| Never before have so many of us travelled. Cheap | | | | helps people find a foreign insurance company is one |
| flights abroad and easy access to information means | | | | can't be identified. |
| it has never been simpler to travel. Sadly, one of the | | | | Duty of care |
| downsides of these changes is that we are more | | | | Wherever you are, those responsible for organising |
| likely to have an accident abroad. However, even | | | | your holiday - from tour operators to hotel staff - all |
| though this happens in a different country it might still | | | | have a duty of care to you. This means they are |
| be possible to make an accident claim. | | | | obliged in so far as is reasonable to make sure you |
| Making a claim gets easier | | | | don't come into harm's way. For instance, a hotelier |
| Making a holiday accident claim isn't always easy. | | | | has to make sure his accommodation is clean and |
| Usually compensation is determined by the laws of | | | | hygienic, whereas an excursion company must be |
| the country where the accident or incident took | | | | certain their vehicles are properly maintained. If in |
| place. This can mean your right to compensation is | | | | either of these cases these companies had failed in |
| affected in a way you might not suspect and | | | | their obligations and duty of care then they could be |
| lawyers' fees aren't always recoverable. However, if | | | | open to an accident claim. |
| you feel you have been unjustly treated and that | | | | One way a company can avoid an accident claim is |
| someone is to blame then you should still pursue the | | | | to carry out a risk assessment. Unfortunately, not all |
| matter. | | | | companies fulfil this basic requirement. Some |
| Since the early 1990s, a number of laws have been | | | | underestimate their risk level and open themselves up |
| passed in the European Union which make it easier | | | | to a claim for compensation. |
| for people to make a claim for an accident that took | | | | Information for making a holiday accident claim |
| place while they were abroad. The 1992 Package | | | | If you or a loved one suffer an accident or injury |
| Travel, Package Holiday and Package Tour Regulation | | | | when on holiday, there are a number of common |
| is one such regulation and it also enables victims to | | | | sense steps you can take which will make it easier to |
| claim compensation for their holiday accident in the | | | | make an accident claim. It is easy to forget to obtain |
| UK. | | | | basic information when you are on holiday, and this |
| Another more recent law that helps people make | | | | can be much harder to find after you have returned |
| holiday accident claims is the 4th EU Motor Directive | | | | home. Names, addresses, dates and times are all |
| 2003. This directive means that all European cars are | | | | crucial. You might also want to take a photograph of |
| listed on one database. The relevance for this is that | | | | what caused the accident as well as any injuries you |
| it makes foreign cars easier to identify after an | | | | have suffered. Get as many details as you can and |
| accident. Added to this, the Motor Insurers Bureau | | | | this will really help your claim. |