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Channel Islands Personal Injury Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation For A Accident In The Channel Islands?

On this web page, you will read a guide to the process of making a Channel Islands accident claim. The contents below, should give you all of the information that you will need, to be able to approach your own claim from a position of knowledge. It covers many of the reasons why you could be eligible to make a claim, and advice on how to proceed.

If you have additional questions that are unanswered by this guide, please call our claims team on 0800 073 8804 today. Explain your problem to them, and they will then provide you with the answers that you need. They can also explain how our claims service can help you to get the compensation that you are eligible to.

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A Guide To Channel Islands Accident Claims

Holiday accident claims Channel Islands

Holiday accident claims Channel Islands

This guide to making a personal injury claim for an accident, illness or injury in the Channel Islands, is aimed at equipping claimants with the knowledge they will need, in order to understand the process of making a claim. The guide beings by giving an overview of what this kind of claim is, and briefly touches on the concepts of liability and eligibility. It then moves on to provide several sections that cover specific types of claims.

The latter part of this guide provides required information on firstly, how to get assistance and medical care while you are still overseas, and secondly, information related to the claims process itself. This includes a table that shows typical compensation ranges for many different types of injuries, and also a list of the kinds of damages that a claim settlement could comprise of.

Finally, we will explain why we believe we can help you to make your claim, and also introduce our national claims service. This is available to all residents of the UK, and is a simple yet effective way for you to have your claim processed, and no financial risk to yourself. If you have questions about the contents of this guide below, please speak to one of our claims team, who will be able to help you. They will also be able to tell you which personal injury claim time limit applies in your own case.

What Is A Channel Islands Accident?

Whenever an accident causes an injury to a holidaymaker, or a visitor to the islands catches a disease or develops an illness, it could be possible to make a Channel Islands injury claim. However, a third party would need to be at least partially to blame. Blame could be levied due omission, error, oversight or negligence.

When the third party was only partially to blame; for example, the injured person contributed to the accident that caused them harm, it could still be possible to make a claim. In this scenario, the solicitor representing the injured party (the claimant), and the solicitor representing the third party (the defendant), would need to negotiate an agreed level of liability. Expressed as a percentage, this level of liability would the have an impact on the level of compensation the claimant receives.

Common Circumstances In Which You Can Make A Personal Injury Claim

There are many ways that a person visiting or living on the islands can come to harm, which could result in a reason to make Channel Islands accident claims. For example:

  • Accidents at work.
  • Road traffic accidents of all kinds.
  • Holiday-related accidents.
  • Clinical/medical negligence.
  • Slips, trips and falls.
  • Foodborne illnesses as well as allergic reactions.

We are going to cover each of these in their own sections below, in a little more detail.

Channel Islands Workplace Accident Claims

The Health and Safety Inspectorate is the governing body responsible for establishing Health & Safety regulations on the islands. The H&SI is very similar to the Health & Safety Executive on the UK mainland in this respect. Every employer must conform with all H&S requirements, at all times. When they fail to do so, and this slip in compliance results in a workplace accident injuring a member of staff, or a member of the public, the employer could be liable. Just as in the UK, when an employee is injured in an accident at work, they must ensure that the incident has been reported to the employer, and that the company accident book has been updated to including the incident.

Road Traffic Accidents And Car Crashes

When a holidaymaker is injured in a road traffic accident, whilst using the roads in the Jersey Channel Islands, then it could be possible to make a compensation claim, as long as another driver or some other third party, was liable for the accident that caused them harm. This holds true not only for drivers, but also their passengers as well as pedestrians. The police in the Channel Islands have some stringent requirements, in relation to when an accident must be reported, and these include:

  • An unattended vehicle or property owned by another person, has been damaged.
  • If you are the only person involved in the accident, and your vehicle has sustained damage.
  • Another person, or certain kinds of animals, including cattle, sheep, dogs, and horses, has been harmed.

However, so that there is a record of the RTA you have been involved in, we would recommend you inform the police even if you are not legally obligated to.

Claims For Accidents On Holiday In The Channel Islands

If you are injured in an accident on holiday, you could be able to claim if the harm you have suffered has been caused by the actions of a third party. For example, you had an accident in a hotel gym that the hotel was the case of, or were injured due to an in-flight accident that the airline was liable for. Who you make holiday accidents claims against, depends on how you booked your trip.

