain, discomfort, sickness and loss of enjoyment of their holidays; refunds of money paid for the holiday and monies paid for treatment.  Whilst holiday companies do not like us pursuing claims against them, they make millions from holiday makers, knowing full well that they are sending them to hotels that will cause them to be ill.  As legal experts, we are on the side of holiday makers and want to ensure that victims of accidents and illness are fully recompensed for their ruined holiday – especially when many people can only afford one holiday a year.”

 

Aidan and his team at Aegis Legal can be contacted on 01565 872220 or visit www.aegislegal.co.uk

 

 


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