Legal Guide: Accidents on Holiday

If you are like most Brits, you’ve been waiting for what feels like years now to get away this summer and go abroad. You’ve entrusted your holiday agent to put you and your family’s safety first, and you hopefully also took out holiday insurance.

But you can’t trust everyone, and accident do happen. If you have an accident or become extremely ill while on holiday, the following advice will be important if you intend to file a claim when you return home to the UK

CHECKLIST: To do while you are still abroad

• Visit a medical professional, get a diagnosis and treatment. Get a copy of their report and save any receipts.
• Determine what caused the injury/illness and gather evidence to prove it. Such as photos of the injury, photos of the accident location and witness names and contact details.
• Contact your Holiday Rep, explain what happened and ask them to officially report it. Get a copy of the report.

CHECKLIST: To do once you are back home in the UK

• Visit your GP. Take the medical report with you so they can determine what further treatment or testing you may need.
• Get an “unfit to return to work” form from your GP if you have to take time off work.
• Contact your holiday Insurer and report what happened.
• Contact a solicitor to ensure you receive the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled to.

Holiday compensation claims are not easy claims to win, they are difficult to prove and complex. This is because they may involve other countries health & safety laws and require experts to help prove your claim that speak both english and the main language of the country the accident happened in.

If you booked at least 2 elements of your holiday via a holiday agent or tour operator, the burden of your safety will have fallen on their shoulders and you are more likely to have a successful claim, as long we you followed the checklist outlined above.

If you feel that your injury or illness was genuinely due to negligence by your hotel, tour operator on an excursion or travel agency and if you feel you have the evidence stated above, then you may be able to get compensation for your ruined holiday and any injuries you sustained.

Hopkins Solicitors offers a FREE face-to-face consultation with an experienced Personal Injury Solicitor. They will discuss with you all the details of your accident and help you discover if you may have a viable compensation claim. We are proud to say, we may only be a local firm but our team hold one of the highest client satisfaction rates in the country. Book your consultation today on 01623 468 468 or 0115 910 5555.