Holiday Accident Claims In Crete & Personal Injury Compensation

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Holiday Accident Claims In Crete – How To Claim Compensation For A Personal Injury?

The Greek island of Crete attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. The island has a wonderful climate with a rich tapestry of history as well a great food and wonderful people. It has been an enduringly popular destination for British tourists and today people visit for family, group, and couples holidays.

Whilst most of those who visit Crete will have a great time, it is unfortunate to say that some will have their dream Greek holiday ruined by injury or illness. In these cases, those affected may be able to make holiday accident claims in Crete for the injury or illness suffered, as well as for out of pocket expenses incurred and the loss of enjoyment of their holiday. Whilst a holiday accident claim can not give you back the time you have spent in hospital, at the doctors surgery, or negotiating medical bills, it can help to compensate you for your injuries and for their effects on you.

In our guide to holiday accident claims in Crete, we take a look at examples of circumstances in which holidaymakers to the island can be injured or become sick. Common examples of instances people make holiday accident or illness claims in include cases if food poisoning, car accidents, and accidents on organised activities.

Our guide also contains advice on what to do in an emergency in Crete, such as:

  • The best way to get emergency assistance.
  • How to contact your package holiday company.
  • Where and how to get help from the local British consulate
  • How to begin a compensation claim.

Legal Expert are one of the UK best personal injury claims companies and have helped people to claim for accidents or illness on holiday in many destinations. We understand the distress that being ill or injured in Crete can bring. You can find out how to get in touch with us at the bottom of this guide.

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A guide to holiday accident claims in Crete

Holiday accident claims in Crete

Holiday accident claims in Crete

Crete is the largest and the most populated of Greeces numerous islands. British tourists to Crete are the largest single group of visitors. Brits accounted for just over a third of all tourism to the Island in 2016. This is due in large part to cheap flights being available with low cost airlines such as Ryanair flying direct to Crete. It is also due to the plethora of resorts on the island and package holiday deals which are available from the UK. If you have been made sick or have been injured in Crete and can show that this injury or illness was the result of someone else’s actions or their negligence, we could help you to make a personal injury claim against the appropriate party.

Common types of holiday illness and accidents in Crete include:

  • Cuts and lacerations.
  • Hotel slips and falls.
  • Illness from or injuries around swimming pools.
  • Injuries sustained whilst participating in water sports, such as diving or water/ jet skiing.
  • Salmonella or E. coli

If you have been injured or become sick whilst on holiday in Crete, contact our specialist team to make a claim with our holiday compensation solicitors.

What to do after an accident in Crete

In any emergency situation, be it injury or illness, we always recommend that the first thing you do is to get any emergency help you require. This could be from the police, fire brigade, or medical services. Once you are safe, your attention can turn to some simple steps which you can take that will later help you to take legal action against those responsible. Please do not worry if you can not complete all of these steps, we understand that your injury or illness may have been a traumatic experience.

  1. Write down a note of when you visited a doctor, hospital, or other medical practice. Include details of who treated you, and what they did. If available, request a copy of any reports or notes that they make.
  2. If you need to pay for any medical services, ask for a detailed receipt.
  3. Photograph both your injury and the cause of your accident.
  4. Did anyone see what happened to you? If so, ask for their name, address, and the best way to get in touch with them later.
  5. Tell any relevant parties such as your travel insurance provider or package holiday company what has happened to you. They may be able to afford assistance to you.
  6. If involved in a car crash in Crete, contact the police to report what happened to you. Request a copy of the police reports.

As of 2018 the UK and Greece have reciprocal healthcare arrangements through the EHIC system. However it is common to need to pay for some medical services in Greece upfront. Make sure you have funds to do so before visiting Crete. You can find out more about making holiday accident claims in this guide.

Who to contact in an emergency in Crete

If you need emergency help or assistance whilst in Crete, you can call the numbers below. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides some relevant information for Greece and the Greek islands. It notes that medical facilities and ambulances on the Greek islands, such as Crete, can be more basic than those on the mainland.

  • General emergency services: 112 (you can also use 999 from British mobile phones).
  • Tourist Police: (+31) 2810- 283 190
  • Traffic Police: (+31) 2810- 282 031
  • British Consulate in Crete: (+31)2810- 224 012
  • Ambulance: 166
  • Fire brigade: 199

Again, in an emergency, you should also contact your holiday company on the emergency number provided to you and your travel insurance company.

Healthcare on the Island of Crete

As previously stated, Greece currently (2018) has reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the UK through the European Health Insurance Card system. This entitles residents of participating countries to access healthcare in others as if they were local residents. If you do not have a card, you should apply for an EHIC card online before visiting any EU member state.

