£13,800 awarded following Legionnaires disease

A claimant was awarded £13,800 at Manchester County Court for various injuries which included Legionnaires' disease and subsequently MRSA.

Injury Details

The claimant was on holiday at a hotel in Egypt when he contracted Legionnaires' disease.

The claimant began to feel unwell 11 days into a two-week holiday and his condition progressively deteriorated. The claimant's symptoms included shivering, tiredness and breathlessness.

When the claimant returned to the United Kingdom he was admitted as an emergency to his local hospital. His symptoms worsened and the claimant contracted pneumonia. Further complications then set in. The claimant developed chest pain and then tachycardia. He went on to contract MRSA at the hospital and then developed a secondary hospital acquired pneumonia.

In total, the claimant was in hospital for a month. When he was discharged. the claimant was mobile but still had significant breathlessness.

The claimant did have a pre-existing condition, specifically angina, and an expert in the case stated that his breathlessness was partly due to the pneumonia and partly due to the pre-existing heart disease. After around a year, the breathlessness which was linked to the pneumonia resolved.

The claimant also put on weight, and it was alleged that this was the result of his injuries and that it negatively impacted the quality of his life. The claimant also stated that the pneumonia made him feel tired and led to some memory loss.

Allegation

The claimant alleged that the tour operator was negligent in that the appropriate standards were not met at the hotel where he was staying in Egypt.

The claimant alleged that this negligence led to him contracting Legionnaires' disease and subsequently MRSA and the other injuries.

Conclusion and Settlement

The claimant who was 67 at the time of the accident was awarded £13,800 in general damages in respect of the injuries to include Legionnaires disease, severe bi-lateral pneumonia, the contraction of MRSA and secondary hospital acquired pneumonia, breathlessness, lack of energy and memory impairment.