Holiday Accident Claims – How Much Compensation Can You Claim?

In many cases, holidays pass without any issues, and everybody returns home feeling refreshed. However, if you are injured in an accident on holiday, your trip can be ruined, and you may continue to suffer when you return home. Importantly, if your injury was due to another party’s negligence, such as a hotel, travel operator or tour guide, you may be eligible to make a holiday accident claim for compensation.

In this guide, we’ll explain when you may be eligible to make a holiday accident claim, how the claims process works, and we shall also look at potential payout amounts.

If you’re considering making a holiday accident claim and would prefer to speak with a claims advisor right away, please call 0800 6524 881 for free advice.

Am I Eligible To Make A Holiday Accident Claim?

When you book a holiday, you expect that any facilities you pay for will be safe and the holiday will be relatively risk-free. Legally, you will be owed a duty of care by your hotel, campsite, or tour operator, depending on how you booked your holiday. That means that if somebody else’s action (or inaction) causes an accident to happen, and you are injured on holiday as a result, a compensation claim might be possible.

To make a successful holiday accident claim, you will typically need evidence to demonstrate that:

• A third party was negligent in some way.
• That negligence caused an accident during your holiday.
• As a result, you sustained an injury or injuries.

To substantiate your claim, you will likely need to supply some strong evidence. We look at this evidence in a later section.

Common Types Of Holiday Accident Claims

While we can’t cover every possible incident that might lead to a holiday accident claim, below are some examples of common accidents that could result in compensation:

• Slips, trips or falls in hotel lobbies, corridors, or restaurants due to wet floors, uneven surfaces, or poor lighting.
• Balcony or terrace accidents, such as falls caused by faulty railings or poorly maintained structures.
• Swimming pool accidents due to a lack of safety procedures or supervision.
• Accidents on guided tours or excursions caused by inadequate safety measures or poorly maintained equipment, like bicycles or quad bikes.
• Transport accidents, such as on shuttle buses or during transfers due to reckless driving or poorly maintained vehicles.
• Accidents in hotel rooms due to defective or broken furniture, such as a broken chair or collapsing beds.
• Accidents at tourist attractions, including theme parks or water parks, caused by faulty rides or poor safety procedures.
• Water sports or boating accidents, such as jet ski or sailing accidents caused by a lack of safety instructions or defective equipment.
• Food poisoning from hotel buffets or restaurants due to improper food handling or storage.

If you are interested in letting us check your case to see if you have a chance of being compensated, please get in touch.

Common Injuries From An Accident On Holiday

We could help you begin a claim for any injuries you’ve sustained whilst on holiday if the accident was not your fault. Some of the more common injuries claimed for in holiday accident claims include:

Don’t worry if your injury doesn’t appear on this list, you may still have grounds for a claim. Therefore, you may wish to contact a holiday accident claims solicitor on our team for legal advice.

How Much Holiday Accident Compensation Could I Claim?

As no two-holiday accident claims are the same, the amount of compensation payable varies from case to case. The amount paid will be determined by a few different factors. They include how serious your injuries were, whether you’ve lost any money, and if you’ve suffered life-changing or long-term injuries.

Compensation is typically divided into two damages:

• General damages – This covers compensation for pain, suffering, and loss of amenity due to your injuries.
• Special damages – This accounts for any financial losses or expenses caused by the accident. This can include:
  • Medical expenses, both in the UK and abroad.
  • Travel costs, such as getting home if your holiday was cut short.
  • Lost earnings if your injury forced you to take time off work.
  • Costs for care or assistance during your recovery.
  • The cost of repairing or replacing any damaged belongings.

The easiest way to find out what amount of holiday accident compensation you could be paid is to ask a solicitor or specialist advisor on our team.

If you’re injured on holiday and decide to make a claim, and where there is a reasonable chance of success, one of our holiday claim solicitors could represent you on a No Win No Fee basis. This will make the claims process less stressful due to the fact you won’t need to worry about spending money on fees while the claim is in progress.

Holiday Injury Compensation Calculator

When solicitors, courts and insurers set compensation amounts, they can refer to compensation guidelines set by the Judicial College. Therefore, by using our holiday accident compensation calculator below which is based on those guidelines, you may get some idea of what your holiday injury might be worth.

However, please note that the figures in our calculator are for guidance only.

Please call us if you’d like to discuss what injury you’ve suffered and we’ll review your holiday accident claim without obligation.

Evidence To Support A Holiday Accident Claim

Following an accident on holiday, we would suggest that you do the following to obtain evidence for your claim:

• Report the incident to your holiday rep or the hotel/campsite operator as soon as you can.
• Ask for a copy of any accident reports filed with the holiday provider, hotel, or another responsible party.
• Take pictures or videos of the accident scene. This should show the root cause before it has been removed if possible.
• Attend A&E to have any injuries assessed and treated.
• Ask any witnesses if they mind providing their contact details.
• Request copies of any CCTV footage that covers the area where the accident took place.
• Keep a note of any expenses and/or wages lost as a result of your injuries.
• Keep receipts for any medical treatment, including prescriptions, and travel costs related to the injury.
• Take photographs of any physical injuries throughout your recovery.
• Keep a record of any all correspondence with the holiday provider, hotel, or insurance company.

The more evidence you have that helps prove what happened, the better. However, we are happy to offer free assessments of holiday accident claims and could help further with obtaining evidence if needed.

Time Limit For Claiming Holiday Accident Compensation

When making a personal injury claim, you will need to be aware of the strict time limits. For accidents that have happened in the UK, in most cases, you’ll have a 3-year limitation period. However, where your injuries aren’t diagnosed straight away, your 3-year period could begin on the “date of knowledge”.

For holiday accident claims involving a child, the 3-year time limit does not apply. Using the litigation friend process, a parent, guardian, or relative could claim on the child’s behalf at any point before they are 18 years old. Where that doesn’t happen, when the child is 18, they will have 3 years to start their own claim.

If you’ve had an accident on holiday abroad, the time limit may vary depending on the country where the accident took place. Therefore, please contact our claims advisors for advice tailored to your specific situation.

Do I Need A Solicitor To File A Holiday Accident Claim?

No, legally you don’t need to use a solicitor to file a holiday accident claim but we believe that it is better if you do. That’s because their legal training and experience should make starting a claim much easier and the whole experience less stressful for claimants.

Furthermore, in our opinion, having a solicitor represent you can improve your chances of winning your claim and receiving a fair settlement for your injuries.

So that you don’t have to worry about the cost of your claim, any case we take on will be processed on a No Win No Fee basis.

How Long Do Holiday Accident Claims Take?

The amount of time holiday accident claims take to be processed depends on various factors. If the defendant admits liability for the accident and your injuries straight away, your case could be settled in a matter of months. Where negotiation is required, the claim could take up to a year or more.

To find out how long you have to begin your claim, please get in touch with one of our solicitors today.

Starting The Holiday Accident Claims Process

When you file a compensation claim for being injured on holiday, you must be able to prove how the accident occurred, why the defendant was to blame and what injuries you sustained. Even if you think the case is straightforward, you must be able to provide evidence in a clear and concise way otherwise you might not receive the compensation you deserve.

The best way of doing so is to have specialist legal representation. Using a solicitor could improve your chances of being compensated as they’ll try to make sure that ample evidence is provided to back up your allegations. They’ll also be there to deal with any queries or objections raised by the defendant’s legal team.

If you would like to know whether you could start the holiday accident claims process today, please get in touch with us on 0800 6524 881.