£3,750 awarded after food poisoning on cruise ship | Case Study

Compensation of £3,750 was awarded to a 38 year-old woman for a cruise ship illness claim. The claimant contracted salmonella poisoning while on a cruise ship holiday three years earlier.

Injury details

The claimant booked a cruise liner holiday to the Nile. Within 48 hours of arriving she began to feel ill. She suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea. Her abdomen started cramping and she fainted on one occasion.

She was diagnosed as suffering from salmonella poisoning and medical staff on the ship gave her some emergency treatment.

As soon as the claimant got back to England she was admitted to hospital as an emergency. For three days she was given intravenous fluids. Antibiotics were also administered intravenously for five days. She was discharged six days later after treatment.

The claimant was still suffering symptoms six weeks later. These included abdominal cramps, a bloating sensation and general fatigue. She was unable to work for a period of three weeks.

The symptoms persisted for a further eight to twelve weeks before then becoming intermittent. During this time the claimant was pregnant and suffered with anxiety that the infection may cause harm to her baby. Her pregnancy was not affected by the illness.

The claimant recovered completely twenty eight months after the illness began.

Allegation

It was alleged the defendant was negligent insofar as they failed to provide a safe environment for the claimant on holiday. As a result the claimant suffered with salmonella poisoning.

The claimant required emergency treatment both at home and abroad.

Her symptoms persisted for over two years before recovering completely.

Conclusion and settlement

Liability was not admitted and the matter progressed to a Court hearing where the Court found in favour of the claimant.

Compensation of £3,750 was accepted by way of a Court award.

The entirety of the damages was attributed to "pain, suffering and loss of amenity."

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.