If you have lost your card, or do not have it with you in Crete and need to access medical care, you should contact the UK’s Overseas Health Team by calling +44 191 218 1999, or sending an email to overseas.healthcare@dwp.gsi.gov.uk. You can then be issued with a temporary replacement for your current trip.

Please note that you should not use this as a replacement for having travel insurance. It only entitled you to emergency or urgent treatment and does not cover getting you home in an emergency, nor the loss of, or damage to personal items. You should also note you may have to pay for some GP services as well as prescriptions.

Are there time limits for making a holiday accident claim in Crete?

The mount of time in which you have to make a holiday accident claim can vary depending on where you accident happened, who was responsible and what happened to you. To find out the time limits most relevant to your claim, please contact our team. Below we have included some information for time limits when making claims such as those on package holidays to Crete or against airlines.

Edit
Nature of your accident claim Time limit (in year)
Package holiday’s booked through a UK company. 3 year limit
Accident or injury on a non-package holiday. 5 year limit
Accidents on the road. up to 5 year limit.
Cruise ship or other accidents at sea. 2 year limit (from date of voyage).
Accidents on a train. 3 year limit.
Injury or illness on flights to Heraklion International Airport, Crete. 2 year limit.

Crete package holiday injury or sickness claims

Holidaymakers enjoy a high level of protection when purchasing a holiday through a package tour company which is based in the UK. The holiday company must follow a strict set of standards and are bound by a duty of care to their customers. This duty of care extends through all elements of the package holiday purchased.

This can include your flights and any transfers, your hotel or other accommodation (and services provided therein such as food and drinks), and any activities or excursions booked as part of the package trip. Whilst these services may be provided by different companies (such as an airline, charter service, taxi firm, or resort) the package holiday company still owes any travellers a duty of care to ensure that they are not harmed or do not become sick as a result of things such as negligence by any ot these providers.

If you have been injured on a package holiday to Crete, please contact us today to find out how much compensation you could be entitled to.

How to claim compensation for injury or illness on a holiday to Crete

There are many circumstances under which travellers may be able to make holiday accident claims in Crete upon their return to the UK. In the following few sections we will look at common holiday illness claims and ways in which people can be injured. This is not an exhaustive list of the types of accident, injury, or claim we see for holidaymakers. It is simply to help show how holiday compensation solicitors can help you in such circumstances.

Crete hotel injury or illness claims

On package or resort holidays guests tend to spend a good amount of time at the hotel, or on the hotel grounds such as using swimming pools and leisure facilities, dining or relaxing in lounges and bars, or enjoying outdoor facilities. As such, one of the most common ways holiday compensation solicitors see people being injured or becoming sick is due to the negligence of their hotel, or hotel staff.

Some of the most common ways in which people can become sick on injured in a hotel include:

  • Contracting food poisoning.
  • Contracting gastrointestinal illnesses from pool water or other causes.
  • Accidents in leisure facilities, such as swimming pools.
  • Injuries caused by poorly maintained facilities including furniture, leisure equipment, or other items provided by the hotel for guests to use.
  • Poor hygiene and improperly cleaned air conditioning systems causing illness.
  • Falls due to damaged or wet flooring.
  • Road traffic accidents involving transport organised by your hotel.

There are of course many other ways in which hotel guests could suffer an injury or illness and be able to make a compensation claim. For further information and advice, please contact us today.

Claims for food poisoning or sickness on a holiday to Crete

Food poisoning on holiday can happen when you are visiting Crete, or any of the Greek islands. Whilst most of the time you will enjoy as high a standard of hygiene as you expect in the UK,  standards can vary somewhat between resorts and hotels. It is unfortunate to say that there have been a small number of high profile instances of food poisoning or similar illnesses in Crete.

The common symptoms of food poisoning on holiday can include vomiting and diarrhoea, cramps in your stomach and a general feeling of weakness and lethargy. In the past it has been reported that holidaymakers have seen poor standards of food safety, as well as swimming pools not being cleaned properly. This is negligent on the part of the hotels in question and could lead to illnesses being spread.

If swimming pools or spa facilities are not properly treated and cleaned people can contract illness such as cryptosporidium. If this has happened to you, please get in contact with our team.

Injuries caused by falls and slips on Crete

Falling over is the most common form of accident people suffer. Injuries from slips and falls are also one of the most common reasons for which people make personal injury claims. When you are on holiday you may be exposed to additional risks. When you are getting on or disembarking your plane you could slip and fall on the steps. Similarly injuries can happen on public transport whilst getting around in Crete. If your hotel has not repaired floors inside or out, has left spills, or simply fitted carpets which slip on the floor beneath, you could slip over and be hurt.

