Jet2Holidays has paid a family £7,000 in compensation after two brothers were injured when a steam room glass door shattered during a package holiday in Turkey. The boys, aged 16 and 11 at the time, were staying with their parents at the five-star Green Nature Diamond Hotel in Marmaris, Dalaman, on a 10-day break.
Incident and injuries
CCTV footage showed the moment the glass door shattered as the children left the steam room. Both suffered cuts to their feet, legs and arms and were treated by a doctor at the hotel. The boys' father, from Harrogate, North Yorks, said the family had been in their hotel room when the older boy returned from the spa.
He said: “We were in the hotel room when the eldest burst into the room. He was limping, and there was blood everywhere. When we got down there, it just looked like carnage. The door had exploded, and there was blood and glass all over the place.”
Legal battle and settlement
Jet2Holidays initially denied liability for the incident but later agreed to pay the family £7,000 following a legal claim. Hudgell Solicitors launched the damages claim on behalf of the family, with representatives for Jet2Holidays initially denying liability for the accident and the injuries suffered abroad.
After the father finally secured the CCTV footage, Jet2Holidays' legal representatives agreed to a combined compensation package of £7,000. Anne Thomson, a senior litigation executive at Hudgell Solicitors and an accident abroad legal specialist, said: “The two boys suffered mild injuries, but this must have been a terrifying experience that stayed with them for a long time. The CCTV footage makes for especially uncomfortable viewing and underscores just how fortunate the brothers were to have avoided serious injury.”
Family's response and impact
The father claimed the incident continued to affect the family long after they returned home. He added: “It was scary, and we didn’t go on a package holiday for four years because of what happened, and the kids are still concerned about going through glass doors. You trust your tour operator to keep you safe. Jet2Holidays let us down.”
The family said the experience also changed their attitude towards holidaying abroad. The father added: "I can’t thank Anne enough. She kept going and going and going and continually kept reassuring me that this wouldn’t be going to court. What happened to my lads has hopefully helped raise awareness that big companies like Jet2 need to be held accountable when they are in the wrong."
Jet2Holidays said: “We would like to reiterate how sorry we are about this incident.” The company added that it had reached a settlement in relation to an incident which occurred in 2022.
