Led by Clive Garner, Irwin Mitchell is 'the leading firm for claimant work' and is highly regarded in the travel and holiday market.
Legal 500 – Travel and Holiday Section (2007)
Childhood Sweethearts Miss Dream Wedding As Sickness Sweeps Through Clubhotel Riu Bachata
Published date:
23 Mar 2010
A young couple whose dream Caribbean wedding was ruined when the groom spent their big day in hospital and a mother who was told her baby daughter may die through dehydration are among almost three dozen angry holidaymakers making compensation claims over a serious outbreak of sickness at the luxury Clubhotel Riu Bachata.
Childhood sweethearts Christopher and Kerry Ward were unable to tie the knot after months of planning and a two thousand mile trip to the Dominican Republic when they and their entire wedding party fell ill at the five-star resort.
Bridegroom Christopher spent his wedding day and two further days in a hospital bed while his bride Kerry and two dozen of their friends and family also suffered as the illness swept through the Clubhotel Riu Bachata, with many of them still poorly after returning to the UK last week.
Other guests were affected by the problems at the resort, including North Wales couple Sonia and Jamie O’Hara, whose daughter Poppy was also admitted to hospital with sickness.
Poppy’s distraught mum, who was also in hospital, refused treatment to stay with the 18-month-old after being told her daughter was so dehydrated that she could die.
Clive Garner, Head of Travel Law at Irwin Mitchell said, “The stories from our clients returning from holidays at this hotel are horrendous and show that there has clearly been a serious issue at the Riu Bachata which staff and tour operators have failed to adequately deal with.
“You only get one wedding day and for Christopher and Kerry it was utterly ruined. To spend what should be the best day of your life in a hospital bed because a hotel has let you down must have been utterly heart-breaking for Christopher, Kerry and their entire family.
“But they weren’t the only ones affected. Mrs O’Hara had to put aside her own illness problems to care for a daughter she was told was at risk of dying. It’s impossible to imagine how she must have felt.
“The reality is that not only have our clients had their holidays, and even their weddings, ruined by severe illness but sadly some of them are likely to suffer long-term or permanent health problems.
“It is deeply frustrating to see that tour operators and the hotel’s management, who are well aware of the risks to long-term health that outbreaks of illness like this present, appear to have failed to take sufficient action to improve standards to safeguard the health of the holidaymakers who put their trust in them.
“Despite continuing problems there over the past five years, it seems that vital lessons have not been learnt. The absolute minimum that guests at this or any other hotel deserve is to be able to enjoy their holidays without becoming ill and to return home fit and healthy.
“Urgent action is now needed to ensure that this is the last time that we hear of guests becoming ill due to conditions at this hotel.”
Have you been affected by illness at the Clubhotel Riu Bachata? If so, you may be able to claim compensation. Call us free on
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We are grateful for the efficient way Irwin Mitchell handled our action against Global Tours and are very pleased at the successful outcome. I hope any further successes you may have in this area of cruise operations will help to bring these shady practices to an end.
Sandra and Adrian Walker