In most cases our personal injury solicitors see the resulting injuries are minor. However, even a sprained ankle or simple wrist injury can be enough to ruin your holiday. If your hotel, airline, or someone else was responsible for your fall, you should be able to make a claim.

Crete water sport accident and activity claims

The Greek islands, such as Crete, are popular destinations for water sports such as water skiing, jet skiing, and diving. Many people who are planning such holidays use the coastal resorts of Crete as a base from which to enjoy such activities. Holidaymakers to Crete can often choose from booking package holidays to Crete which include water sports packages, booking specialist diving holidays, or simply booking activities whilst staying on the island.

When booking any water sport, we always advise people to make sure that the company they are booking with is fully accredited with international bodies. We also recommend that you check instructors have all the relevant qualifications needed to ensure your safety before participating in the sport. Finally we also recommend that you check that they have insurance in place covering you. By booking water sports as part of a package holiday you can make sure your activity is covered by the UK’s package holiday regulations and that your travel company is responsible for your safety.

Car crashes and road traffic accidents in Crete

In you are involved in a road traffic accident in Crete, such as car crash, you can claim compensation from the other driver or their insurance company, provided you can show that they were responsible for the accident happening. Unfortunately Crete has one of the highest number of fatalities caused by road traffic accidents in the EU.The number of road traffic accidents in Crete leading to fatalities has increased in the period from 2011 onwards.

If you are involved in a car crash in Crete, you should report the incident to the local police using the number above. If driving a hire car, you should also report the accident to both the hire company and to your travel insurance company.

Do I need to use a solicitor in Crete to make my claim?

Thinking that you need to use a personal injury solicitor based in the town, city, or country where you were injured is a very common mistake. This is not the case. You can use a solicitor in the UK to make your personal injury claim. Claims made against an airline, or those which involve package holidays, can easily be made through the UK’s courts. Even where claims are pursued against a local provider, you can still use a solicitor or lawyer who is based in the UK to help you make holiday accident claims in Crete.

No win no fee holiday accident claims in Crete

Holidays can be an expensive thing, and if you have had the additional expenses of having to pay for medical care, or having to come back to the UK in an emergency, you may have had even more to pay for than expected. At this time, taking legal action could seem like an expense too far. This is where making a no win, no fee personal injury claim can help. We can help you to claim compensation for having been injured on your holiday or even secure you flight delay compensation. All made without you needing to make any payments upfront. The majority of the claims we handle are done so through such agreements. What this means is that for those who believe that they have valid grounds to make a compensation claim, they can do so fully confident that it will not cost a penny until they have had their claim settled. If a solicitor is able to take your claim on through a no win no fee agreement, they are very confident in their ability to secure you compensation. Remember, if they lose your case, they will not be paid.

Before you agree to working with us, we will make sure that you understand each and every part of the agreement which you are signing, and what are fees are. You will be fully informed of everything contained in the agreement. This means that with Legal Expert, there are never any surprise costs.

Top destinations, resorts and beaches in Crete

If you have been injured or become sick at any of there places, we may be able to help you make a holiday accident or holiday illness claim.

Destinations

  • Agios Nikolaos
  • Heraklion
  • Rethymno
  • Chania
  • Elounda
  • Hora Sfakion

Popular resorts

  • Kalyves
  • Almyrida
  • Georgioupolis
  • Platanes

Popular beaches

  • Hersonissos
  • Stalis
  • Malia
  • Istron
  • Matala

How to begin your Crete holiday accident claim

If after reading out guide to holiday accident claims in Crete you believe that you do have a valid claim for an injury or accident on holiday, please contact our team. There are several ways you can get in contact with us to being your claim. You can phone our team on 0800 073 8804 seven days a week, from 9am – 9pm. You can also use the contact form on this page to request a call back from us when convenient for you.

We are ready to take you call.

Useful links

Below we have included details of the British Vice Consulate on Crete, as well as further advice from the NHS. Please note that the main British Embassy in Greece is in the capital, Athens.

British Vice Consulate Crete
Candia Tower, 17 Thalita Street, Ag. Dimitrios Square
Heraklion
71 202 Crete
Greece
Consulate contact form
Telephone +30 2810 224012
Fax +30 2810 243935
Website www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-vice-consulate-crete

NHS guide to healthcare in Crete
This guide produced by the NHS contains information on accessing healthcare in Greece and the Greek islands, such as Crete.

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    • Patrick Mallon legal expert author

      Patrick is a Grade A solicitor having qualified in 2005. He's an an expert in accident at work and public liability claims and is currently our head of the EL/PL department. Get in touch today for free to see how we can help you.

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