The October half term is a popular time for families to enjoy a short break at holiday parks, whether based in the UK or heading abroad for a few days before winter. For most, it’s a chance to relax and spend time together. Sadly, not everyone returns home with happy memories. Some holidays are cut short by accidents or injuries that can have lasting effects.
Holiday parks have a duty of care to keep guests safe. While accidents can happen anywhere, sometimes they occur because safety procedures are not properly followed. When an injury results from negligence, it may be possible to bring a claim for compensation.
Enable Law are representing Hannah* who was badly injured at a holiday park she visited with her family when she was seven years old.
Hannah’s family had booked a zorbing activity – a game using large inflatable spheres with holes for the player’s head, arms, and legs. After being helped into the zorbs by an instructor, the family began racing and playing football, initially enjoying the experience.
However, when Hannah became tired and climbed out of her zorb, she was not directed to a safe area away from the ongoing activity. The instructor allowed her to remain on the zorbing pitch. Moments later, another zorb collided with her at speed, knocking her to the ground. She struck her forehead and face on the hard concrete surface, sustaining serious injuries.
To make matters worse, the instructor retrieved a first aid kit that was poorly stocked and was not trained in first aid, leaving the family to manage a frightening situation with little immediate support.
Hannah was taken to hospital, where a CT scan confirmed multiple skull, nose, and eye socket fractures, as well as a potential brain injury. She was admitted to intensive care for treatment and monitoring.
Although the fractures eventually healed, the experience left her with ongoing psychological trauma, as well as lasting symptoms linked to her head injury, including tinnitus, headaches, and hearing loss.
How Enable Law helped
Once Enable Law were instructed, we sent a Letter of Claim to the holiday park, outlining the failures that led to the accident. We also asked the park’s insurer to follow the Rehabilitation Code, which encourages early cooperation to put treatment in place for injured individuals.
The insurer agreed, and we arranged for an independent assessment to identify Hannah’s immediate rehabilitation needs and the associated costs. As a result, she was referred to a private psychologist and an ENT specialist for further investigation and treatment, all funded by the insurer.
A case manager was also appointed to coordinate her rehabilitation and support her family through the process. Hannah has developed a positive relationship with her therapist and is making steady progress. In time, we hope she will make a good recovery from both her physical and psychological injuries.
In this case, the insurer cooperated and funded the recommended treatment. However, this is not always the case. Where insurers refuse to do so, Enable Law can apply to the court for an interim payment to cover the cost of rehabilitation and treatment while the claim continues.
Lessons from this case
This claim arose from a failure to properly supervise what was clearly a potentially dangerous activity. A thorough risk assessment should have been completed by the holiday park to identify hazards and ensure measures were in place to prevent injury.
Enable Law has also acted in other cases involving injuries caused by faulty equipment, inadequate maintenance, or poor staff training at holiday and activity parks.
If you or a member of your family have been injured at a holiday park or activity centre, it’s important to seek legal advice as soon as possible. Early legal support can help secure access to treatment, rehabilitation, and the compensation you need to move forward.
At Enable Law, our specialist personal injury solicitors have extensive experience supporting clients who have been injured in accidents caused by negligence. We combine expert legal knowledge with a compassionate, practical approach to help families rebuild their lives. If you or your child has been injured while on holiday, contact us for a free, confidential conversation about how we can help. To have a free discussion with Laura Williamson or a member of our team call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can call you back at a time convenient for you.
*not her real name
