Accidents on Holiday, Injuries on Holiday or Illnesses on Holiday
Information about holiday accidents, holiday injuries and holiday illnesses
If you have an accident on holiday, an injury on holiday or develop an illness on holiday, which was not your fault, then you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim.
If your holiday was within the United Kingdom, your holiday injury claim could be dealt with in the same way as any other personal injury compensation claim; however, if you were abroad at the time, certain other rules apply.
For example, a personal injury solicitor in the United Kingdom would only be able to deal with a personal injury compensation claim against a holiday company for an accident, injury or illness which occurred abroad if the holiday was booked as part of a package deal through a travel agent in the United Kingdom. In addition to this, your holiday accident, holiday injury or holiday illness would need to be the fault of the travel agent or their representatives such as the hotel staff.
If your holiday accident or holiday injury was caused due to a badly maintained section of walkway in the hotel grounds you would be entitled to make a holiday injury compensation claim against your travel agent. You would also be able to claim compensation against your travel agent if you contracted a form of food poisoning from the hotel restaurant; however, you would not be able to make a holiday injury compensation claim against your travel agent if your accident was caused due to a badly maintained pavement in a local town centre for example. You may still be able to make a claim for compensation but it will be a slightly more complicated process than claiming against a travel agent.
If you have suffered an injury as a result of an accident abroad and would like to know if you have a valid accident compensation claim, complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.
Claiming Holiday Injury Compensation
Making a claim after an accident on holiday, injury on holiday or illness on holiday
To make a successful holiday injury compensation claim, you would need to prove that another person was responsible for your personal injury (in this case, the travel agent or their representative such as the hotel staff).
To help your personal injury claim, you should report the holiday accident, holiday injury or holiday illness to the staff or your travel representative at the time, make a note of your holiday accident in the accident book, take names and addresses of witnesses to the accident and if possible take photographs of the area where the accident happened.
If you are intending to claim expenses such as prescription costs and travelling expenses, remember to keep receipts as evidence.
Compensation Claim Advice following a Holiday Accident
Advice from a personal injury lawyer about a holiday injury compensation claim
If you or someone you know has suffered an injury on holiday or developed an illness on holiday, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.
There are strict time limits in place to make any injury claim. For further information, contact usor visit our Questions Answered page.
Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for holiday injury compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a holiday injury claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have.
If your claim has to be pursued outside the Courts of England and Wales, we cannot guarantee a no cost service because different rules apply. Each case will be reviewed on its own merits and appropriate advice will be provided before any costs are incurred.
Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.
News about Holiday Injury Compensation Claims
News Stories about Holiday Accidents, Holiday Illnesses or Holiday Injuries
In the past we have published news stories on our website about clients who have suffered holiday accidents, holiday injuries or holiday illness. To read these, visit our News Desk or follow the links below.
Tour operator admits liability as e-coli wrecks a couple’s dream holiday - In this case a couple booked an all inclusive holiday in the Dominican Republic through Thomas Cook. They only ate food from their hotel and contracted e-coli (a form of food poisoning).
The remainder of their holiday was ruined and they continued to be ill even after returning home.
With help from Thompsons Solicitors' specialist personal injury lawyers, they received £7,000 compensation.
£28,000 payout for injured Swansea holidaymaker - Malcolm Jones, a 53 year old retired Fire Fighter, has won £28,000 compensation following a "holiday from hell" in Spain.
Mr Jones, who took his case for compensation to court had booked a package holiday to the Costa Dorada with the high street travel agents Thomsons. When Mr Jones and his family arrived at the hotel, they were shown to a cramped room with two single beds and a folding camp bed wedged between them.
Despite Mr Jones's complaints to the hotel about the camp bed which was clearly no good for a 5' 8" strapping Fire Fighter, they refused to move the family to another room or provide an alternative bed. To get in and out of the bed, Mr Jones had to sit on the bed and shuffle up and down the length of it. As he was attempting to get off the bed, it collapsed beneath him causing him to crash down through the broken slats onto the floor below. He suffered a serious back injury, ruining the holiday and keeping him out of the fire service for many months.
Centre Parcs take the blame - A 15 year old girl has received £1,400 in compensation after scalding her hand with tea at the Centre Parcs, Sherwood Forest holiday complex.
Charlotte Gott, who was 12 at the time of the accident, had only just arrived at Centre Parcs when she went with her mum to the site's 'Jardin des Sports cafe. After ordering a herbal tea at the counter, Charlotte was handed her drink in a glass cup with a narrow handle. The heat from the glass was so extreme, it made her put it down too quickly, causing the tea to spill out andscald her hand.
