Hotel food poisoning claims and the law
We deal with hotel food poisoning claims both here in the UK and abroad, and have recovered substantial compensation for our clients.
In one particularly serious case we secured a significant compensation payment for a man from Leicestershire who was taken ill while staying at the 5-star Dreams resort in Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt.
Our client contracted Salmonella Paratyphoid while staying at the hotel. It is a very serious illness and can be fatal if not treated correctly. He was so ill that he had to be airlifted back to England. However, his condition worsened during the flight home and unfortunately he suffered two heart attacks while in transit.
We took on his food poisoning claim and agreed to work on a No Win, No Fee basis.
The man had booked his holiday in Egypt through Thomsons, and we therefore directed the compensation against them. This is because under English law tour operators selling package tours are legally responsible for hygiene at the hotels they send their customers to.
Thomsons initially denied legal liability, so we commenced court proceedings against the company. Thomsons backed down before the case got to trial and we reached an out of court compensation settlement with them.
Hotel food poisoning claims against businesses here in the UK are governed by the Food Safety Act 1990 which regulates how food should be handled, stored and sold. The legislation requires hotels to take reasonable precautions to avoid food poisoning and if they do not do so then they can be sued by anyone suffering illness as a consequence.
As specialist solicitors the greatest hurdle we face when dealing with hotel food poisoning claims is proving what caused the poisoning and in order to do so it is important not to delay the investigation. So if you have been the victim of food poisoning at a hotel or restaurant we would recommend that you contact us immediately so that we can obtain the required evidence before it is lost.
We specialise in hotel injury claims. For expert guidance on making a hotel food poisoning claim contact our helpline for a free case assessment. Call 0333 888 0408 or send an email to us at info@sleeblackwell.co.uk
