Guide To Making a Claim When Injured on Vacation
When should you make a claim when injured on holiday? We have answers.
A life that is well travelled is something most of us now yearn for. Many of us want to fill our days with luxuries like faraway experiences, exotic places and new locations and experiences. With travel though comes risks, and with risks of falling ill or getting injured, comes the potential to lose time and money in your day to day life.
Should you file a claim? Here is a guide to the types of holiday claims will help you realise what kinds of scenarios that may call for a claim and how to decide if you should submit one. If you have suffered a financial loss of any kind due to an illness or accident on holiday, you might want to raise a claim to recoup those losses. So what types of claim are there?
Accidents Abroad
An accident abroad may be one that happens in a hotel, on a cruise ship or during a pre-booked excursion. Accidents do happen and most won’t require any further action from you or your holiday provider. However, if you are hurt due to a hazard that could have been avoided though, you may be able to claim back for any expenses you’ve incurred while recovering from your injury. For example, if you are hurt and miss work when you return home, you may have lost earnings.
Hazards could include things like broken tiles, poorly lit staircases or loose support rails for example.
Holiday Illness
Getting ill abroad happens most frequently due to food poisoning. Food poisoning is common, but not always easy to prove. It happens when a person consumes certain bacteria’s with their food or drink. Common bacteria’s are e-coli or salmonella. If the illness causes you to miss all or part of your holiday, you could be entitled to make a claim. The claim is relative to the losses suffered, so if your illness carried on once you returned home, you could be entitled to make a bigger claim.
Road Traffic Accidents
Unfortunately, road traffic accidents do happen to people when they are abroad and they can be devastating. Adding to the stress that would usually accompany a collision, language barriers can make the situation even more stressful; as can unfamiliar surroundings and unknown healthcare systems. Financial losses can be enormous if incurred through medical expenses or obtaining new transport. When renting a vehicle abroad you should be certain you are protected by insurance for both yourself and the vehicle.
Should I claim on my insurance or against a company?
When taking out travel insurance, it means that you have a safety net against any injuries that may be befall you, or any illness that you may contract. You should always take out travel insurance for this reason. Sometimes, an accident or illness is no one’s fault, and you need to be covered financially if you do need urgent care. Even in countries with national health care, if you are not a citizen, you will likely need to pay using a credit or debit card. With most insurers, you will have an excess that you need to pay and either you can pay the rest of your bill yourself and you can reclaim this from your insurer, or ask to be billed and you can send that to your insurer.
If however, the accident or illness is the fault of a third party, there is no need to claim on your own insurance necessarily – as they are liable for your injury. Again, you may need to foot costs initially, but by contacting a qualified solicitor once you return home, you should be able to make a claim against the at fault third party.
With all claims, they must usually made within 3 years of the incident and it is best to speak with a qualified solicitors asap if you think you would like to pursue a holiday claim.
