Mum wins £17,876 after poolside fall at Egypt holiday resort in easyJet court case

A restaurant owner has been awarded £17,876 in compensation after suffering a fractured wrist, broken toe and long term knee injuries while staying at the Aqua Blu Resort in Egypt.

Airline and holiday company easyJet denied liability, but a judge at Wigan County Court found in Samantha's favour. She was represented by accident abroad legal specialist Anne Thomson and barrister Thomas Yarrow, of Deka Chambers.

The mum of four said: “I’m over the moon with the result. I was quite nervous at court, but nothing changed in what I said in my statement, and I knew from day one that they (easyJet) were at fault.

“I also knew it was important to stand up and fight and not give in.

“In my statement, I missed some detail that I spoke about in court and the easyJet barrister picked up on that. He tried to make out that I was lying, but I’d written about the state of the pool on Tripadvisor two days after the fall when I was in the hotel.

“The judge knew about that this and I think that helped our case.”

Samantha was on a family holiday at the four-star all-inclusive resort when she slipped on tiled flooring at the swimming pool.

She said: “I thought, at the time, the side of the pool was fine – I got in that way, so I got out that way.

“The steps were fine – they had protective mats on – but it was just the floor at the bottom that was an ice rink. And when I put my flip-flops on, that’s when I fell.

“I passed out and knew straight away I’d broken my left wrist.”

Samantha was seen at the resort by a doctor from a nearby hospital, but she argued her treatment was substandard – as was easyJet’s response.

Samantha and her family wanted to go home early, but easyJet said flights would cost £600 each, plus administration fees.

She said: “The holiday was awful after that, absolutely awful. We couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even dress myself because they put a plaster on my arm that was way too big, all the way from my elbow to the very tips of my fingers.

“It was a really thick, old-school cast, and when I got home, Southport Hospital said I was lucky to have fingers on my hand. Because the cast went right to my fingers, it created a bend in my hand that affected circulation.”

Mrs Thomson, a senior litigation executive at Hudgell Solicitors, said: “This was an intricate case that was on a knife-edge from start to finish.

“It is very difficult to prove liability with poolside slips, but it was clear, as proven at court, that Aqua Blu Resort and easyJet had badly let down our client.

“Sam sustained broken bones and other injuries simply because of a negligent disregard for basic health and safety procedures.

“EasyJet’s response to Sam’s correspondence was also poor, as was their unempathetic reaction when she needed them most.

“EasyJet thought they could bully Sam by taking the case to court, but she bravely fought her corner and refused to be intimidated.”