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How much compensation can I claim for injury in Croatia

On this page, you will find a detailed guide to making holiday accident claims in Croatia. If you have been the victim of an accident or injury while on holiday in Croatia, or you have contracted an illness while on holiday in Croatia, then this page will be of use to you. By reading it, you will learn how the holiday compensation claims process works for a range of different types of cases.

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A Guide to Croatian Accident and Injury Claims

Within this guide to claiming holiday accident compensation Croatia holidaymakers will find some detailed information on how to make a claim for compensation in a variety of different types of cases.

Holiday accident CroatiaIf you need specific information about your particular case, such as the answer to the question how much compensation can I claim for illness or injury in Croatia? then contact Legal Expert today, on the phone number you will find at the bottom of this page.

On this page, you will also find valuable info that will help you deal with an emergency situation while you are on holiday in Croatia. Following up on this info, we have also provided a list of logical steps a person can take to make sure they have the best chance of winning a claim for holiday compensation.

Finally, we discuss the Legal Expert national claims service, and the No Win No Fee scheme we offer residents of the UK to help them make holiday accident claims in Croatia.

As a tourist destination, Croatia is growing in popularity. Over 750,000 UK citizens visit Croatia for holiday purposes each year. You can find more detailed information about Croatian tourism at this link:

UK Government Croatia travel information

Most of these tourists have a pleasant and enjoyable holiday before returning home safely. However, some of them do not, as they can suffer from accidents and injuries such as:

  • Accidents in a hotel – where the operator of the hotel has put the residents at risk in some way.
  • Slips, trips and falls – caused by badly maintained thoroughfares, or improperly maintained public access to hotels, shops, restaurants etc.
  • Sporting accidents – through using badly maintained sporting equipment or taking part in sporting activities that are inadequately supervised.
  • Road traffic accidents – either whilst driving their own vehicle, or as a passenger in a vehicle operated by a tour company or public transport.
  • Food-related illnesses – such as food poisoning and more serious medical conditions caused by badly prepared food and drink.

Legal Expert operates a national claims service to help people who have been on holiday to Croatia to claim compensation for these types of accidents, injuries and illnesses. Call us today to find out how we can help you.

What to Do If You Have an Accident or Injury in Croatia

In order for you to have the best chance of making compensation claims for injury in Croatia, once you are back in the UK, there are a number of steps you can take both while you are abroad, and once you get home again.

Things you can do while you are still on holiday in Croatia:

  • Ensure that you get the proper medical treatment and that you make a note of the names of the doctors who treat you, as well as asking if they can provide a copy of your medical file.
  • Report the incident to your tour operator promptly. You will probably need to do this by telephone. Keep a note of the date you informed the company, as well as the name of the person you spoke to. Also, ask if they have any unique case reference number or ID code and write this down.
  • If you intend to claim medical expenses or other financial losses through a travel/medical insurance company, then contact them to let them know the situation you are in. You might also need to get pre-approval to use local medical facilities in Croatia (more on that below).
  • Contact the police (if applicable) and inform them of the event, taking the name of the police officers you deal with, and also the case number, make a note of these.
  • If there were any witnesses to the incident, make sure you capture their name and contact details. You can also ask them if they would be prepared to make a statement regarding the event. Even if these witnesses are local Croatian people, they might be needed to give testimony at a later stage of the claim.
  • Take plenty of photographs of any accident you are involved in. For example, if you are in a road accident while on holiday in Croatia, take photos of all of the registration numbers of the vehicle involved in the accident, and the scene of the accident itself.

Things you can do when you get home from your holiday in Croatia:

  • Contact your travel firm to follow up on the initial report you gave them, making sure they have all the key facts straight.
  • Visit your GP or the local hospital to have any injuries checked out, as this will make sure the injury is registered within the UK health system
  • Follow up with your travel/medical insurance firm to ensure that you are not liable for any payments they have missed.
  • Contact Legal Expert to learn how our national claims service can help you to claim compensation for an accident, injury or illness that happened while you were on holiday in Croatia.

The two links below have additional information which might be of use to you:

Holiday accident claims

Package holiday claims

Emergency Contacts in Croatia After an Accident

Before you can even begin considering making a holiday accident claim, you need to deal with the problem as it happens in Croatia. Below, you will find all of the Croatian emergency numbers, as well as a link to the British Embassy in Croatia and the telephone number.

General emergency – 112 – a general emergency switchboard.

