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Being in a road traffic accident abroad can be a horrifying experience. While a road traffic accident can be traumatic regardless of whether it happens at home or abroad, getting involved in one while you are out of the country can feel infinitely worse. You may not know which hospital to go to, to get emergency treatment or where the nearest police station is to file a police report. Things get even more complicated if you do not speak the local language.
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident abroad due to somebody else’s negligence, you should get in touch with a personal injury solicitor back home in the U.K as you may be able to claim compensation.
What types of road traffic accidents abroad can you claim for?
A road traffic accident abroad claim is not limited to a single situation in which you were injured while driving a car. If the road accident wasn’t your fault you could also file such claim if the accident occurred while you were sitting in a taxi, riding a bicycle or a motorbike, travelling by bus or coach, walking on the pavement or injured in a hit and run accident.
Complications associated with road accidents abroad
When you are involved in an accident abroad, you may be subjected to the local laws. If you are not familiar with the local laws in that country, you may inadvertently do something that could jeopardise your chances of getting any compensation for your injuries.
While you can claim compensation for a road traffic accident abroad, pursuing such a claim is far from straightforward. There are several factors involved, from the region in which the accident happened to the circumstances in which the accident happened. It also matters whether the negligent party was from the U.K or driving for a U.K employer.
If you are not a legal expert, you should refrain from initiating any legal proceedings by yourself, either at home or in the country where the accident occurred. The best thing that you can do is to follow a few recommended post-accident procedures and contact a personal injury solicitor for legal advice.
What you should do after a road traffic accident abroad
As with any other accident, the first thing you should do is attend to your injuries. Getting a medical check up immediately after an accident is crucial in order to prevent any complications at a later date. If you have any family, friends or colleagues in the car with you, make sure everyone is okay and that everyone gets the necessary medical attention.
If you are travelling abroad, it’s highly likely you will have a camera or a camera phone with you. If it is safe to do so take photographs of the accident site. Get plenty of pictures showing different angles of any vehicles involved in the accident, the point of impact and the damage to the vehicles. Make sure some of the photographs include the surroundings to give the images some perspective. Also get photographs of any visible injuries.
Look around and see if there are any traffic cameras or CCTV in the area. If there is, try to get a copy of the recordings.
Were there any other drivers or bystanders who witnessed the accident? Get their names and contact details so they can provide witness statements to support your compensation claim. Witness statements play an important role in helping settle road traffic accident abroad claims.
In almost all countries, the police from the nearest police station will be at the accident scene and file their own report. Ask for a copy of this report.
One thing you should NOT do
It is quite common for insurance lawyers to get in touch with you and offer you an out of court settlement. This is especially if the accident was clearly not your fault. The amount they offer may seem quite generous at the time, made even more tempting by the fact that you could avoid a potentially long legal battle.
No matter how attractive the offer, here’s why you should never accept any settlement in a hurry:
- The amount you are being offered is almost definitely nowhere near the amount that you should receive by way of compensation
- The offered amount does not take into consideration your pain and suffering or the long term repercussions of your injuries
- One of the conditions of the settlement is that you will have to sign an agreement waiving all rights to seek further compensation
The last thing you need is to get cheated out of the compensation due to you. To avoid getting into such a situation, steer clear of signing anything before speaking to your solicitor.
No win no fee road traffic accident abroad claims
The good news is you can file a road traffic accident abroad claim on a No Win No Fee basis. When you speak to your solicitor, they will explain the process to you.
While the details may vary from one solicitor to another, the way a no win no fee contract generally works is that the solicitor funds the entire legal process. You only pay a success fee. This means you only pay if your claim is successful. The agreement between you and your solicitor will lay out details of how and when the fees have to be paid.
To safeguard your legal rights in case of an accident abroad, call your personal injury solicitor back home in the U.K. They will give you the best advice as to what you should and should not do.