Nothing can ruin a holiday faster than an accident and, unfortunately, this happens to many British citizens every year. Travellers have various courses of action if an injury occurs, depending on where the injury took place and who was at fault. In some cases, travellers do not even need insurance to receive some holiday accident compensation, since it is up to the holiday properties to ensure that they are safe for all. It is important for travellers to learn their rights before filing a claim, as this makes the entire process run much more smoothly.
Determining Fault
Before a traveller can receive any holiday accident compensation, the fault of the accident must be determined. If the traveller slipped on some loose pavement at a resort, the claim should be very simple. If the accident occurred away from the resort, things get a little more complicated. If the accident occurred while the traveller was drunk or running around, it can be much more difficult to receive holiday accident compensation because the traveller’s actions likely contributed to the injury.
Accident at a Resort
If a travel agent booked the traveller at a resort, getting holiday accident compensation is simply a matter of following the correct process. Start by reporting the accident to the hotel and making sure that it has been recorded in the hotel’s accident log. All hotels have these logs so that they can keep track of these incidents for insurance purposes. The traveller should then take pictures of the accident site and collect the contact information of any witnesses. If there is loose pavement or wet grass at the resort and there was no sign in place to display this to guests, the case becomes much easier to win.
Once the traveller has the proper evidence, a call to the travel agent is in order. Under British law, the travel agent is responsible for all claims that take place on a resort in a foreign country. This is because it is much more difficult to receive a settlement in a foreign country and, therefore, this makes it much easier to receive compensation. The travel agent has insurance to cover these charges and can likely file a claim against the resort to recoup some of the losses later.
Off-Resort Accidents
Those who are injured away from the resort that was booked by a travel agent could find it more difficult to receive holiday accident compensation. This is because the injury becomes a civil matter in that country that is being visited, rather than something that can be settled in the UK. For this type of matter, it is a good idea to hire a lawyer with experience with international claims. This is especially true if the holiday accident compensation will be significant due to a major accident. Take pictures of the accident scene and file an accident report if this occurred at the private location, since this type of claim usually ends up in court.
Claim Amounts
The amount of this holiday accident compensation depends largely on the injury that was suffered and how much it ruined the vacation. Since vacation time is expensive, an injury because of someone else’s negligence could lead to a large settlement. This amount increases even more if medical attention is required or if the hurt individual and family are forced to fly home early. In addition, there is a chance that the victim will have to miss time at work, which will cost increase the claim amount even further.
In the end, every claim is different and that is why hiring an attorney is usually a good idea. These lawyers know exactly how these situations work and can figure out a holiday accident compensation solution very quickly. Most people who suffer from these injuries have already had a dream vacation ruined, so they should not have to go on without the proper compensation.
Written by:
Thomas Edwards has been an international traveller since the early ‘80s and has widely covered Europe, the USA and as far afield as Thailand, Hong Kong and China. He has written as both a business, individual and family traveller and a language or two has given him the opportunity to engage with people to a greater degree.
