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Fred. Olsen Cruise Line ordered to pay £70,000 after legionnaire’s disease death
- Details
- Category: Latest News
- Published on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 11:05
- Written by Kari Reinikainen
A woman from Swanley, Kentin the UK has been awarded a £70,000 settlement after her husband died from Legionnaire’s Disease, contracted on board a Fred Olsen cruise, the law firm representing the plaintiff said in a statement.
Audrey Heath, a volunteer worker and retired secretary, and her husband Robert, a retired milkman, were enjoying a cruise to Lapland and St Petersburg on the Black Watch in July 2007, when it was announced that there had been an outbreak of the potentially fatal bacteria on the ship.
As a result, a number of passengers were affected by the illness, the cruise ended early and the couple returned home on 30th July. The following day Mr Heath, 77, began to feel unwell and, worried about the risk of Legionnaire’s Disease, a day later visited his local GP. Despite providing the list of common symptoms given to him by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and being in a high risk group due to his age, the doctor performed no tests, but simply prescribed antibiotics and sent Mr Heath home, where his condition continued to deteriorate throughout the day.
His daughter, Julie Bennett, was so worried that she visited the doctor’s surgery that afternoon, but was told that her father should continue taking antibiotics for 24 hours and wait for signs of improvement. After he took a turn for the worse the following day, Mrs Bennett called the surgery for advice but nobody was available to talk to her. Later in the day Dr Elizabeth Lunt returned her call, but after listening to a description of the symptoms, offered no further support. Mr Heath died at home the following day.
An inquest ruled that Fred Olsen Cruise Liners Ltd exposed Mr Heath to Legionnaire’s Disease and found that the two doctors he saw failed to prescribe adequate medication, respond to his worsening condition or arrange for his admission to hospital, the statement said.
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