Six-figure settlement following holiday accident

Our client

Our client, Garry, suffered from multiple injuries, including a hyperextension injury to the left knee and psychiatric injury, following an accident at a holiday villa in Florida. Whilst walking barefoot on the concrete surface near the swimming pool, our client’s left foot fell through an unsecured access cover near the poolside.

As a result of the accident, Garry underwent a knee arthroscopy, and has now developed chronic pain in his left knee. He also had a total knee replacement, and the accident has caused osteoarthritic changes. In respect of his psychiatric injury, he was diagnosed with PTSD and a severe depressive episode.

How Slater and Gordon helped

After contacting Slater and Gordon’s personal injury solicitors specialising in travel accident claims, Garry began working with Nicholas Lukacs, our specialist travel accident lawyer. Nicholas has been specialising in travel accident claims for over 10 years, and specialises in foreign accidents including:

• Holiday accident claims
• Road traffic accidents abroad
• Airline accident claims
• Cruise ship accident claims

In building Garry’s holiday accident claim, Nicholas obtained the initial medical evidence from the relevant medical professionals, including orthopaedics, psychiatry, vascular surgery and pain management.

Given the content of this medical evidence, and Garry’s total knee replacement, it was established that the medical evidence should be updated in each discipline, to reflect Garry’s current condition and prognosis, following the same. It’s important for our travel accident solicitors that the medical evidence gathered in our clients’ claims accurately represents the extent of their injuries, to ensure that any claim valuations are 100% accurate.

The process of the claim

Upon liaising with the defendant, in this case the tour operator, with a view to making a claim under the relevant Package Travel Regulations liability was admitted subject to establishing the cause of Garry’s injuries. At this point, court proceedings were issued to protect Garry’s position in his travel accident claim, given that the limitation period was three years in this case. Every case is different, and the time limits governing different types of claims can vary. To learn more about the different time limits governing injury claims, see this here.

Whilst both parties were given permission to obtain further medical evidence, the parties agreed that it would be best to see if a settlement was reachable without incurring any further costs. At this point, settlement offers went back and forth between the parties, with Garry ultimately accepting the Defendant’s further increased offer. This was a considerable settlement that Garry was very pleased with, and which will provide him with some closure to move on from his accident.

How can Slater and Gordon help you?

At Slater and Gordon, our travel accident solicitors are here to help you take the next steps. If you’ve been injured in an accident overseas, the impact that this has on your life can be devastating. Because of this, we're committed to ensuring we get the best possible outcome for you.

This complex case is an example of how our dedicated and specialist lawyers can support valued clients and ensure that they achieve the compensation they deserve. In this matter, Garry advised upon settling the claim that his accident had been a huge ordeal for him, but the claims process was made so much easier with all of the help and support that Nicholas and his colleagues had provided. Garry passed on his upmost thanks to be passed on to all in this respect.

If you, or your child, have suffered an injury as a result of an accident overseas, simply contact our experts today on 0330 041 5869, or you can contact us online here to learn more about your options going forward.