A man and his wife are suing their travel provider after a lion attacked them and pulled off his left arm.
Patrick Fourgeaud and his wife Brigitte were on a luxury holiday in Tanzania when they woke up to find a lion in their tent in Ruaha National Park.
The predator attacked them and tore off Patrick’s arm. The incident happened in August 2015 after they had booked through Africa Travel Resource.
“Several years on, it remains incredibly difficult to think about what happened that night and it still distresses us so much,” 63-year-old Brigitte shared.
“I will never forget that moment when I woke up to see the lion there. I thought we were both going to die. The attack will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
After the big cat bit 64-year-old Patrick’s arm, he underwent extensive surgery to reconstruct the part. The two also endured lengthy psychological treatment to cope with the mental anguish caused by the incident.
“Nothing will change what we have been through, but we both believe that more could have been done to prevent what happened and we both want to ensure that this doesn’t happen to other holidaymakers again,” Brigitte said.
International serious injury expert Leane Shanks said: “Four years on from this horrific attack, Patrick and Brigitte are still trying to come to terms with the ordeal they faced that night.
“Having always been passionate about seeing animals in the wild, and having been on several safaris in Africa in the past, they had booked this holiday to an area of Africa that they particularly loved.
“Tour operators and holiday firms have a duty of care to ensure the safety of customers, and in this case we believe this did not happen.
“Patrick and Brigitte believe that no-one was keeping a constant watch throughout the night over the camp while they were sleeping in their tents.”
Shanks continued: “In addition, they were given no adequate advice by their guide on the particular risks that night of camping in that location. This is astonishing when the tents were set up at a location which we understand was known to be frequented by lions and other wild animals at night.
“We are greatly concerned by a range of issues related to the organisation of Patrick and Brigitte’s package holiday with Africa Travel Resource Ltd.
“Unfortunately, because Africa Travel Resource Ltd has refused to accept responsibility for the incident, Patrick and Brigitte have been left with no choice but to issue legal proceedings.”
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