Said Charlotte's mum, Mandy: "As well as causing severe pain, the incident ruined a weekend break that Charlotte had been looking forward to. She couldn't take part in any activities and had to have her arm in a sling. The most annoying thing was that at all the other cafes on site, staff put drinks on a tray before handing them to customers."
Luxury cruise liner refuses compensation for injured pensioner - Marguerite Toms, a frail 76 year-old former teacher, was injured when two seamen were helping her to board the QE2 cruise liner in Hawaii. She and her husband were enjoying a world cruise for which they had saved for years and which was part of their 40th wedding anniversary celebrations.
One of the seamen gripped Mrs Toms' arm so tightly as he helped her onto a floating pontoon that he broke her arm when the pontoon lurched suddenly. "I heard the bone crack," Mrs Toms said. "I had asked him not to grip so hard but he ignored me. When I finally got on board I was in so much pain I felt sick."
After the arm was put in plaster Mrs Toms remained in considerable pain and was forced to cancel many of her trips out from the liner. Liability for the accident has been denied ever since by the liner's owners. "The cruise cost nearly £40,000. I had put my entire teacher's pension towards the trip. All I want is an apology for the way I have been treated and some sort of goodwill compensation. And I hope that no other elderly passenger has to go through what I have been through."
Mrs Toms' lawyer Rachel Sarfas, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, the most experienced personal injury firm in the UK, said: "It is a disgrace that the owners of the QE2 have so far refused to admit that they are responsible for ruining the dream holiday of an elderly couple. Mrs Toms suffered not just physically, but was traumatised by what happened to her. For the distress alone she should be compensated, but so far not so much as an apology has been received."
Scout Association should carry the can for boy's death, parents say - The parents of a boy scout killed on a scouting expedition on Snowdon have called on the Scouting Association to be held responsible for the tragedy.
Their call comes on the morning that Peter Finlay, the scout leader in charge of the expedition, is due to be charged with the manslaughter of their 10-year-old son Jonathan Attwell. Jonathan died falling from the East Ridge of the mountain. He had been walking at the back of the group, while Finlay and the other three adults on the expedition were at the front.
Although Jonathan's parents Martyn and Lynn are relieved that this is happening, they say that the Scout Association must be made to bear responsibility for not checking that the children on the expedition would be safe. The association failed to check where Finlay was taking the group and whether he was qualified to take it.
Finlay had not passed the leadership exams to take groups on to the more difficult mountain ranges and his first aid certificate had run out. "We are very angry with the Scout Association which has so far failed to admit that its lack of checks caused the death of our son," the Attwells said. "We believe it had a duty to ensure that our son would be safe and we would obviously never have let him go on the expedition if we had known that the necessary checks had not been made."
Client Testimonials after Holiday Injury
Testimonials from clients who have received holiday injury compensation
Over £3,000 holiday injury compensation for Union member
"I work for a local council in East Yorkshire. My accident happened in May 2006 whilst my husband and I were on a cruise on the Queen Mary 2 to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The cruise ship was owned and operated by Cunard and we were travelling from Southampton to Norway on what should have been a dream holiday.
"Whilst taking in the sights on my balcony early on the first morning on board, a sheet of glass fell down towards me from a deck above. The glass on impact missed me by inches and I fell backwards to the ground, injuring my right wrist and right side. I'd never been on a cruise before and I was left frightened by what happened. The same morning on board there was also a person murdered on the ship. These incidents ruined my holiday.
"As an active union member I contacted UNISON who immediately put me in touch with Thompsons Solicitors who made placing a claim so easy for me! It was quick and most of the contact was from my home phone and my PC.
"Having gone through this experience I found Thompsons to be very friendly, which enabled me to soon build up a good rapport with my solicitor. If there was something I didn't understand or was unsure of, she explained it. She was responsive and very effective. With the solicitors support, I secured just over £3,000 compensation which I was pleased with.
"Above all, this proves just how valuable and important having union membership is today when things go wrong, because it not only covers injuries sustained while on holiday, it also covers accidents at work.
"Having gone through this experience I'll certainly recommend Thompsons to colleagues!"
Advice for people travelling abroad on holiday
Useful advice for anyone taking a holiday abroad
If you suffer from a holiday accident, holiday injury or holiday illness whilst abroad, the last thing you may want to hear is that you have to pay for your own medical treatment; however, in most countries around the world you will have to pay for any medical treatment you receive.
The United Kingdom has set up agreements with some countries, which enables travellers to receive free or low cost emergency care if they are involved in an accident on holiday or suffer an illness on holiday.
Before you travel, you should apply for a European Health Insurance Card. The card is free to apply for and should be taken with you on your holiday abroad.
The European Health Insurance card is valid for use in:
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus (but not Northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
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