Holiday Camp Accident Claims: Compensation For Injury At An Activity Park, Summer Camp, Sport Camp

In this article we look at holiday camp accident claims – what they are, the types of compensation you can claim and the different types of accidents you might experience.

We look at how you can claim if you suffer injury as a holiday park guest or as a worker.

See our most recent online holiday camp online Q&A’s / FAQ’s and access our specialist solicitor free help.

Table Of Contents

What are holiday camp accident claims?

A holiday camp accident claim is a claim for compensation for personal injuries suffered as a visitor to a holiday camp or as an employee (or other worker) working at the holiday camp.

What types of compensation can your holiday park accident claim include?

Compensation will fall primarily into two parts – compensation for your personal injuries and compensation for your financial loss and expense incurred as a direct result of your injuries.

What is classed as a holiday camp?

Holiday camps typically provide activities and accommodation to all age groups, families and children. They will often be located in areas of beauty – such as by the seaside, in the countryside, etc.

Holiday camps will typically include a short stay for a number of nights with access to various different activities.

Different types of holiday camp

Sport camps – specific activities

Some holiday camps are aimed at specific activities (such as sport camps).

Activity park breaks and summer camps – variety of activities

However, other camps are aimed at a diverse range of activities, such as those provided in activity park breaks and summer camps.

Here, you may have access to a swimming pool, go kart racing, trampolines, zip wires, camping and tree huts, etc.

Traditional holiday camps – Butlins and Pontins

In the past the most traditional family holiday camps were resorts such as Butlins and Pontins.

These provide apartment accommodation with access to all facilities on the sites themselves.

This will include activities for adults (including a bar) and activities for children (bouncy castle, swimming pool, go karts, amusement arcade, cinema).

What must you prove to succeed with your claim?

To succeed with your claim – you must show a duty of care was owed to you by the holiday camp business, this duty was breached (negligence occurred), it was foreseeable that a breach could lead to injury; the breach actually led to you suffering personal injury and the injury you received was not too remote given the nature of the accident you were involved in.

What is the duty of care owed by a holiday camp?

The holiday camp business owes a duty of care to keep lawful visitors safe whilst on their premises and using their facilities.

When are you considered a lawful visitor?

You are considered a lawful visitor when you have the right or expectation to be on the holiday camp premises.

Examples include:

Holiday park guests

Guests are in essence paying customers of the holiday park. A guest may pay an entry fee for a day visit or a package sum for entry with accommodation.

Typically, the stays at a holiday park are for short durations.

Delivery people

Holiday parks, as other businesses, will receive deliveries from Royal Mail and other delivery services. Not just of post – but of supplies for the day to day running of the business. For example – food supplies for the restaurant or linen supplies for the accommodation.

All such delivery people are considered lawful visitors to the holiday camp.

Businesses and contractors working on the campsite

A holiday camp may need help from external businesses. Such as United Utilities for water supplies, electricity engineers for power supply and various other workmen for repairs and other tasks.

All such workers are owed a duty as they are considered lawful visitors to the holiday camp.

Employees working at the holiday park

All employees working at the holiday camp will be considered lawful visitors.

Employees are owed a duty of care by their employer

In addition, employees have a further duty of care owed to them as employees of the holiday camp.

See our employer’s liability articles for more details.

Taxis and family members dropping off and picking up guests

You are considered a lawful visitor if you are coming onto the holiday camp to pick up or drop someone off. Whether you be a taxi, a shuttle bus or a family member or friend dropping someone at the holiday camp.

What are typical types of holiday camp accident claims?

There are a vast range of accidents that you might experience on a holiday camp for which you will likely be able to claim compensation, including:

Accommodation defects

Holiday camps often come with a short stay. The accommodation itself may have dangerous defects that cause an accident, such as defective flooring.

Wet floor slip accidents

When using the facilities in the holiday camp – flooring may be wet. For example, the holiday camp cleaner mops a tiled surface in the bar area leaving it wet and does not properly warn customers with safety cones, etc.

Should you slip and injure yourself it is likely that you will have a holiday camp claim.

Swimming pool defects

The activity park swimming pool should be kept safe. For example – you may suffer injury as a pool user from sharp broken tiles. Alternatively, you might be a member of staff handling chlorine without the correct PPE that causes skin damage.

Go-kart accidents

Go karting can be a dangerous activity and users generally accept the risks of the activity. However – there are some things that can be guarded against – such as ensuring the go karts themselves are in proper working order, the race surface is not defective and proper barriers are used to protect racers should they lose control and leave the track unexpectedly.

Bouncy castle, zip wire and obstacle courses

There are many other activities that may take place at a holiday camp.

Each type of activity can come with its own dangers that the holiday camp should protect against

Examples include:

Bouncy castles not being properly secured.

Defects with a zip wire snagging and detaching or causing an unexpected jolt.

Obstacle courses that collapse.

Food poisoning

Most holiday camps will supply some form of food to guests. For example – buffet breakfasts and meals or access to an onsite restaurant.

Should the food have not been cooked or stored properly or be served after its sell by date – it may contain a food poisoning bacteria or pathogen. Should you consume this and you develop food poisoning – you will likely be entitled to claim food poisoning compensation.

Defective lighting

Some areas of the holiday camp may be dangerous to guests when not lit correctly.

For example – imagine you are using a windowless enclosed step area – that is dark when not lit.  The lights over the steps fail – resulting in you missing a step and falling breaking your arm. You could well be entitled to claim compensation.

Defective pathways and fencing

Pathways and perimeter on the holiday camp premises should be properly monitored and maintained. A large pothole in a pavement could cause you to trip and a sharp fence post could cause injury.

