OK – so you are a UK resident, and you unfortunately end up injured abroad whilst you were on your jollies or away on a business trip. The accident wasn’t your fault – you’re injured, upset, inconvenienced, and have lost out financially. What do you do?
You may still be able to have a claim using an English lawyer
In most generic circumstances, if you have an accident abroad, you will need to speak to a foreign lawyer or a UK based foreign law specialist about a claim. Foreign laws are different, and it’s a problem for most firms because of the differences in jurisdiction.
BUT – if you were injured through anything that is related to a package holiday you bought from a British provider, you may have a claim against the provider.
For example, you may be able to make a claim from the package provider in the following scenarios:
- You have an accident in the hotel you are staying in that came as part of the package
- An excursion bus that came as part of the package caused a road accident
- You are injured in a premises you visited (say, a museum, or theatre) that was booked through the package
- You were injured whilst taking part in an activity arranged through the package – e.g. skiing, parachuting, windsurfing.
The same rule applies that the accident and your injuries must have been caused through no fault of your own, but as a result of the negligence from another person / company. If the place or the activity was arranged through the package, you should seek the advice of a specialist personal injury lawyer in the UK to make a claim through the package provider.
Making a Claim through a Package Provider – What You Need to Know
The value of your claim, and the negligence allegations we can make against the provider, are no different to what you’d expect with a claim in the UK. Foreign countries have different rules and regulations; so, in ordinary circumstances, you can’t simply allege that a hotel has failed to clean up a spillage if there is no such health and safety regulation in existence in that particular country. But, if the hotel is booked through the package, then the package provider should make sure that the hotel abides to UK-like rules and regulations as part of the package. So, if they fail to do so, you can make the allegation through the provider.
This important piece of legislation surrounding the Package Travel, Package Holidays, and Package Tour Regulations 1992 are the foothold for making successful claims through package providers. Under this legislation, a UK injury lawyer can successfully make a claim for compensation for a victim injured in an accident that is someway related to the package – as with the examples above.
The only key difference is that your claim will probably take longer to conclude. For most claims in the UK, the other side has a period of just under 4 months to investigate a claim. For accident abroad cases through a package provider, they twice the length – just under 8 months.
For advice on whether you have a claim through your package provider after an accident abroad, get in touch with a specialist personal injury lawyer for the best advice and cost-free representation. They’re still run on a No Win No Fee and you are still entitled to 100% compensation.
