If you’ve suffered an accident or injury while on holiday that wasn’t your fault, you will likely experience a range of emotions from stress to shock, disbelief to distress – and if you haven’t seen a doctor yet, it’s important you do so as soon as possible. Holiday accidents can not only cause immediate pain but longer term injury as well as inconvenience and financial losses too.

It’s important to remember that holiday tour operators, hotels, car rental firms, trip organisers and other holiday-related companies have a duty of care while you’re away. You may have slipped or tripped over a defective path or on a wet floor in a hotel, you may have had food poisoning from your hotel restaurant or you may have had an accident as a passenger whilst travelling in a taxi, coach or bus or suffered an injury whilst on an arranged day excursion.  If your injury was due to someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to compensation for any physical or psychological suffering as well as for any disruption to your lifestyle including financial strain related to the accident.

If you booked your holiday through a travel agent or as part of a package holiday then it is likely that you will be able to bring a claim in the UK against the travel company rather than, having to bring a claim directly against a hotel owner in a foreign country.   Also if you are involved in a car accident abroad then you can still claim in your home country, even if the foreign driver is not insured.

As difficult as it may be at the time of the accident, there are a number of details you should try to gather before speaking to your solicitor, and below is a quick guide to what you need to do following a personal injury on holiday to help with your claim.

•    Capture the scene and cause of the accident by taking photos, jotting down notes about the location, or sketch details. Try to ensure photos are dated, either on the image itself or by including a newspaper in the shot. Make notes on as much as possible at the time if you can, before you forget anything which may help your case.
•    Describe your injuries. It’s important to write down how you feel and any specific injuries suffered because of the accident.
•    Speak to people around at the time. Get the names and contact details of any witnesses to your accident.
•    Keep track of any associated costs such as treatment, hospital visits, medication, expenses and doctor’s notes. Expenses may include having to book earlier flights to get you home safely and seen by a UK doctor as well as smaller outlays like taxi fares and cancelled outings. Don’t forget to keep all your receipts somewhere safe.

If you’ve been the victim of an injury or accident while on holiday in the UK or abroad that wasn’t your fault, contact the personal injury experts at Personal Injury Solicitor. We can give you free advice on making a claim for compensation, so please call today on 0800 998 1990 or make a claim now.