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14 June 2005

£28,000 payout for injured Swansea holidaymaker

Injured on Package Holiday

Malcolm Jones, a 53 year old retired Fire Fighter from Ystradgynlais, has won £28,000 compensation at Swansea County Court following a "holiday from hell" in Spain.

Mr Jones, who took his case for compensation to court with the support of the Fire Brigades Union, had booked a package holiday to the Hotel Negresco Princess, in Costa Dorada with the high street travel agents Thomsons.

When Mr Jones and his family arrived at the hotel, they were shown to a cramped room with two single beds and a folding camp bed wedged between them.

Despite Mr Jones's complaints to the hotel about the camp bed which was clearly no good for a 5' 8" strapping Fire Fighter, they refused to move the family to another room or provide an alternative bed.

Accident resulted in Back Injury

To get in and out of the bed, Mr Jones had to sit on the bed and shuffle up and down the length of it. As he was attempting to get off the bed, it collapsed beneath him causing him to crash down through the broken slats onto the floor below. He suffered a serious back injury, ruining the holiday and keeping him out of the fire service for many months.

The holiday company fought the case all the way to trial at Swansea County Court arguing that they weren't liable for Mr Jones's painful injuries. The Judge rejected their defence and in his judgment said that they had failed to exercise "reasonable skill and care" in the supply of the bed. The Judge also accepted Mr Jones's description of how painful the injury had been and awarded him damages of £28,000.

Mr Jones said of his victory: "I just couldn't understand why the hotel didn't listen when I complained. I was so angry when I was injured. The accident was completely avoidable and I ended up in severe pain as a result. I'm very lucky that I had my union's backing because they provided legal cover for me and my family through their specialist personal injury solicitors, Thompsons. I couldn't have taken this case on without them."

Notes for editors

Mr Jones is willing to be interviewed and can be contacted through Catherine Cladingbowl at Thompsons Solicitors 0778 9546 890.

Compensation Claim Advice

If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident which was someone else's fault, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.

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Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have. If you do have a valid personal injury compensation claim and you decide to instruct Thompsons Solicitors to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.