If you have ever had the misfortune of contracting food poisoning, you will understand that it’s symptoms can be severely distressing and debilitating.

Our expert team at Ten Legal Solicitors often assist our clients in pursuing compensation claims for food poisoning on holiday. Using our holiday claims and food poisoning compensation expertise, we can help our clients get the recompense they deserve.

Case Study for Holiday Illness Claim

We recently settled a holiday food poisoning claim of £12,000 for one of our clients, Mr Bingham following the contraction of Shigella Infection from food eaten at his hotel whilst on holiday in Cape Verde.

During his holiday in Cape Verde, our client was unfortunate enough to endure food poisoning from food eaten in the hotel restaurant.

After consultation with medical experts and Public Health England, it was determined that Mr Bingham was suffering from Shigella Infection. Our client did not go swimming whilst on holiday and did not eat any other food that could have been contaminated with shigella infection. From their examination, the medical experts tending to the case stated that the food poisoning had been caused by cheese served by the hotel at which Mr Bingham had stayed.

In this case, our client experienced severe symptoms caused by shigella Infection. The symptoms experienced include sickness and diarrhoea. However, our client was also left with elements of reactive arthritis because of the holiday illness. While this sickness spoiled his holiday, it also had further negative effects on his quality of life following his holiday due to the shigella induced reactive arthritis.

With the support of our expert legal team in Bury, we were able to help our client recover £12,000 in compensation for his holiday food poisoning claim.

What is Shigella Infection?

Shigella infection, otherwise known as shigellosis, is an intestinal disease caused by a family of bacteria named shigella. One of the main symptoms of shigella infection is severe diarrhoea with mucus or blood in the feces.

Causes of shigella infection

Shigella infection can be contracted in several ways. The first way in which shigella can be contracted is through direct contact with the bacteria in the stool. For instance, touching surfaces, such as baby changing tables, that are contaminated with germs from someone who has shigellosis.

Alternatively, someone may get shigella infection from swallowing recreational water whilst swimming or from eating food that is contaminated with shigella bacteria.

Shigella infection symptoms

People who are sick due to shigella infection will usually start experiencing symptoms 1 to 2 days after contact with the germ.

Symptoms of shigella infection include:

  • Diarrhoea which can be bloody
  • Fever
  • Stomach pain or cramps

Symptoms usually last 5 to 7 days. In some cases, individuals with shigella infection may experience symptoms for up to several weeks and it may take several months before bowel habits return to normal.

Complications with shigella infection

In most cases shigellosis will clear up without any complications. With that said, there are cases where individuals may experience complications. For example, around 2% of people infected with shigella will experience post-infectious reactive arthritis which can last for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis.

Some of the potential complications of shigella infection include:

  • Dehydration
  • Hemolytic uremic syndrome
  • Reactive Arthritis
  • Rectal prolapse
  • Seizures
  • Toxic megacolon

How Can Ten Legal help with holiday food poisoning claims?

While some people may suffer from minor food poisoning symptoms, others will experience severely debilitating effects that impact the rest of their lives. We are committed to helping people claim the compensation they are entitled to for food poisoning caused by the negligence of a restaurant, hotel, café or supermarket.

Claims for food poisoning could result in a potential compensation of £700 to £40,000+ depending on the severity of the illness. The lower awarded compensation for food poisoning would be for cases containing symptoms of cramping and diarrhoea that lasted for several weeks. Higher compensation payouts could be awarded to people who have experienced severe food poisoning that resulted in significant pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, irritable bowel syndrome, haemorrhoids, or lasting medical conditions. If you have been unable to work due to severe symptoms caused by food poisoning, you may also be able to claim the highest level of compensation.

Please contact our personal injury team to find out more about how our expert personal injury lawyers can help you gain compensation for food poisoning. You can call us on 0161 402 0213 or contact us online via our contact form for a free no-obligation consultation.