Foreign office accidents abroad

A report from the Foreign Office has revealed the true extent of British citizens having accidents abroad.

In the annual British Behaviour Abroad study, the Foreign Office reported that it handled 19,874 assistance cases between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012, of which there were 3,739 hospitalisations. This equates to ten Brits per day being hospitalised following an accident on holiday.

The number of hospitalisations has increased sharply in popular package holiday destinations such as Greece, Egypt and Spain. In fact, over 30 per cent of all UK citizens hospitalised last year were in Spain, and half of those took place on the party islands of Majorca and Ibiza – balcony incidents and road accidents were cited as the most common causes.

Of course, the situation could be exacerbated by the number of people neglecting to buy travel insurance. A survey by the AA found that 22 per cent of Brits travelling abroad in 2011 did not buy travel insurance due to the extra cost. But without insurance, the costs incurred by hospitalisation or treatment while abroad can be devastating.

Make a holiday accident compensation claim

Many Brits who have accidents abroad do not realise they could be entitled to make a claim for compensation.

If you booked a package holiday or booked through a tour operator, you may be able to make a package holiday injury claim. The UK courts will allow you to make a personal injury claim against the UK-based company you booked through if the negligence resulted in harm to a traveller. Similarly, if your holiday was a cruise or coach trip and the operator was to blame for your accident, you could be eligible for travel injury compensation.

Remember:

• There must be a UK-based operator or organiser at fault in order to make a claim through the UK courts
• It is very rare to make a successful claim if you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time
• There is no substitute for comprehensive travel insurance

If you feel as though you have suffered a personal injury due to the actions or negligence of someone else, Sheldon Davidson Solicitors' team of Manchester Personal Injury Solicitors will advise you on the best way to proceed with your claim, applying their skills and expertise to ensure you receive the maximum compensation award.

Sheldon Davidson Solicitors are personal injury experts with a long-standing track record of successfully settling a broad range of Personal Injury Claims, including everything from Uninsured Driver Claims and Accidents at Work Claims to Medical Negligence Claims.