CLAIMS CORNER – TRAVEL PERSONAL INJURY

The following claims example demonstrates the benefits of our Travel Legal Expenses Insurance policy.

The policyholder was driving to the airport after a relaxing holiday in Lanzarote, when an oncoming driver made an unsuccessful attempt to overtake a vehicle and crashed into their car, flipping it over several times. As the car flipped, the policyholder was thrown out of the side window, leaving her with severe back injuries. She required a serious back operation and was kept as an in-patient for 5 days in Lanzarote before requiring an air ambulance to get her back to the UK.

On top of this, the policyholder needed to have another surgical procedure to remove the metalwork from her back, funded by an interim payment from the defendant. She underwent intensive physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and counselling sessions for depression and anxiety which she suffered since due to the accident. The policyholder’s quality of life significantly deteriorated and she therefore, decided to take legal action against the negligent driver and submitted a claim on her Legal Expenses Insurance policy.

This was a very complex case as a lot of the medical and police evidence had to be translated from Spanish before being sent to the negligent party’s insurer. Once all evidence was gathered, legal proceedings were issued. The case was settled without a court hearing, and the policyholder was awarded £150,000 in compensation.

This high settlement figure was a great outcome for the policyholder and all of the legal costs were covered by the Legal Expenses Insurance policy. It is cases like this that really highlight the importance of having Legal Expenses Insurance cover.