UK Pensioner makes Salmonella Claim after Holiday from Hell
26/04/2010
Palma Nova Palace, Majorca
A British pensioner has been left 'disillusioned and disappointed' after he suffered from an extreme bout of salmonella poisoning whilst on holiday at Palma Nova Palace in Majorca, turning his dream holiday into a nightmare when he had to be hooked up to a drip.
The ten day trip to the Palma Nova Palace in Majorca is described by 73-year-old Henry Stephenson as the worst holiday he's ever had.
Mr. Stephenson and his wife visited the resort in October 2009 but their holiday soon took a turn for the worse and the majority of the Mr. Stephenson's holiday was spent in bed as he struggled with severe gastric illness.
UK doctors confirmed the illness to be caused by Salmonella poisoning, which is believed to have been caused by the food at the Majorcan resort.
Mr. Stephenson is making a salmonella claim with the help of specialist travel lawyer Amandeep Dhillon, of law firm Irwin Mitchell, against tour operator Thomas Cook.
Mr. Stephenson, from County Durham, said: "It was, by far, the worst holiday we've ever had. We were just two pensioners in a foreign country – we thought we could trust a reputable company like Thomas Cook but they weren't helpful to us at all.
"I became very ill and was eventually put on a drip for dehydration – they gave me an injection to stop the sickness but even after that I was bedridden.
"I am disillusioned and disappointed to say the least with Thomas Cook, both by the lack of service given to us by the representative at the hotel and the information they gave us on how to get healthcare in an emergency was patchy at best."
Amandeep Dhillon added: "This is not the first time we have seen illness of this kind among UK tourists at this resort.
"You have to put yourselves in Mr Stephenson's shoes - he wanted a relaxing break and put his faith in the tour operator and the hotel staff to provide that. However, infected ridden food left him seriously ill in a foreign hospital, and he was forced to wait out the rest of his holiday in bed.
"Salmonella is far more dangerous - even potentially deadly - to the elderly and despite the acute illness suffered by Mr Stephenson it is a relief that nothing more serious happened.
"It is the responsibility of the tour operator to ensure that standards are maintained so that holidaymakers' health is not put at risk. We invite Thomas Cook to enter into early and constructive negotiations with us to enable the fair and prompt compensation of our clients."
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