£12,500.00 compensation for a hospital-acquired infection

In 2011 a 67 year old man was awarded £12,500.00 by the Manchester County Court having amongst other symptoms contracted MRSA whilst in hospital.

Injury details

Whilst on holiday in Egypt a 67 year old man had contracted Legionnaires disease. 3 days before he was returning home having gone on a 2 week holiday he started to feel unwell. In particular he became very lethargic, felt cold, tired, sickly and was having more and more problem getting his breath.

When he got back to this country he went to hospital and was admitted straight away. Things got worse very quickly and he developed bilateral pneumonia. He also contracted MRSA which is a secondary hospital acquired pneumonia.

A month later he left the hospital although he did still have problems with his breathing and medical evidence was that half of the problem of his breathlessness in the year after the infection was due to the pneumonia but the other half was due to the fact that he had for quite a while before this event been suffering from angina.

He lost weight and this generally affected his lifestyle.

Allegation

The allegation against the tour company was that they had not complied with their common law duty and their obligations under the Package Tour Regulations to ensure that the hotel that he stayed at in Egypt would not cause any of the medical problems that he developed.

Conclusion and settlement

The claimant instructed solicitors to sue the tour operator and after a Trial the Judge awarded him £12,500.00 for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity along with a further sum for the loss of enjoyment of the holiday.

Disclaimer

Case studies are for informational purposes only and aim to help prospective claimants understand the injury claim process. They are based on cases handled by Quittance panel solicitors or sourced from public court records.