  • If you booked your trip via a UK based package tour company, then you would make a claim against the travel vendor, by leveraging the Package Travel Regulations 2018.
  • If you booked your trip independently, then you would make your claim against the local business that caused the incident. Using the above examples again, this would be the hotel operator, and the airline, respectively.

If you are unsure whether your trip was classified as a package holiday, speak to one of our claim advisors, they will be able to tell you.

Claims For Cases Of Medical Negligence In The Channel Islands

When we receive medical care, we expect to be made well, not worse. However, clinical negligence is a reality. Despite best efforts, medical professionals can make mistakes. When they do, then and a patient is harmed, it could be possible to make a medical negligence claim. In order to do so, they medial practitioner must have failed in their duty of care, with the following statements all being true:

  1. The medical professional had a duty of care towards the patient.
  2. There was a failure to meet this duty of care.
  3. The failure resulted in harm to the patient.
  4. The failure could have been avoided in some way.

If all four statements above were true in your case, speak to one of our claims team to learn how we can help.

Claims For Falling, Tripping, Or Slipping Over

Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common types of accidents. These simple, yet often serious accidents can happen at any time, and anywhere, for example:

  • Tripping while getting into a taxi to take you to the airport.
  • Slipping on a wet floor in an airport bathroom.
  • Tripping on the boarding steps while getting on to a plane.
  • Falling down badly lit stairs at your hotel.
  • Tripping on uneven pavements while on an excursion.

As you can see, there are many ways these accidents can happen on holiday. As long as your slip, trip or fall accident was the fault of a third party; we could be able to help you to make a claim for it.

Claims For Allergic Reactions Or Injuries In A Restaurant

Every restaurant, fast-food outlet, café, etc. that you use on your holiday to the Channel Islands, has to comply with all of the regulations related to food safety and hygiene that apply to them, as well as general Health & Safety for customers using their premises. When an eating establishment fails to comply in some way, causing harm to a person, it could be possible for the injured party to claim. For example:

  • A person with a food allergy suffering an allergic reaction due to incorrectly given allergen information.
  • A person eating bad or contaminated food, and coming down with a food-related illness such as food poisoning.
  • A person coming to physical harm due to an accident, such as slipping on spilt food.

If you believe that you have a valid reason to make a restaurant claim, speak to one of our claims team today to find out how we can help.

How To Contact The Channel Islands Emergency Services

If you have been involved in an accident on the Channel Islands, or need medical help, then you will need to know how to contact the emergency services. This is actually very simple. A unified service is available no both 999 (the same as the UK) and on 112 (the same as the European standard).

When you call 999 or 112, you will speak to an operator, who will question you about your emergency. The operator will then ensure that the appropriate emergency services, such as the police, ambulance or fire service, have been dispatched to the scene of the incident.

Channel Islands Healthcare For Visitors

The short answer to questions such as, is healthcare free in Jersey? and is healthcare free in Guernsey? is no, there is no free healthcare on the islands for foreign visitors. What this means, is that if you are visiting from the UK and need emergency medical treatment, you will need to cover the costs in one of three ways.

  1. Pay for the cost of the medical treatment out of your own funds.
  2. Have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
  3. Have a valid travel or health insurance policy in place to cover the costs.

If you do have to take the first option and pay for the medical treatment yourself, it could be possible to claim back this loss as part of your compensation settlement.

Top Places To Visit In The Channel Islands

  • Jersey War Tunnels
  • Elizabeth Castle
  • La Mare Wine Estate
  • Jersey Zoo
  • Channel Islands Military Museum
  • Mont Orgueil Castle
  • La Corbière
  • aMaizin! Adventure Park
  • La Hougue Bie Museum
  • German Occupation Museum

Channel Islands Accident And Injury Compensation Calculator

One way to get a rough idea of how much you could be able to claim, is to use an accident abroad compensation calculator. Another way is to use this table below to find out the range of compensation your injury could be eligible for.

