International Personal Injury
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Our team of international personal injury lawyers support people who’ve been injured while outside the UK.
Suffering a personal injury overseas can mean struggling to adapt to an unfamiliar healthcare system at a time when you need to focus on recovering from your injuries. Having the right legal team backing you up can be a real source of reassurance.
We have the expertise needed to deal with claims for personal injury across the world, and our team have helped many clients to obtain the crucial compensation needed to help them recover.
Our experience conducting personal injury litigation in many jurisdictions means we are aware of the pitfalls that could stop the claim from being successful.
If you’ve been injured while overseas and would like to find out whether you can make a claim, contact us today.
Types of international personal injury accident
Many accidents abroad are linked to holidays, although of course that’s not the only time that people can be injured. The types of accident that we’ve helped with include:
- Skiing accidents
- Road traffic accidents
- Swimming accidents
- Accidents while on a package holiday
- Airline accidents
- Accidents on cruise ships
- Watersports accidents
- Quadbiking accidents
What to do after an injury abroad
The travel insurance policy that you have in place prior to travel is often the most important part of dealing with an injury sustained while overseas.
Healthcare systems around the world all work differently, but the requirement to pay for healthcare if you aren’t a resident of the country is universal. Your travel insurance policy should cover reasonable medical expenses that are incurred whilst abroad in dealing with your injury and the costs of repatriation if required.
Make sure your accident and any resulting injury has been reported to the correct authorities, including the police, if you’re on a package holiday the company who organised it, and also your travel insurance provider. If the place where the accident happened has an accident book, make sure your injury has been recorded in there.
When it comes to making a claim, you should follow much the same guidance as you would if you’d been injured in the UK – keep track of your expenses and get receipts wherever possible, gather evidence you can about the how, why, when and where of your injury, including notes from any medical treatment. Photographs of the accident location and any alleged defect which you believe led to your accident can be extremely helpful. It is also vital to find a solicitor with the right level of expertise to successfully deal with your claim.
How much compensation can I get for an international personal injury claim?
The laws relating to injury claims vary depending on the country you are in when the injury happens, the type of accident that has occurred and whether the claim falls under the current package travel regulations. The costs that you could include in a claim in England or Wales may not be recoverable to the same extent in other jurisdictions.
This makes it difficult to give guideline amounts of compensation that could be awarded if your claim is successful without knowing more about what happened to you, and where. If you’d like to speak to our team to find out more, you can contact us here. We’ll be able to advise about the losses you may be able to recover as part of your claim, and how those losses will be calculated.
Can you claim compensation for an accident abroad?
If you’ve been injured in an accident overseas, you may still be able to make a personal injury claim, just as you would if you’d been injured whilst in the UK.
If you’ve been badly hurt, you may even be able to ask for an interim payment – this is an early part-payment of damages made while your case is still ongoing. It is intended to give you a head-start on obtaining private medical treatment so that you can make an earlier recovery than you would have been able to using public healthcare.
Who do I claim against if I have an accident abroad?
If you’ve had an accident overseas, you might be able to claim against:
Your package holiday tour operator or travel agent– this would be the case if the accident was connected with the package holiday such as a slip or trip in the resort.
If you were injured on either a flight or a cruise ship, you may be able to claim against the air carrier or the cruise operator.
Alternatively you may have to bring a claim against a defendant in their own country if your accident resulted from for example, a road traffic accident or a collision on a piste with a foreign third party. Given the differences between the UK and other legal systems the process can be quite complex and expert advice is essential.
We have extensive experience in dealing with a wide variety of international personal injury claims. Alongside our own in-depth knowledge of the complexities of personal injury abroad, we have built lasting relationships with a network of trusted lawyers in other jurisdictions and can call on their expertise when required.
Suzie was involved in motorcycle accident in France following a collision with another driver. She suffered extensive orthopaedic injuries which required multiple surgeries.
Suzie was involved in motorcycle accident in France following a collision with another driver. She suffered extensive orthopaedic injuries which required multiple surgeries.
We obtained a copy of the police report which confirmed the other driver was at fault. We then identified their insurer abroad and initiated a claim against them for damages sustained as a result of the accident. Liability was admitted, which meant we were able to obtain an interim payment to enable Suzie to pay for private medical treatment to assist with her recovery once she had returned home.
The case settled for a six figure sum which included damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, cost of private medical care, additional aids and equipment, insurer outlay and other expenses incurred as a result of the accident.
Dealing with international personal injury claims
Because there are so many variations involved with injuries overseas, every case will be uniquely complex. Finding a solicitor with the right skillset can be a huge help. For example. we have foreign language capabilities which allow us to investigate matters efficiently and cost-effectively. Our language capabilities also mean we can approach hospitals for medical notes, police and courts for accident reports in the local language, and know that what we’ve received is correct.
How much time do I have to make a claim for a personal injury overseas?
Time limits to pursue a claim can vary from country to country and often from state to state. They can be as short as a few months all the way up to 10 years. Time limits may also vary depending on whether the injured party involved is a minor.
Jurisdictional issues are complex and are very much case sensitive/specific, so if you have questions please do contact us.
It is essential to obtain expert legal advice sooner rather than later so that no applicable time limits are missed.
How long will it take to settle my claim?
This will vary depending on the nature of the injuries, the length of time it takes to recover from those injuries, whether the defendant(s) cooperate and the length of time it takes to collate all the evidence required to put forward full details of the claim.
Who can claim accident abroad compensation?
Anyone who has been injured while overseas can consider making a claim for personal injury.
In the case of a fatality, a claim may be pursued in the name of the Estate of the deceased.
Will I need to go to Court if I make a claim for an international personal injury?
Attending court is always a possibility and can never be ruled out. However, the majority of claims settle without the need to attend a full trial. Your assistance will be required throughout in order to achieve the best result possible.
