We are highly experienced and provide specialist no win fee services for clients who have had an accident or suffered an illness on holiday or when  travelling abroad.

We have a proven track record of achieving compensation for our clients for injuries and illnesses abroad caused by negligence and/or breach of health and safety or other legislation.

How to  Claim Compensation For An Accident Or Illness Abroad?

Initial assessment

Please contact us for a free initial consultation. Your claim will be assessed by our specialist lawyers who have handled claims like yours many times before with accidents that have happened in many different countries. We’ll discuss with you :

• how your accident happened
• whether the accident may have been caused by negligence and who you might be able to make a claim against
• where it happened – the ability to successfully claim will depend on local law if you were injured while on holiday abroad
• whether we are able to offer to take your claim on and whether we can offer you a no win no fee arrangement.

We consider possible way to fund your legal fees

We always carefully consider whether we can offer a no win no fee arrangement for your claim. Factors which impact how we look at how we can support your claim in terms of fee include :

• Did you book a Package Holiday? – If you booked your holiday with a tour operator this gives you enhanced legal rights and protections including where you may need to make a holiday injury claim. You may be able to make a claim against the tour operator as well as other potential defendants.
• Do you have Legal Expenses Insurance? – . If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI) which is included in many household, travel or car insurance policies, this may cover your legal fees.

You instruct us and we investigate

At this stage we will undertake a detailed investigation which will typically involve obtaining documents such as health and safety or inspection records, medical evidence, obtaining any witness evidence and potentially working with a trusted specialist local lawyer where the accident occurred.

Starting the claim process

Most claims do not reach a court trial but it may be necessary to start the court process to pressure the defendant(s) and more likely their insurers to admit legal liability. Depending on your injury it may not be clear how long your recovery may take or what mid to long term implications there are for your recovery. This can result in focusing first on resolving liability with the final compensation amount being delayed. Where you have fully recovered or your prognosis is known, we will negotiate the best compensation available and if this cannot be agreed, pursue the matter so that the court decides the amount.

Types of holiday injury claims we deal with

• Food Poisoning – the key question with food poisoning claims is where the poisoning occurred and whether you alone were effected or others. A claim will have better prospects of succeeding if the food was prepared in a hotel or cruise ship. If you booked your holiday through a tour operator they will have owed you a legal duty to make sure the place where you stayed does not have unsanitary conditions and poor food hygiene.
• Ski and winter sport accidents – with sports based injuries whether in the UK or abroad, the starting legal position is generally that be deciding to undertake the activity, you accept a level of legal responsibility yourself by consenting to taking part in an activity where injuries can happen. However, this does not mean that you can’t claim if you suffer an injury due to unsafe conditions, unsafe equipment or where the activity is organised and/or supervised there has been negligence. You may be able to claim against, the company managing the piste, or the tour operator who provided the holiday.
• Summer holiday accidents – We will provide expert legal advice on your situation, whether you can make a claim for compensation, and who to claim against.

How long do you have to make a holiday accident claim?

The answer to how long you have to start a court claim after a holiday injury or accident depends on :

• Which country – the time limit varies from country to country. We will advise you on this.
• Whether you had the accident or were injured on a plane or cruise – the time period is usually 2 years.
• Was the accident fatal? – the deceased’s family usually have 3 years in which to start a claim, with the time starting from either the date your relative died or the date the post mortem results are received.

How Long Does A Claim Usually Take?

Every claim is different and there are many factors that will impact on how long a claim can take. It is rare for a claim to be settled within less than 3-4 months, and some claims can take up to 3 years.