Beryl Rushton paid £700.00 for a five star Christmas break in December 2001 at the Tropical Beach resort in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. After a second mouthful of a snapper fish steak, the holidaymaker was stunned to discover a large bloodied black worm in the centre of her meal which left her feeling sick, leading to an early night.
Unfortunately the situation worsened as she began to suffer severe stomach cramps in the night followed by four days of vomiting and diarrhoea. She was eventually admitted to Blackburn Royal Infirmary’s “high dependency unit” upon her return to Britain where she was diagnosed with septicaemia, eventually leaving her with permanent bone damage and ongoing disabilities.
The case was described as “extreme” compared to the majority of holiday illness cases, of which many have originated from the Dominican Republic where around 200,000 Britons travel to a year according to the reports statistics.
Personal injuries suffered abroad are not uncommon, and there is legislation in place to ensure that the victims of negligence abroad are awarded the compensation they are entitled to.
Personal injury law differs across countries globally given variances in the law, and the majority of cases are not directed against the offending establishment from which the injury originates from.
The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 allows a victim of negligence abroad to claim for compensation against the tour operator / package provider, who have a duty of care to ensure that any service they provide as part of their package does not result in injury or suffering sustained by a customer.
A lot of cases are initially refuted by the tour operators / package providers who in many instances argue that every precautionary measure is taken to ensure a service provided through a third party as part of the package is vetted appropriately. With this in mind, it is essential that you know who to instruct and ensure that you pick the right injury lawyer for you, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer an injury from an incident abroad.
For more information, please see www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk/accidents-abroad-claims