Traveling abroad, whether for business or pleasure, has its own perks. You get to experience new food, culture, and experiences that you wouldn’t otherwise have if you were to stay locally. However, there are dangers that come along with traveling abroad. Some of the most common ones include losing your passport, being a victim of a crime, or even being injured.
People seem to forego minor injuries when experiencing them abroad. The situation gets worse when an accident becomes life-altering–perhaps a disability, serious injury, or prolonged hospitalization overseas? These are complicated situations that frequent travelers need to consider.
According to personal injury attorney company KFB Law, there are specific things you need to do once you experience injuries during travel. In this post, we will discover the steps you need to take to get the maximum support and benefits you need in these situations.
What To Do If You’re Injured While Traveling Abroad
Review your company’s liability if you were injured during business travel
This situation is applicable to people who took the impact during work-related endeavors. Perhaps an automobile accident, a fall, or illness that occurred in the middle of business travel may have happened to you.
What you can do is read up on your company’s responsibilities in such events. You can refer to the employee manual or your handbook on company policies and look up the section called “work-related injury”. Some companies state clearly that they will fully cover the medical and productivity costs of an injury that happened during business travel. In other instances, they will cover partial costs depending on the severity and nature of the situation.
By equipping yourself with the right information, you can prepare the necessary documentation to get the medical and productivity claims.
Properly document the injury or accident
In some situations, your company might not want to be liable for your injuries especially if it’s severe. Thus, you would want to ask for complete documentation such as your copy of hospital records, police reports, photographs, videos, and other forms of evidence that the injury happened during the line of work.
Documentation is necessary as proof and can increase the number of claims you can have whether you’re under an insurance or not.
If you’re in a hospital or clinic, don’t forget to ask for a personal copy of your treatment or diagnosis. If an accident occurred between another party, ask for police reports, witness statements, and other forms of documents that could render useful to you once you start filing your claims.
Look for treatment centers under the same insurance networks
Some insurance companies have global partnerships in terms of treatment centers. For example, military members who have Tricare have partner hospitals abroad. This means that medical costs are covered as long as you choose a provider who is Tricare approved.
Check if your insurance company has global alliances. If you have a personal injury but it is not related to your work, what you can do is to call a hotline if your insurance provider. Some questions you can ask include:
- What hospitals in your given country can accept your insurance provider?
- What requirements do you need to prove that you’re a policyholder?
- Are there specific services that cannot be covered by insurance overseas?
Asking these questions can be vital so you can be prepared to get the maximum claims and financially cover out-of-pocket costs.
Communicate with people at home if you’re receiving long-term care abroad
In some situations, it is best to get treated right away for injuries sustained abroad. This includes medical emergencies, critical operations, and other life-threatening situations.
Call your employer, loved ones at home, and other people of concern at home if you were to be treated long-term abroad. If this isn’t possible for you, have someone to represent you in a call. This can relieve the uncertainty that people are experiencing on the other side, and they can also provide financial support in case you need them.
Crime-related injuries must be dealt with professionally
Another unique situation is when you experience injury abroad due to a crime. Theft, attempted robbery, driving under the influence, and other problematic situations involving criminal acts may require your presence for a period of time abroad.
In these scenarios, it can be helpful to get local and overseas legal professional help. This should be done to protect your life, and at the same time provide you with information regarding your rights as a victim of a crime. You may be asked to stand as a witness or to explain your side as a victim in an overseas court. Having legal representation can help you get out of the situation while experiencing the least drawbacks.
Consult a personal injury attorney
Personal injury attorneys are professionals who can help you obtain claims if you have experienced accidents during business travel, or you suffered because of using a product of a company.
They can help you file a lawsuit whether you’re still overseas or not regarding your experiences and give you the rightful compensation based on the damages you took. This situation seems tricky because of its non-local nature, and this is why you need attorneys who are experts even in international situations.
Having legal professional assistance is one of your most important investments during these challenging times. It can be tricky to represent yourself especially if you’re surrounded by locals abroad who may be biased with their testimonies or statements. Language barriers can also cause trouble especially if you’re trying to fill in your victim or witness statements.
Navigating A Difficult Situation: Yes It’s Possible
Personal injuries in itself are already complicated, and it moves up the tier when you experience such events overseas. By staying informed and finding professional help, you can succeed in getting the right compensation and clearing yourself of liabilities in personal injuries abroad.
