A BRITISH tourist who saved two small children from drowning in his Menorca hotel pool has asked for compensation as his holiday was 'ruined' by the post-traumatic stress.
Steven Tartt, 32, from Seaforth, near Liverpool dived into the pool when he realised a seven-year-old boy and a girl of six were drowning, and pulled them out.
But according to the Liverpool Echo, the rest of his time at the Victoria Playa Hotel on the Santo Tomás beach was spent suffering recurring nightmares about seeing the children die because he was trying to run to save them but was unable to reach them.
As a father of two children himself, Steven has found this very distressing and says he needed another week's holiday to recover.
A lifeguard was reportedly on duty at the time and did not respond when he saw the children in trouble, resulting in his being fired.
Tartt says he was in such a state that when he returned to the UK, he had to be signed off work for another week, meaning he lost money as he is self-employed.
The tour operator has reportedly refused to compensate him, but offered him counselling if he believes he could be suffering from PTSD.
“[I] spoke to TUI, thought they would take some responsibility or something and at least offer something for it ruining my holiday due to the hotel they use not hiring capable staff,” Tartt says.
“They have refused to take any. They won't ask the hotel to take any either as they feel it would harm the relationship with them, and lose them business and money. Said because I chose to jump in and save the kids and do this off my own back, then it's my responsibility.
“So if I'd of [sic] just sat and watched two children drown, because a hotel you use didn't employ someone who is there to do this job couldn't be [bothered] to move, then I'd off [sic] got something then for it ruining my holiday!”
TUI said it 'offered free access' to its 'independent partner', the Centre for Crisis Psychology (CPP), and that its 'hotel partner' had taken 'immediate and appropriate action with the staff member involved'.
Steven described the incident to the Liverpool Echo soon after his return to the UK, saying he 'hurdled' over a row of chairs to reach the children, who were at the bottom of the deep end – 2.4 metres (7'10”) down – and hauled them out.
Both of them were still conscious and breathing when Steven placed them on the side of the pool.
“I went straight to the lifeguard to see what the hell he was doing,” said Tartt, who claimed he 'was looking at' the guard just before jumping in the pool and that he 'saw it all, but did nothing'.
Under Spanish law, if a person witnesses a serious and potentially fatal incident but does not take action to help, he or she can be found guilty of the offence of 'failure to provide assistance'.
This is true of amateur bystanders – such as Steven if he had ignored the children's plight – although an ordinary witness is not expected to put his or her life at risk to try to save another's; for example, if Steven had not been a strong swimmer.
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