Travel Experts’ Warning As Summer Holiday Deaths Highlight Turkey’s “Concerning” Health & Safety Record
Published date:
19 Aug 2010
Lawyers acting for the family of a man who died after the parasail he was using broke leaving him to plummet 150ft to the ground have urged holidaymakers bound for Turkey to exercise the utmost caution when booking trips and activities.
The warning from travel law experts at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors follows a string of fatal accidents this summer that have drawn attention to the country’s “concerning” record on safety standards.
The firm is appealing to tourists to be aware of the significantly increased risk involved when taking part in holiday activities at many destinations outside the EU, where firms are not subject to EU-level standards of regulation.
Linda Hudson (51) lost her husband Glen (50) on the 24th of July, when his harness snapped whilst he parasailed with daughter Emma (25), sending him falling 150 feet to the ground. The family had been holidaying in Turkey for the past nine years and had undertaken a number of parasailing trips in the past.
Linda said: “There were no checks. They just strapped them in and sent them up. You think these people know what they are doing – you presume it is safe. I won’t let what happened to Glen go and I will fight for better safety regulations. Even if it saves one more life it will have been worth it”.
Irwin Mitchell is now liaising with the British Consulate in Turkey and the family’s Turkish lawyer on their behalf, to prepare for legal action against the firm responsible.
As Turkey’s popularity as an affordable, exotic holiday destination increases, lawyers at the firm report a growing volume of legal cases involving deaths during activities including parasailing, jeep driving, jet-skiing and ballooning.
Irwin Mitchell also represents Siriol Roe (44) who lost her husband Perry following an accident in the southern Turkish resort of Sakilkent in 2006, when the jeep that the couple were travelling in with their two children, then aged 10 and 14, overturned. The family had booked to go sight-seeing in the open-topped vehicle through a local travel firm, after another tourist recommended the trip.
Siriol said: “The publicity leaflets we saw were professional and advertised that the company was fully insured. We felt that an organized tourist trip where we travelled in convoy with guides was a safe option. We were driven in the jeep with another family, in a convoy of tourists. The driver was young and seemed inexperienced – he drove dangerously and at high speed. We were driving on a country road when he tried to overtake another jeep, losing control of our vehicle and swerving off the road. Our jeep rolled and landed upside down. Most of the passengers were thrown from the vehicle and I was knocked unconscious. Both my children were badly injured and Perry died at the scene.”
Siriol was left with multiple fractures and a ruptured spleen and both her children suffered severe scarring. The family have battled ongoing psychological trauma as a result of the accident.
Regarding safety standards on the trip, Siriol said: “Turkey is a beautiful country and understandably very popular with Tourists. However, their standards of health and safety are very different to those in Europe and road safety is particularly poor.”
Irwin Mitchell client Gagandeep Singh (31), from Feltham, Middlesex, was also involved in a fatal jeep crash whilst on holiday in Turkey in 2008 with his wife Jasmail. Gagandeep said: “We were travelling down a road and, all of a sudden, the driver swerved to avoid a truck which was parked on the right hand side. He swerved too late and the back of the jeep hit the truck causing the accident. I was taken to the local hospital where it was confirmed that I had broken my nose, fractured my jaw and cheekbone and also broken several teeth. I had to have an operation to have my jaw wired in Turkey and I was then flown back to the UK. I was deeply saddened to learn that two holidaymakers were killed in the accident.”
The jeep accidents were followed by the widely reported death of leading British space scientist, Dr Kevin Beurle, last May in a ballooning accident in Turkey. Dr Geraldine Wright (56) and David Mosca (35) who were in the balloon carrying Dr Beurle have instructed Irwin Mitchell to pursue a claim against Turkish balloon trip company, Kapadokya.
Dr Wright said: “There were 3 balloons leaving with the same company from the same field. Our balloon was the last to go up and as soon as we did several people commented on how close the balloons were. I looked up and saw the outline of the second balloon above us. The basket of the second balloon touched our canopy which tore leaving a huge hole. As we descended I was knocked unconscious, but I was later told that we had fallen 400 metres”
In accordance with Turkish law, claims against native tour operators and excursion provider must be made through the country’s courts, often causing delays in support payments for families with severely injured loved ones.
Travel law specialist Demetrius Danas of Irwin Mitchell said: “The Turkish tourism industry’s record on health and safety matters is a real concern. A disproportionate number of the fatalities and serious injuries that we deal with each year have occurred at Turkish resorts, with many tourists not realising that health and safety measures will not be as rigorous as those practiced in similar destinations within the EU.
“We are frequently asked to help in tragic cases like the Roe family’s where activities have been booked directly with independent suppliers who have failed to provide adequate safety measures to protect their customers.
“When booking through a reputable travel agent or tour operator, holidaymakers can be more confident that their activity provider has relevant safety accreditation and adequate insurance. There is no such guarantee with independent providers. Recommendations by fellow tourists, locals or friends cannot take into account hidden risks. We urge all tourists booking trips to non-EU countries to research the safety credentials of any independent activity providers extremely thoroughly – or better still – to book through fully accredited tour operators or travel agents only. This is likely to reduce the risk of things going wrong, and it is likely to improve the prospects of recovering compensation if a mishap does occur.
“We only hope that some lessons can be learnt from the deaths and serious injuries that have already taken place this summer and that no other family should have to suffer in the same way going forward.”
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