Holiday injuries and basic health and safety precautions

Before embarking on a bit of rest, relaxation and fun in sunnier climes, most Brits do not imagine that if they have the misfortune of sustaining a holiday injury during an accident abroad it will occur in relatively ordinary circumstances.

The majority of prospective holidaymakers surveyed believe that if they are to suffer a holiday injury it will be as the result of some exotic leisure activity or weather phenomena. In fact, so strong is this view, that 67% of all those who participated in an informal survey believed that when on holiday they were most likely to suffer injury either in the water or on the ski slopes.

Yet the truth is that, although there are very real and heavily documented dangers associated with both skiing and watersports, holidaymakers are far more likely to suffer injury in more familiar circumstances. Whether a simple slip or trip, a fall, a case of food poisoning or a road accident, accidents on holiday are far more likely to occur in familiar circumstances than exotic ones. For while the location may be different, the causes are likely to be the same.

Inevitably, some things will be different. In the UK we are accustomed to living in one of the most health and safety conscious societies in the world. This means that we are offered all kinds of regulatory and legislative protections, perhaps best exampled by the various incarnations of the Health and Safety Act.

Other countries, especially those outside the EU, often do not share this history of accident protection, meaning that simple things, such as traversing a wet floor or climbing a set of stairs have the potential to be more hazardous than they are at home.

This is amply demonstrated by anecdotal evidence about stair accidents among UK holidaymakers abroad. Many people, perhaps even you, will know someone who has "done in" their knee while falling on stairs abroad. There are many reasons for this, in some holiday destinations stairs will not have the same level of grip or the same ergonomically designed balustrades as we are accustomed to in the UK. This makes taking extra care when performing simple acts like traversing stairs a pivotal part of holiday safety.

For example, people who need glasses should always wear them when on stairs, walking corridors or moving about hotel foyers, while everyone should remain steady, hold any balustrades or handrails, and whatever the rush, always act with less haste than they might otherwise.

The no win, no fee personal injury specialists
YouClaim have the expertise that comes with years of experiencing successfully representing the victims of non-fault or partial-fault accidents.

We have no win, no fee lawyers working on our panel firms whose forte is securing compensation for people who have been injured in holiday accidents.

It is for good reason that we have a strong reputation for putting the needs of the holiday injury client first. This is reflected in our cost-free pricing structure for this kind of claim. Win or lose, we never charge a penny in legal costs or fees, protect claimants from all costs incurred by the opposing legal side, and with our no-cut commitment guarantee 100% compensation in all successful claims.

To find out more about how we can give your claim the very best chance of success and connect you with a Solicitors Regulation Authority governed no win, no fee lawyer in your local area, fill out an internet claim form, have an online chat, request a call-back from us, or call a legal advisor now on 0800 10 757 95.