Employee errors

Should you be injured by someone working for the holiday camp – the holiday camp, as the employer, will be responsible. This is known as vicarious liability.

This generally applies to accidents – unintentional events that lead to injury. For example – an employee using a camp site vehicle runs over the foot of a guest.

Alternatively, consider an employee is told of a spillage from a customer and yet fails to act to clean and warn other guests. Should this lead to an accident in which you are injured – you may well have a holiday camp accident claim.

Injury to holiday park employees or other workers

Should you suffer injury at work as a holiday camp employee or other worker (whether self-employed or a contractor), you could well have a claim.

You would need to show your holiday park employer was legally at fault for your injury at work to succeed with a claim.

FREE LEGAL HELP – Online And By Phone

We have a number of free online and telephone legal help options if you are injured in a holiday camp accident.

You can – speak direct to a solicitor, have your claim assessed and ask your own a question. Simply select the assistance you require

Q&A And FAQ – Answers To Holiday Camp Accident Claim Questions

In this section we provide questions raised via our online Q&A and asked directly by holiday camp accident victims.

Question 1 – Can I Claim Compensation For A Slip On A Wet Mopped Floor In The Holiday Camp Bar?

This Q&A answers a site visitor’s question concerning a slip accident caused by a cleaner leaving an unprotected mopped tiled floor in the holiday camp bar area (causing back, wrist and arm injury).

Details Of Accident

My family and I regularly stay at holiday camps in the UK, Butlins and Pontins being our favourite.

Approximately one year ago – I was staying at a holiday camp with my wife and children.

My wife and I went in to the bar area, which had a tiled surface and I slipped falling heavily on my lower back and my right arm.

I immediately noticed that the whole of the tiled surface was wet.

We later learned that a cleaner had mopped the surface, but had not put out safety cones whereas standard procedure was to use safety cones whilst the cleaning process was taking place and floors were wet – to warn visitors of the danger of wet and slippery tiles.

I was treated by an on-site first aider and an ambulance was called as my right arm was swelling up.

The ambulance took me to hospital and I was diagnosed with a sprained wrist, fractured radius and back pain in my lumbar spine region.

Personal Injury Solicitor Response

You will most likely be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries.

It is clear that wet tiles would be slippery – hence the reason the bar had a protocol to use safety cones to warn visitors of the danger.

It is admitted by the holiday camp that this protocol was not followed and as a result your suffered injury.

Deciding who to claim compensation from

It would seem that an employee of the holiday camp was at fault (the cleaner) and therefore through a legal principle known as vicarious liability (an employer being considered responsible for the negligence of its servants or employees) – the holiday camp should be responsible for paying your compensation.

Types of compensation you can claim

You will be entitled to claim compensation for the pain and suffering for all of your physical and psychological injuries plus compensation for any financial loss you have incurred.

Financial loss and expense examples include: lost income, medical expenses, travel expenses to the hospital and GP, an amount for any family member’s assistance in the home as a result of your injuries.

Financial loss may include a sum of money to compensate you for the loss of enjoyment of your stay at the holiday camp.

Calculate the amount of compensation for your injuries

The amount of compensation for an arm injury, wrist injury and back injury will be determined by using a specialised accident solicitor who will instruct an orthopaedic surgeon to detail the exact nature of your injuries, the effect on your life and how your symptoms will persist or improve in to the future.

Should there be a psychological component – an additional psychological report may be necessary.

Based upon these reports – your solicitor will compare your injuries to similar injuries decided by the courts in the past and so determine the amount of compensation the pain and suffering for your injuries is worth,

The amount for pain and suffering is added to your financial loss and expense claim to give your overall holiday camp accident claim payout.

How to start your holiday camp accident claim

Should you wish to make a holiday camp accident claim or have a question about claiming – see our online specialist solicitor free help options.

Question 2 – Can I Claim For Injury Due To A Defective Go-Kart Crash At Pontins Holiday Camp?

We explain how to claim compensation if you are involved in a go-kart accident at Pontins holiday camp.

Pontins Holiday Camp Accident Details

I was using the go–kart track at Pontins holiday camp for the first time ever. The only instructions I was given was where the brake was and where the accelerator was. No safety equipment was provided and no other warnings were given.

As I was going around the track one of the tyres on the go-kart failed / had a blow out. The go-kart sharply swerved to the right causing me to spin around and hit head on another oncoming go-kart.

This collision took place with quite a lot of force throwing my body forwards and causing a severe pain in my neck.

I was assisted by a first aider who apologised explained that the go-kart hadn’t been maintained for some time.

As my holiday was ending that day – I went home with my wife and the pain became immense. Therefore, I attended that same evening at the A&E hospital, where I was x-rayed. I was diagnosed with a small crack to a vertebra in my cervical spine and severe whiplash.

Solicitor Response

It is very likely you will be able to claim compensation for your cracked vertebra and whiplash injuries from Pontins.

Go-karts not properly maintained

It seems quite clear that the go-karts were not properly maintained at the holiday camp –  evidenced by the tyre blowout and the admission by one of the staff at the holiday camp.

No safety gear provided

In addition, you were not given any safety gear to wear to protect you in the event of an accident.

Cracked vertebra and severe whiplash

Whiplash injuries – especially those involving a crack to the cervical vertebra can be extremely painful and in some instances long lasting.

Orthopaedic consultant report

The exact extent of your injuries would need to be set out in a medical report by an independent orthopaedic consultant instructed by a specialist solicitor.

Specialist Solicitor Free Help

Take advantage of our free online and telephone help options. Ask an online questions or arrange a specialist solicitor free callback to discuss your Pontins holiday camp accident claim.