Balkan Holidays faces legal action from injured skier
Balkan Holidays is facing possible legal action from a woman who suffered a knee injury on a ski trip to Bulgaria.
Gemma Adshead-Downs from Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, is seeking compensation for an injury which she alleges was caused because her skis were bound too tightly to her boots, preventing the skis from releasing.
The 34-year-old, who was on holiday with her husband, was practicing going down the slope and making the snow plough manoeuvre.
On her second turn her skis overlapped and it is alleged that the twisting of the skis should have caused the skies to release but the bindings did not come loose and caused her leg to twist and her knee ligaments to tear.
After the accident Gemma was off work for four months and is currently undergoing a course of physiotherapy.
She has been told that her knee will never regain the ability to fully bend and she will never be able to ski again.
Mrs Adshead-Downs has instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell to seek compensation for pain and suffering and help with her recovery and rehabilitation.
A spokesperson for Balkan Holidays said: "An investigation is ongoing into the circumstances of the accident and we are unable to comment further until those enquiries are complete."
Irwin Mitchell said it has previously successfully represented other skiers whose bindings were incorrectly set.
It has produced an interactive Safety on the Slopes website as part of a campaign to help skiers prepare for their holidays on the slopes.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season