Police – 112 or 192.

Fire brigade – 112 or 193.

Ambulance – 112 or 194.

Sea rescue – 112 or 195.

Roadside assistance – 1987.

The British Embassy in Croatian can be contacted on +385 (1) 6009 100.

These numbers, and the rest of the information in this guide will help you to take the key steps if you have suffered an accident, injury or illness in Croatia, which are:

  • Seek medical attention.
  • Notify your travel company.
  • Notify the police if relevant.
  • Notify your travel insurance firm.
  • Gather evidence.

Medical Treatment After an Accident

If you are injured in an accident in Croatia, before beginning to seek holiday illness compensation Croatia visitors will need to secure adequate medical treatment.

Healthcare series in Croatia are generally not as good as back home in the UK. The good news is, that if you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) you are entitled to receive exactly the same level of free treatment as a native Croatian. However, there are limits, your EHIC won’t cover the cost of medical repatriation, ongoing medical treatment or non-urgent treatment. You can find more information about EHIC at the link below:

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

Another option is to use private healthcare facilities to get treatment in Croatia. This is a viable option if you have medical or travel insurance that will cover the costs. In most cases, you will need to clear any treatment costs through your insurer first. They will then pay the healthcare provider directly in most cases. Although in rare situations you may need to pay the medical bill locally, and then claim the money back from your insurer when you are back in the UK.

Are There Compensation Claim Time Limits in Croatia?

A major consideration when making Croatia holiday compensation claims, is that there is a time limit on how long you can wait before making a claim, these limits are detailed below:

Edit
Circumstances of Claim Time Limit
On a pre-booked holiday, flight or trip that was booked in the UK. 3 years
On a privately booked holiday, flight or trip. Varies
On a privately booked flight to or from:
• Dubrovnik airport
• Pula Airport
• Split Airport
• Zadar Airport 		2 years

Package Holiday Injury Claims in Croatia

If you need to make Croatian package holiday injury claims once you return to the UK after your holiday, this section will be of use to you. If you booked your holiday through a travel company such as EasyJet, British Airways Holidays, Virgin Holidays, or any other package holiday company, then these firms are regulated under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992. What this means is that if the company has operated in a non-compliant way, which lead to your accident, injury or illness, then you will have a valid compensation claim.

The national holiday compensation claims service offered by us here at Legal Expert is a simple and effective way to claim against tour operators in this scenario.

Holiday Accident Compensation Claims We Can Help With

Legal Expert can tackle a very wide range of holiday compensation cases, from simple slips, trips or falls whilst boarding a plane, to death by drowning while on a Croatia family cruise. Some of the more common types of claims we make are:

  • Aeroplane accidents.
  • Hotel hygiene leading to illness
  • Falling from a hotel balcony
  • Boating and cruise accidents
  • Environment poisoning such as carbon monoxide in a hotel room
  • Faulty furniture leading to a fall
  • Accidents and injuries whilst on a day trip or excursion
  • Rental car accidents
  • Food-related illnesses such as food poisoning
  • Injuries sustained on public transport
  • Swimming pool accidents
  • Jet ski accidents
  • Slips, trips and falls

This is by no means a full list of the types of claims we can make, please contact Legal Expert on the number at the bottom of the page if your case does not slot into this list. Few other firms of holiday complaint solicitors have as much experience as Legal Expert.

Holiday Food Poisoning and Water-Borne Illness in Croatia

One of the most common ailments that people contract whilst they are on holiday in a foreign country, is some form of food poisoning or upset stomach. In the UK we simply do not have the natural antibodies that can deal with foreign bacteria. A mild case of “Spanish Tummy” is an annoyance. A full-blown case of food poisoning can ruin your entire holiday.

If you begin to show symptoms such as nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach cramps while you are on holiday in Croatia, then you may have contracted food poisoning and should seek medical care.

The cause of food poisoning is eating food that is contaminated by the campylobacter bacteria. This is most often found in untreated water and undercooked meat (especially poultry)

If food poisoning is caused a venue such as a hotel restaurant, that was provided as part of a package tour you booked in the UK, then you must report the accident and injury to your tour company immediately. This ensures you have a valid route to claiming compensation when you get home. This is especially true if you booked your package through a UK based tour company, as we will be able to apply UK legislation in our attempt to claim compensation on your behalf.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips and falls are the most common types of accidents in the world. They can result in injuries to the hands, arms, legs and feet most typically. There are thousands of ways that a slip, trip or fall can happen, such as an uneven or wet floor, badly signposted damage to a pavement, or obstructions left in the way of a public thoroughfare.

