Two British children were left covered in blood and suffering cuts after a glass steam room door shattered as they walked out of the facility at a five-star hotel in Turkey. The brothers, who were aged 11 and 16 at the time, were staying with their parents at the Green Nature Diamond Hotel in Marmaris, Dalaman, when the incident happened in 2022.
CCTV captures the moment
CCTV footage captured the moment the door shattered as the youngsters emerged from the steam room, sending glass around them and leaving both boys injured. They suffered cuts to their feet, legs and arms and were treated by a doctor at the hotel.
Their father, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said he and his wife were in their hotel room when their eldest son suddenly returned from the spa area injured and limping. Describing what happened, the dad, who has asked not to be named, 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."
Battle for footage
The father said there were "no apologies" from staff at the hotel and claimed he then faced a lengthy battle to obtain the CCTV footage showing the accident. He said: "When I got to see the CCTV when we were still on holiday, the first thing the receptionist did was put the USB stick in her pocket and said I couldn't have it."
He got hold of the British Embassy in Turkey, and a woman came to get the footage, but the hotel said she couldn't have it unless she was with the police. Even when she returned with a police officer, they still wouldn't hand it over. The father said he told them it was his data and his children, and eventually the footage arrived after 10 months of pushing.
Long-term impact and settlement
The family avoided package holidays for four years following the incident, and the father said his sons remained wary around glass doors. "The kids are still concerned about going through glass doors," he said. "You trust your tour operator to keep you safe. Jet2Holidays let us down."
Hudgell Solicitors launched a damages claim on the family's behalf. Representatives for Jet2Holidays initially denied liability, but after the father obtained the CCTV footage, the holiday company's legal representatives agreed to a combined £7,000 compensation settlement.
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."
She added: "We were disappointed with Jet2Holidays’ lackadaisical approach to genuine demand for answers, just as we were with the hotel’s baffling decision to not surrender the footage for so long. Under ‘2018 Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations’, it is implied that Jet2 exercise reasonable care and skill, not least by ensuring the safety and well-being of their customers. This did not happen."
The boys' father praised the legal support his family received and said he hoped what happened would help raise awareness. He said: "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 relating to the incident, which occurred in 2022.
