Julian Hurley, 50, from Doncaster, whose honeymoon was ruined when he contracted a potentially fatal illness has been awarded nearly £300,000 by tour operator First Choice after he was diagnosed with a form of dysentery caused from eating "poor-standard" food at an all-inclusive hotel in Venezuela in August 2004.
Hurley, who was admitted to hospital for five days on his return to the UK and still suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress and chronic fatigue syndrome some five years later, has now received £286,500 after the company admitted liability for his illness.
Hurley, who was represented by law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: "The impact that this hellish holiday has had on our lives has been devastating. I now struggle to walk long distances and find myself getting tired easily. I am still suffering from symptoms to this day and will do for the rest of my life which has been very difficult to come to terms with."
"I also had to reduce the number of hours I could go to work and, to this day, I have not returned to my pre-holiday working pattern. This has impacted on my relationship with my wife as, instead of me being the main breadwinner, she is. She now has to look after me, rather than the other way around.
A spokeswoman for the holiday company said: "First Choice was very concerned to hear about Mr Hurley's illness while staying at the Costa Caribe Beach Hotel in Margarita in August 2004.
"We would like to reassure our customers that their health and safety is of paramount importance."
Source: CPD Webinars