If you are the victim of a slip, trip or fall while on holiday in Croatia, and the accident was caused by the negligence of a third-party, Legal Expert can help you claim for it. Additionally, if you were on a pre-booked holiday through a UK based travel company, we have an additional route to claiming compensation in the form of UK legislation on overseas tours booked via UK based tour operators.

Adventure Holiday and Sports Accidents in Croatia

Every adventure and sports tour company are not equal. Many, especially working at the budget end of the scale, simply do not have the skill and expertise to keep their customers safe at all times.

Dangerous sports and activities such as skiing, zip lines, hang gliding, scuba diving, etc. require skilled, highly trained people to care for holidaymakers. When this care slips resulting in an injury, Legal Expert can help you claim.

Additionally, if the sporting activities were booked as part of a package through a UK travel firm, then we can pursue compensation under UK legislation that applies directly to overseas holidays booked with a local UK agent.

Road Traffic and Car Accidents in Croatia

Although holiday accident statistics show that the number of fatalities on the road each year is quite low, usually around the 600 mark, there is still a risk of a UK holidaymaker being involved in a road traffic accident as either the driver of a hire vehicle or a passenger on public transport.

If you are involved in a road traffic accident while you are on holiday in Croatia, you must report it to the police. When you do, be sure to note down the case number, and the name of the police officers you deal with. This information will be useful if you wish to claim compensation for an injury at a later stage.

Remember to take plenty of photographs of the scene of the accident. You might like to get pictures of the registration numbers of every vehicle involved in the accident, as well as the layout of the scene of the accident. Gather the contact details of any witnesses, and if possible the driving licence numbers of the drivers involved. You could photograph these to make gathering this information simpler.

Do I Need to Use a Croatian Solicitor for My Claim?

There is no reason at all to use a local solicitor in Croatia to make a claim for an accident, injury or illness that happened while you were on holiday in the country.

Legal Expert offers our national holiday claims service, which is capable of pursuing damages against foreign companies that operate in Croatia on your behalf.

Additionally, if your package holiday was booked through a UK based tour company, then we can leverage UK legislation to make a successful claim for holiday compensation in the UK.

No Win No Fee Holiday Accident Claims

No matter the types of Holiday Accident Claim we take on here at Legal Expert, we always try to offer our clients a No Win No Fee agreement. Under this kind of Conditional Fee Agreement, you don’t have to pay anything for us to start making your claim, and we won’t charge you anything while we are pursuing your claim. If we happen to lose your case, then you don’t need to pay us anything at all. In fact, the only time you pay us anything is when you actually receive a compensation payment. Therefore, there is no financial risk to you at all in making a holiday compensation claim using the Legal Expert national claims service.

Major Cities By Population In Croatia

  • Zagreb
  • Split
  • Rijeka
  • Osijek
  • Zadar
  • Slavonski Brod
  • Pula, Croatia
  • Sesvete
  • Varaždin
  • Zagreb- Stenjevec
  • Šibenik
  • Sisak
  • Velika Gorica

Starting Your Claim

If you are ready to begin a claim for holiday compensation for an accident, injury or illness that occurred while you were on holiday in Croatia, then Legal Expert is ready to help you. All you need to do to start the claims process is to give us a call on 0800 073 8804. We will spend a little time asking you for information and details about your claim, and once we know all we need to know, we will offer you some free advice on what we think you should do next. In most cases, we will offer to take on your holiday compensation claim under our No Win No Fee claims service.

Useful Links

British Embassy Zagreb

Ivana Lučića 4

10000 Zagreb

Croatia

Tel: +385 (1) 6009 100

Web: https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-zagreb

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:30 am to 5 pm, Friday, 8:30 am to 2 pm.

British Consulate Split

Obala Hrvatskog Narodnog Preporoda 10/III

21000 Split

Croatia

Tel: +385 (1) 6009 100

Web: https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-consulate-split

Opening hours: The Split Consular Section office works by appointment only and is therefore not open to the public at all times. See more information on how to make an appointment here. Online booking is available for emergency travel documents only.

At the link below you will find detailed information published by the NHS in the UK on how to gain access to healthcare and medical treatment if you are on holiday in Croatia.

NHS guide to healthcare in Croatia