Nelsons successfully recovered compensation for Mr S following his fall at a hotel in Wales whilst on holiday.

Mr S, who was 80 years of age at the time of the accident, had gone on a short vacation through the British Legion to a hotel in Wales with a large group of people. On arrival at the hotel Mr S, his wife and another couple were left to find their bedrooms themselves. As the party of 4 walked along a dimly lit corridor, Mr S suddenly found himself falling forwards down some unmarked steps in the passageway landing forcefully against a wall at the end of the corridor. Mr S banged his head and sustained a large cut to his forehead, which started bleeding profusely. He suffered shock and was taken to the local hospital.

Fall Resulted in 3 Day Hospital Stay

Although Mr S did not lose consciousness he was very shocked and dazed and was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he remained for 3 days. Following his discharge, he had to travel home and effectively the short 4 day break had been ruined.

Partly because of his age and the medication he was taking at the time of the accident, Mr S sustained severe facial bruising and required stitches to his forehead. He also sustained cuts to his right hand and grazing to his right elbow which took some 8 weeks to clear up. He continued to suffer some ongoing stiffness in his right shoulder beyond that period.

Insurers Saught Deduction for Contributory Negligence

Mr S instructed Nelsons and Chris Stansfield began the process of locating the public liability insurers for the hotel. This proved extremely difficult because the hotel had changed ownership and there was reluctance for proper disclosure of the insurance details. Eventually the correct insurers were located, who then denied liability. There followed further negotiations when the insurers initially admitted liability but were seeking 20% contributory negligence on the part of Mr S, claiming that he should have been able to have seen the steps down which he fell. Eventually Nelsons secured a full admission of liability with no deduction for contributory negligence of any amount.

Mr S sought compensation for his injuries, pain and suffering, as well as the loss of enjoyment of the holiday. There was also a small claim for losses and expenses covering the cost of the holiday. The hotel’s insurers made initial offers in settlement which were rejected. Nelsons put forward an offer of £10,000 in settlement of the claim which the insurers accepted and paid promptly. 

Read more about the personal injury cases that Nelsons have handled by visiting our Personal Injury case studies page. 

For advice on pursuing a claim for compensation please contact a member of ourPersonal Injury team.