What to do if you are Injured in Abroad?

There’s no ideal place and time to have an injury. However, for this to happen on your holiday is especially inconvenient at best and nightmarish at worst.

Recent statistics show that of all the fatal accidents that befell Brits abroad last year, Spain and France were where they most commonly happened. We don’t want to scare you ahead of your trip, but we do want to suggest a little bit of caution!

Everyone should know what to do in an emergency. Here are the steps to take in this scenario (just in case!)

Seek medical attention

If your injury is anything more than minor, don’t try to soldier through. Ahead of any holiday, you should always take out travel insurance. This can save you hundreds or even thousands of pounds! Most comprehensive policies offer at least £2 million in medical coverage. Look out for a policy that includes the cost of an air ambulance to take you home. 

The other great thing about travel insurance is that if you have a medical issue, you should be able to simply ring them to find out the next steps. This can save you the hassle of navigating the country’s medical system alone. 

If you are in the EU or Switzerland and you have an EHIC card which is still valid, bring it on holiday with you! If you don’t, apply for a GHIC card so that you can still access state healthcare at a reduced rate (or if you’re lucky, no charge at all).

Take notes and photos

We know it’s hard to think ahead when you’re in a tricky situation on holiday but try to remember this – it’s always best to take notes. 

This means recording what happened to cause your injury and vital details like the time and place. Record the date and time of any medical appointments, along with the name of the professional you saw. 

If you can take pictures to complement these notes, even better. Your insurance company will need evidence of what happened before they can pay out. Showing them notes jotted down at the time and photo evidence can go a long way. 

Photos of the injury itself are important, if possible. Photos of an unhygienic restaurant that gave you food poisoning or an unsteady surface that caused a fall could also strengthen your case. 

Report the accident

Inform your travel insurance policy of the injury at the earliest possible opportunity.

Staying in a hotel or resort? You should also report it to a rep here. It’s important that they know you may need extra assistance and that your accommodation plans are likely to be disrupted by the injury.

Consider making a compensation claim

If the accident wasn’t your fault, you may be able to make a no-win no-fee personal injury claim. This can help cover any of the medical costs that you couldn’t get your travel insurance to help with. If there are lasting impacts on your life post-holiday, a claim could also secure you the vital compensation needed to cover these. 

For this reason, another important thing to retain is any receipts for medical bills and urgent transportation. Holidays that go wrong are no fun, and let’s hope you don’t get caught in this sticky situation! But if you do, at least you can enter the fray with some idea of what to do.