When you are on vacation it is supposed to be a time to relax and forget about your problems and your worries. But, every day people are injured while they travel. Tourist injuries can be especially difficult to deal with because you are far away from home. You may not even know anyone where you are staying.
If you have been hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you may have a legal right to compensation for your injuries.
The Claims Process
In the United States you have the right to make a claim for your damages from the person or company responsible for your injuries. This does not mean you have to file a lawsuit. The first step is identifying the responsible party. This can be harder than it seems.
If you were on a guided tour and you were injured, any number of parties could share liability for your injury. The tour company could be at fault. If you were hurt at a tourist attraction, a hotel, or some other place, the owner of the premises could be responsible.
After you have identified the at fault party you need to know how much your damages are.
You have the right to not only be compensated for your out of pocket expenses for medical care, missed work, and any property damage, but also for your pain and suffering. You usually need an experienced personal injury lawyer to understand what your case is worth.
You make a demand or file a claim with the party that is responsible for your injuries. Often an insurance company will be the one handling the claims. The insurance company does not represent you or even the party that hurt you. The insurance company tries to honor its contract with its covered entity while paying you out as little as possible.
Finding the Party Responsible
One problem with tourist injuries is tracking down the party who will pay the claim. Because you may have been hurt in a city or state far from where you live, you may have little information about where you were hurt.
If you are able to get a contact phone number or business card from the place where you were hurt, you will be much closer to being able to recover compensation for your injuries.
When you are unable to contact the responsible party, you need a lawyer who has contacts on the area and may be able to recommend an investigator to help find out whom to file your claim with.
Getting Help From Far Away
Because you may not be able to lean on your network for referrals to reliable personal injury lawyers, you need someone you can trust to help. A lawyer in your own hometown probably will not be able to represent you in a case that happened far away.
We can help connect you with a lawyer in the area where your claim will need to be filed. Because the personal injury laws of every state are different you need a local lawyer to handle the claim.
What if the Accident Happened Outside the U.S.?
Not all tourist injuries happen in the United States. If you have been hurt outside the U.S. you may be worried about trying to bring a claim in another country. While every case is different, you may able to still file your case in the United States.
When tourists are injured by large tour companies or on cruise ships, those businesses often have significant presences in the U.S They may be subject to local U.S. law, even for incidents that happen overseas.
Before you give up on getting compensated for an injury that happened in another country, contact trained personal injury lawyer.
You may be able to bring a claim in the United States and get the compensation you deserve.
Will Your Insurance Help Pay?
In some instances you may be able to collect from your own insurance company. This will depend on the specifics of your insurance policy, the type of accident you were involved in, and the facts of your case.
If you have uninsured motorist coverage and you are hurt in a car accident that was the fault of someone else in another state, and the at-fault driver does not have insurance, your own policy may pay out for your injuries.
Some travelers purchase limited travel insurance before a trip. Some policies have coverage for certain injuries. You will need to carefully review any insurance policies before making any claims.
Have been injured while on vacation? Don’t try and deal with a claim by yourself.
We can help you find the right personal injury lawyer to help you recover the compensation you deserve for your tourist injuries. The longer you wait to get started, the harder it may be to win your case.
