# Injured holidaymaker sues solicitors over failed Sri Lanka claim

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/british-tourist-disabled-after-being-hit-by-falling-palm-tree-in-sri-lanka-sues-former-lawyers-after-they-messed-up-chance-to-get-her-4-5million-payout/
- Published: 2026-11-12T11:20:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T11:32:58+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16286525/British-tourist-disabled-hit-palm-Sri-Lanka-sues.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: UK, World

## Key points

- Saywell is suing her former lawyers over a struck-out claim against Tui.
- The firm admits the claim form was not properly served.
- The dispute includes whether the palm tree was already damaged.

## Summary

Claire Saywell is suing her former solicitors, Slater and Gordon UK, after her personal injury claim against Tui was struck out. The firm admits it failed to serve the claim form correctly, but disputes that this caused her a loss, arguing that her original case was unlikely to succeed.

Saywell was injured in February 2017 when a roughly 25 to 30-metre palm tree fell on her at a resort in Waikkal, Sri Lanka. She has undergone about 10 operations, has continuing pain and disabilities, and gave up her job. Her barrister says an arborist found that a spike and concrete driven into the tree had caused rot, and that a sound tree would not normally fall in high winds; the former solicitors say the fall was a natural disaster. The reported £4.5 million figure concerns the compensation claim she says she lost the chance to pursue.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.