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Type of Injury Severity Information Compensation Range
Toe injury Moderate to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from simple skin damage (cuts, bruises, burns, grazes, etc.) through dislocations, fractures and soft tissue injuries, to total loss of one or more toes. Up to £49,103
Ankle injury Minor to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from lacerations, burns, scrapes, scalds, etc. through strains and sprains, as well as all other STI as well as fractures, to a loss of functionality of the ankle. Up to £61,103
Foot injury Minor to very severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from simple skin injuries such as scrapes, bruises, burns and cuts, through all kinds of soft tissue injuries and fractures, to either loss of function, or amputation of the foot. Up to £96,103
Leg injury Minor to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from damaged skin such as lacerations, bruising, grazes, burns, etc. through all forms of STI as well as simple and complex fractures, to paralysis or amputation of the leg at the hip (full) or below the knee (partial). Up to £119,203
Hand injury Minor to serious Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from simple skin injuries such as scrapes, bruises, burns and cuts, through all kinds of soft tissue injuries and fractures, to either loss of function, or amputation of the hand. Up to £54,263
Wrist injury Minor to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from lacerations, burns, scrapes, scalds, etc. through strains and sprains, as well as all other STI as well as fractures, to a loss of functionality of the wrist. Up to £52,463
Arm injury Moderate to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from damaged skin such as lacerations, bruising, grazes, burns, etc. through all forms of STI as well as simple and complex fractures, to paralysis or amputation of the arm at the shoulder (full) or below the elbow (partial). Up to £114,693
Finger injury Minor to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from simple skin damage (cuts, bruises, burns, grazes, etc.) through dislocations, fractures and soft tissue injuries, to total loss of one or more fingers. Up to £21,903
Thumb injury Minor to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from simple skin damage (cuts, bruises, burns, grazes, etc.) through dislocations, fractures and soft tissue injuries, to total loss of one or both thumbs. Up to £48,003
Back injury Minor to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from cuts, scalds, burns, scrapes, etc. through all kinds of STI including sprains and strains, as well as damage to or fractures of the vertebrae, to some level of loss of function of the back. Up to £141,133
Neck injury Minor to severe Here, we are talking about injuries that will increase in severity from cuts, scalds, burns, scrapes, etc. through all kinds of STI including sprains and strains, as well as damage to or fractures of the vertebrae, to some level of loss of function of the neck. Up to £130,043

For a much more accurate estimate of how much you might receive in personal injury damages, please speak to one of our claim advisors. They will be able to tell you, once they know a little about your circumstances.

What Compensation And Damages Can I Claim For As Well As My Injury?

If your personal injury lawyer is successful in helping you to win your claim, then the settlement you receive will be made of potentially, several kinds of damages, and these could include.

  • Special damages:
    • Loss of prospects and earnings in the future.
    • Lost current earnings.
    • Private medical fees.
    • Home care costs.
    • Travel costs.
  • General damages:
    • Lowering of life quality.
    • Painful treatment and recuperation.
    • Permanent or long-term disabilities.
    • Psychological damage.
    • Suffering and pain.
    • Mental anguish and trauma.

To learn which types of damages could apply in your own case, speak to one of our claim advisors to find out.

No Win No Fee Channel Islands Accident Claims

We can act as your Channel Islands personal injury lawyer to process your claim under our national No Win No Fee claims service. We never charge anything to take a claim on, and we charge nothing at all during the time we are processing a claim. If we are unable to get you any compensation at all, then we still won’t charge you anything at all. When we are successful, we will deduct our fee from the compensation payment we have received for you, and then we will give you the rest of the money.

Contact Our Expert Team Today

Have you been injured while overseas visiting the Channel Islands? Do you think that you could have a valid reason to make a claim? Do you need a team of solicitors that can help with Channel Islands personal injury claims? If so, speak to one of our claim advisors on 0800 073 8804 today. Once they know a little about your circumstances, they will be able to offer you some free legal advice on how best to proceed with a claim.

Holiday Accident Claims Guides

The links below lead to websites that have relevant information that could be of use:

The Health & Safety Inspectorate website

Jersey Police information about RTA

The Guernsey Police website

You can also check out these additional, related guides, elsewhere on this site:

A guide to making package holiday claims

How to claim for an accident on holiday abroad