Holidaymaker Who Slipped on Marble Floor

A holidaymaker who slipped on a wet marble floor has won £8,500 in compensation for the injuries she suffered.

The woman, who is in her 50s, was on a package holiday at a hotel in Tenerife when the accident happened. She had left her room early in the morning to see her grandchildren, who were playing by the pool. She then headed back to her room to get ready for breakfast.

As she walked back through the hotel, she slipped on a wet marble floor and injured her wrist. There was no indication that the floor was being cleaned: no cleaning staff were nearby and there was no sign warning that the floor was slippery. As the marble surface was very shiny, it was not apparent that the floor was wet. However, the woman was soaking wet after her fall.

A local doctor examined her wrist and thought she might have sprained it. He strapped it up and advised her to rest. However, she continued to experience agonising pain for the rest of her holiday. She was unable to cut up food or swim with her grandchildren, and had to take painkillers to help her sleep. After her accident, other holidaymakers at the resort told her that they had experienced similar falls or had seen other guests slip.

When she returned home, the woman attended the A&E department at her local hospital, where it was discovered that she had suffered soft tissue damage to her wrist, as well as a possible fracture. Further tests revealed that she had also severed a tendon in her thumb.

The tour operator involved failed to respond to correspondence about the woman’s accident, but eventually settled her claim for £8,500 shortly before it was due to be heard in court.

Says Graham Heywood, “If you or a member of your family is injured on a package holiday, and you believe the injury to have been owing to a failure on the part of the owners of the premises in which the tour operator has placed you, contact us to discuss the possibility of claiming compensation. It is important to gather as much evidence as you can in support of your claim and to do this as soon as possible after the accident.”