What to Do if You’ve Been Hurt While Travelling
When preparing to leave on a vacation or business trip, one of the most important things to think about is your health and safety. Depending on where you are going, you may need to pack insect repellants, get travel insurance, and stay vigilant while in the various destinations you visit during the trip. Nothing can be more frustrating than falling ill or sustaining injuries while in a foreign country. It even gets more challenging if you are not well familiar with the area or can’t speak the local language. In such a critical situation, it is important to know how to seek help and what to do. On this note, here are some basic pointers on what to do if you have been hurt while traveling.
Seek Immediate Medical Care
This is undoubtedly the first and most important step to take when you’ve been injured traveling. Depending on the kind of injuries you’ve suffered, some situations call for immediate medical attention. If you have been involved in an accident or have suffered an animal bite, for instance, you should seek medical care immediately. The same case applies when you suffer a physical attack or sexual assault.
This is why it is important to widely research your destination before your visit, noting down the contacts and physical address details of some of the reputable medical health facilities around. It’s even better if you are using a travel agency because most of them partner up with healthcare facilities to provide care to their clients in case of such occurrences. Some of them even provide air ambulances and flying doctors in case you are off the grid on an adventure, so be sure to talk to your travel agent for medical assistance as soon as possible. This is also why having travel insurance is of critical importance.
Talk To An Injury Attorney
Travel injuries are not anything uncommon. After seeking medical attention, the next important step to take is to talk to a personal injury lawyer. The main challenge with injuries sustained abroad is that sometimes insurance companies decline to cover for medical care.
This is because the injury most likely occurred in a different jurisdiction from where the injury occurred. As pointed out by the legal team at The Champion Firm, each and every personal injury case is unique and deserves a personal approach. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your travel injury, your personal injury attorney will help you navigate the complexities involved in abroad injury cases through a personalized approach. They will determine the best way to get justice for you, which will either be through settlement or trial in a court of law. They will use their experience to determine whether to sue the insurance company or the person who was responsible for your injury.
Contact Your Insurance Agency
If you carry travel insurance, it is also important to contact them as soon as you suffer your injury and let them know about it. In this case, they will advise you on the closest healthcare facility you can visit for medical attention. This is also important because some medical facilities could be choosy on the insurance policies they accept. In case you do not have travel insurance and you are a bit stranded on paying for the treatment, you could contact your country’s embassy for assistance. The latter could also be a wise move if you need medical evacuation, especially if the injury is so severe for treatment to be provided at your destination abroad. They can help evacuate you to your home state or country for further medical assistance and care.
What If You’re Injured On The Plane or Ship?
While this is uncommon, it is also possible to fall seek or sustain an injury while on the plane or ship, perhaps due to turbulence. When this happens, one of the first things to do is to let the flight attendant know of your injury. Planes and cruise ships normally have an in-house team of medical attendants just in case. The plane could also be redirected to a place where you can receive specialized medical care if your injury or illness is serious. Don’t suffer in silence when hurt while on a plane or cruise ship.
The last thing any traveler wants is for their trip to be cut short by an injury or illness. If you know the steps to take, however, you can get back to it in no time without frustration. Injuries are huge medical emergencies, but one thing is for sure. Once you know how to go about it, you will receive the care you need in good timing and even have your bills taken care of by your insurer, travel agent, or government.
