food poisoning and illnesses

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free initial consultation

no win, no fee

If you enter into a ‘no win no fee’ agreement, there is no cost to you in perusing the claim, win or lose.

Illnesses contracted on holiday are most often gastric illnesses. If your illness was caused by poor hygiene or food handling by an airline, cruise ship, hotel, or other holiday provider, we can help you make a compensation claim.

Blake Lapthorn’s experience, and our foreign language abilities, together with our network of overseas agents, will significantly improve the chance of success for your claim for illness.

what types of illnesses are claimed for?

Gastric illnesses which cause diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, fever, headaches and weight loss are common causes of compensation claims. For example:

food poisoning caused by bacterial infections such as e-coli, salmonella or campylobacteriosis
waterborne gastric disease including parasitic infections such as giardiasis
viral infections such as rota virus, and the norwalk virus group
norovirus (winter vomiting virus or Norwalk-like virus) is a common illness contracted on board a cruise due to the confined living space and the robust nature of the virus. It is spread through touch generally due to poor hand washing and sanitation. It causes sickness and diarrhoea
many outbreaks such as these can be caused by poor sanitation or lead back to food contamination and often lead to successful compensation for the personal injury sustained. If you have suffered illness whilst on holiday or on a cruise you may be able to claim compensation for the injuries that you have suffered

Sometimes the longer-term effect of gastric illness can be irritable bowel syndrome for which claims can also be made.

There are other types of illness that may be contracted on holiday too - such as Legionnaires disease which can be transmitted via air conditioning systems.

where can my claim be brought?

Our advice on the best location for your claim draws on our wide experience. It is usually best to bring a claim in the UK to obtain the best level of compensation. If you were on a package holiday, the law allows you to claim against your tour operator in the country where it is based – this is likely to be the UK.

However, for holidays that were not part of a package, the claim may have to be brought abroad where we are familiar with the different rules on compensation, costs, and evidence, and can give you the best advice.

how quickly should I claim?

Contact us as soon as possible, taking advantage of our free initial consultation. Time limits will apply to your claim. If your holiday was a package holiday, the claim must be within three years, but claims outside the UK can have time limits as short as one year.

funding your claim – the best option for you

We will discuss all funding options with you, most personal injury claims can be persued at no cost to you. You may have legal expenses insurance on your travel insurance, house insurance, or on your car insurance. Trade union membership sometimes includes legal expenses insurance. Alternatively, your claim may be eligible for our ‘no win no fee’ arrangement.

case studies

Please click here for foreign and holiday accidents case studies.

For further information, please contact Daniel Scognamiglio in the Travel team by telephone 023 8085 7423 or email daniel.scognamiglio@bllaw.co.uk