Man, 44, is left with ‘permanent damage’ to health after hotel ‘error’ left him close to death on his honeymoon

Thomas Coupland says he became seriously ill after staying at a resort in Sorrento, Italy.

He and his wife Natasha, who had just gotten married, went there for their honeymoon in May last year, spending over £1,600 on the trip. But instead of it being a joyful memory, Thomas fell sick on the flight home and things quickly got worse. He had diarrhea, flu symptoms, and was first told it was a chest infection. He was given antibiotics, but his condition got so bad that he had to go to the hospital.

At Northern General Hospital, Thomas ended up in intensive care and nearly had a heart attack. His heart was beating extremely fast — 214 beats per minute — and doctors had to use an electric shock to try and fix it. He was later diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, a serious lung infection caused by breathing in tiny water droplets that contain bacteria. It’s more common in places like hotels or hospitals where water systems can be contaminated.

Thomas believes the hotel is responsible. He and Natasha noticed that their bathroom had heavy limescale, black mold on the shower head, and the pool water looked green. A year later, Thomas says he’s still dealing with the illness and can’t do many things he used to enjoy especially playing with his three-year-old son. He also now needs to pay for extra childcare on days he used to spend with his son.

He and Natasha have hired lawyers to investigate the hotel. They say people should be more aware of the risks in hotels abroad, especially with things like Legionnaires’ disease. Their lawyer says Thomas is lucky to be alive and wants to make sure others don’t go through something similar. They’re now waiting for answers about how this happened and how it changed Thomas’s life forever.