Kent teacher awarded £130,000 after holiday heart attack

After suffering a heart attack from holiday food poisoning, a Kent teacher has received a settlement of £130,000.
After falling ill with severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea during a family holiday to Sicily in 2002, the 48 year old teacher was taken to hospital with chest pains, and later suffered a heart attack.

He went on to suffer major health and mental problems, and was unable to return to work, retiring early. Originally from Kent, the claimant moved to Malaga, Spain, as he could not afford to continue living in the UK.
He said:-´Instead of enjoying a relaxing break with my family and returning feeling fit and refreshed, my life has been turned upside down. I cannot believe the devastating effect that this illness has had on my life. It's been a horrendous five years. Before contracting salmonella I was fighting fit and had completed the London Marathon three times. Now I am constantly worried about my health and I am not really the same person I was before the illness.´
The compensation claim

The claim was settled against travel company, JMC, after it first refused to pay compensation for illness staying at the family's stay at the Hotel Antares. The settlement helped pay off debts built up since the man's illness and would help replace loss of earnings.
Poor hygiene in holiday hotels and at home can result in serious gastric illness, which can culminate in heart attacks or even death. A spokesman for Thomas Cook, owner of JMC said:-´As a responsible tour operator, the health and safety of our customers is always of paramount concern and the company was naturally concerned to hear about this gentleman's condition. The company would, however like to stress that this was an isolated case and that we received no other complaints from guests.´

The BBC news website covered the following story which relate to Personal Injury, Holiday Accidents and Illness, Road Traffic Accidents and Accidents in the workplace.

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