What if I am Injured While on Vacation?

If you’re going on vacation, numerous exciting experiences are sure to await. One which you might never expect, however, has to do with personal injury. Yes, it is possible to suffer accidental harm while having fun away from home. Your chances of experiencing this could be greater or lesser depending on your entertainment or venue of choice, and nothing exists to automatically protect you against it.

The ways in which you could be harmed while on vacation are many and varied. You might tumble downstairs in your hotel, fall over the rail of your sightseeing boat or break your leg on a broken ride at the amusement park. While lack of sleep, alcohol or unfamiliarity with the region might have played a role, so might unsafe and overcrowded conditions and hazards posed by food, water, insects and other environmental conditions. Regardless of the circumstances, one burning question comes to mind: Do you have any legal recourse?

The answer is yes, you might. However, after suffering injury while on vacation, there are some steps you’ll need to take. It will be important to:

Immediately notify someone in charge. Depending on the circumstances, it could be a staff member, employee or member of law enforcement. Whatever happens, don’t keep the news to yourself. Fill out an accident report and get a copy of it, even if you have to take a picture of it with your phone.
Get medical help right away. A doctor or hospital visit is the last thing you want to deal with while on vacation, but you’ll need to document your injuries as soon as possible after they have occurred.
Gather evidence at the scene by taking pictures or video and obtaining contact information of anyone who may have witnessed the incident. If you are too badly injured to do this yourself, have a traveling companion do it for you.
Check your insurance policies. Not all insurers will cover an accidental injury that happens while you are on vacation, particularly when the accident takes place in another state.

It is true that if your injury occurred inside United States boundaries, most health insurers are under a legal obligation to cover emergency medical care regardless of where in the country you obtain it. However, there may be a difference of opinion as to what the insurer considers to be a true emergency.

Furthermore, if your planned vacation roster includes such risky activities as bungee jumping, sky diving or mountain climbing, it might pay to check with your insurer before your departure date. What you learn could induce you to change those dangerous plans.

When Your Vacation Injury Is Not Your Fault

If the harm you have suffered happened through no fault of your own, you may consider pursuing a personal injury suit against the responsible person or entity. If so, you will have to consider that the statute of limitation for the injury in question can vary from one state to another. The jurisdiction can matter as well. You must be ready to prove that the injury took place within the boundaries of the state in which you intend to file your claim.

If defective equipment or machinery played a role, you need to learn when the item underwent its last safety inspection. Its owner, provider or manufacturer could ultimately be to blame.

If a rented vacation home was involved, check to see whether the owner carries liability coverage. Hotels, amusement parks, shops and other business entities, for their part, have a legal responsibility to maintain their arenas in a hazard-free condition and to warn patrons of any known potential dangers.

Obtaining Compensation for Your Vacation Injuries

Anyone who suffers injury through no fault of his own while on vacation away from home has a right to compensation to cover the cost of his or her:

– Medical treatment.
– Rehabilitation.
– Property damage
– Pain and suffering.
– Disability.
– Lost wages.
– Permanent impairment/scaring

Depending on the circumstances, punitive damages and wrongful death benefits may also apply.

Although injuries suffered while on vacation may happen only occasionally, those to whom they occur will benefit from legal assistance. Never settle for what an insurer is willing to pay. Far higher sums are attainable, and the personal injury lawyers at The Powerhouse Injury Attorneys will fight to see that you get what you are entitled to. For the best in personal injury representation, call The Powerhouse Injury Attorneys today: 702-444-2222