Why you may need a personal injury lawyer if you are injured abroad
Most of the time vacations, gap years and other types of trips go smoothly. You have a fantastic time and you arrive home energized, happier and more relaxed than when you went away. But, every now and again things go wrong. For example, you could have an accident and end up being injured.
Should that happen to you it is important to react to the situation in the right way. Doing so will have a significant impact on how well your recovery goes and whether you end up being properly reimbursed and compensated. As you will see, you need to do far more than just seek good quality medical help.
Get in contact with a lawyer
Now, I know this is going to sound strange, but, if you are in the USA you need to call a personal injury lawyer like Sevenishlaw. Their advice about how to proceed could prove to be invaluable.
They know how the system works, so can guide you about how to gather effective evidence. A good lawyer will help you to avoid taking the blame, or inadvertently helping those responsible to wriggle out of their responsibilities.
In most countries, you are entitled to as much compensation as someone who is a permanent resident there. But, like them, you will probably have to fight to get it. So, give a personal accident lawyer a call and take advantage of their professional advice. It might be useful to look for a local personal injury lawyer, depending on your location. Usually, your initial phone call is totally free. You only pay if you wish to engage them to fight your case.
You cannot always rely 100% on travel insurance
But, don’t forget to involve your travel insurance company too. Provided you have bought a good policy you will have coverage for injuries sustained during your travels. The problem is how much coverage and what circumstances it covered.
Let’s say you go skiing and get hit by the chair lift because the attendant did not do their job. If you did not tick the adventure sports option when buying your policy you are probably not covered. Your insurance company is not going to pay out. In that situation, you are going to have to secure compensation yourself direct from the chair lift operator. Something you are going to, almost certainly, need a lawyer for.
Even if you are covered for the activity you were engaged in when you had your accident, you may still have a problem. Most policies cap how much they will pay out. If the cost of dealing with your injuries goes over that amount, you will be left to foot the bill for the rest. Again, the only way to recover the rest of the cash would be to do so directly from the person responsible. So, you will almost certainly need a lawyer in that situation.
If you want to learn more about the types of things travel insurance may not cover you for, you can do so by going here. Being aware of these things will help you to avoid taking unnecessary risks while abroad. Or, enable you to seek out other forms of insurance to cover the gaps.
