Holiday accident death and getting your loved one home

If a holiday accident abroad proves fatal, one of the foremost concerns of the bereaved family, even before they consider a compensation claim, will be repatriation of the mortal remains. Getting your loved one home can be a daunting and complex task.

Worldwide differences in the cultural and legal attitudes to death and dying make the logistics of a death abroad labyrinthine. Within the European Union calls have been made to streamline laws relating to movement of bodily remains between states. In 2004, the death of a teenager in Spain sparked such calls after the lengthy procedure to repatriate the body to the UK caused extreme distress to the family.

Michael Cashman, member of the European parliament (MEP) said at the time, "We need to remove the obstacles that cause trauma to hundreds of families every year."

The MEP warned that insurance for holiday accident and injury is a must, as bureaucratic obstacles are likely to be encountered and, in many cases, only money can help speed the repatriation process. The new EU services directive will permit cross-border funerals to take place and will make cross-border transportation easier.

Of course, one of the biggest hindrances to swift repatriation well be the circumstances surrounding the death. In short, any non-natural death, such as a holiday accident, will involve the police.

A traffic accident, for instance, should prove easier to resolve than a contentious incident such as a murder and if the deceased is insured it can take a much shorter time than without cover. Most travel insurance and international private medical insurance (PMI) policies will include, or have as an optional extra, a standard repatriation clause. This will typically cover paperwork, associated certificates, body preparation, coffin and transportation of the body or ashes of the insured from the place of death to the home country.

Malcolm Tarling, from the Association of British Insurers advised, "Always check to make sure you know what you are covered for."

Travel and PMI policies tend to pay reasonable expenses, but most will have an upper limit of cover and the policy will almost certainly not cover the cost of the funeral once in the home country.

Holiday accident bereavement and YouClaim
We understand the emotional stress of losing a loved one and, once you have completed the repatriation process, if the accident was not the fault of the deceased, you may wish to start seeking compensation for the loss.

All our solicitors have years of experience, are sensitive and professional, and are governed by the exacting standards demanded by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. They work entirely on a no win, no fee basis and, in a won case, you will always receive 100% of any compensation awarded.

You can speak to one of our friendly and knowledgeable advisers by calling free on 0800 10 757 95 or we can always call you back at a time to suit you.
Or you may wish to fill in our online claim form giving us brief details of the holiday accident claim. Whichever way you choose to get in touch with us we endeavour to give you the best no win no fee service possible.