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How much compensation can I claim for injury in Portugal?

Portugal is one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. In July 2016 alone, the country enjoyed over 7.1 million visitors, contributing 1.6 billion pounds to the economy. The most popular destination is the Algarve region, which is known for beach resorts along its stunning coastline, maritime history, and golf resorts. The capital city Lisbon is popular for short city breaks and the Island of Madeira is known for its beaches and outdoor adventure activities. Portugal is largely considered a safe country to visit and most holidaymakers who visit, are not injured. Unfortunately, holiday accidents in Portugal do happen, leading to injuries or Portugal holiday illnesses. Some accidents are sadly unavoidable, but the accident was caused by negligence on the part of the other party the victim is legally entitled to make a holiday accident claim in Portugal for compensation. If you would like to make a Portugal holiday compensation claim for compensation, trust a top personal injury lawyer from Legal Expert to help you claim the compensation in Portugal that you are entitled to.

Holiday Accident Claims In PortugalWho is Legal Expert? Legal Expert is a well respected British personal injury solicitor’s firm that provides holiday accident claims solicitors to British citizens and residents who have been injured while on holiday in Portugal. If you were visiting Portugal for business purposes, or to see family members who live there, we can still help. Whatever sort of accident you were involved in, whether it was a road traffic accident, hotel accident, adventure sports accident or you experienced food poisoning or another common cause of illness, one of Legal Expert’s excellent holiday claims solicitors can help you make a Portugal holiday compensation claim. You can often holiday compensation for loss of enjoyment, for your injuries, loss of income and any expenses you incurred as a result of your injuries such as medical bills. Most of the holiday accident claims we win for our clients are worth in the tens of thousands of pounds and some are worth even more, so if you have a legitimate holiday compensation claim to make, for injuries you received in Portugal or elsewhere, call Legal Expert today and one of our top solicitors will help you claim the compensation that you’re entitled to.

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Portugal Holiday Compensation Guide

The British government advises that Portugal is a relatively safe country to visit. Around 2.3 million British holidaymakers visit Portugal each year, and most visits are trouble-free. Unfortunately, however, accidents do happen in Portugal, including road traffic accidents, beach and water sports related accidents and golfing accidents. Food poisoning can also happen in hotels and restaurants if correct hygiene standards are not adhered to. This Portugal holiday compensation guide has been made with claimants in mind, who were injured or made ill due to an accident in Portugal. If the accident was not your fault but was due to negligence on the part of another party then you can make a holiday accident claim in Portugal for compensation.

In this Portugal holiday compensation guide, we will go through the stages of what you should do if you have been injured in Portugal, how to make a compensation claim, and provide you with useful contact details. We will also cover how to hire a holiday accident claims solicitor and how to make a no win no fee claim.

What To Do If You Have An Accident Or Injury In Portugal

If you experience an accident in Portugal that was not your fault, which causes you to become injured and will, you could be entitled to claim holiday accident compensation. We will now look at the relevant steps you should take if you are injured in Portugal or made ill.

Before we start, it goes without saying that if you are seriously injured the first thing you should do is seek the appropriate medical care. Once you have been treated you can take the steps below.

What should you do if you have a holiday accident in Portugal?

Firstly if your accident due to the negligence of another party, you should report your accident to your tour operator. If you are injured in a managed place like a restaurant or a shop, you should inform the management and make sure they make a record of the accident in their log book. If the accident involves violence or any sort of illegal activity then you should also contact the police.

At the time of your accident, you should also gather as much evidence you can of the accident taking place and the hazard that caused the accident if possible. If you are seriously injured, a friend or family member can gather the evidence in your place while you seek the appropriate medical treatment.

What should you do to gather evidence of your accident?

1). Take photographs of the area where your accident took place. This includes the hazard that caused you to have the accident, if it is visible (for example a wet floor that you slipped on). Photographs with a date stamp are preferable.

2). Taking the contact details of witnesses, who may be required to give evidence later on.

3). If you are involved in a road traffic accident in Portugal, you should take the contact details of the other driver and vehicle registration number. If the driver does not own the vehicle they are driving, you should be sure to take the contact details of the vehicle’s owner.

If your accident causes you to have an illness or injury, then you should also keep any documentation that could serve as evidence of medical treatment you had to undergo. You should also keep receipts of any expenses you incurred because of your injuries, such as the cost of your medical treatment.

If you are involved in a holiday accident in Portugal, you should inform your travel insurance provider as quickly as you can to report the circumstances of the accident.

How To Contact The Emergency Services In Portugal?

Here are some emergency phone numbers in case you find yourself in an emergency situation in Portugal and need an ambulance, the police or the fire brigade.

Call 112 for general emergency services including an ambulance. This is of course only for emergency situations. Portugal also has Saúde 24 (Health Line 24), which is a 24 helpline for general health advice.

The British Embassy in Portugal is located in Lisbon. If you are in Portugal and need urgent help, you can call them on +351 21 392 400. If you need to speak to the British embassy in Portugal about a British national in Portugal, then you can call 020 7008 1500. We will also provide contact details for all of the British embassies and consulates in Portugal, at the Useful Links section at the end of this Portugal holiday compensation guide.

Accessing Health Care In Portugal

While the United Kingdom remains in the EU, British citizens can apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which they can use when they travel to EU countries. This card allows you to access state healthcare at a reduced cost, or for free when you travel to a European Economic Area (EEA) country. The government of Britain recommends that all holidaymakers take out comprehensive travel insurance before they travel to Portugal or any other foreign country. We at Legal Expert echo this recommendation. Being able to use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not compensate for not having travel insurance, as you won’t be able to claim holiday compensation for loss of enjoyment or claim for other expenses that may incur as a result of your injuries. You can apply for your EHIC online.

Time Limits For Making Compensation Claims In Portugal

If you wish to make a holiday accident claim in Portugal for an illness or injury that was caused by negligence on the part of someone else you must ensure your claim does not fall outside of the time limit. If you are injured on a package holiday to Portugal, or a privately booked holiday to Portugal (for example, if you have booked directly with the hotel online) then there is a three-year time limit in which to claim. If you were injured on a flight then you have 2 years to begin making your claim. The time limit starts from the time that you were injured or the time that you realised that you had been injured.

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Circumstances of injury or illness Time Limit for Claim
Illness or injury on a package holiday to Portugal (i.e. a holiday booked through a package tour. 3 years
Injury, accidents and illness which happened on a non-package holiday, i.e. one where you booked independently. 3 years
Injury or illness which happens on a flight to or from an international airport in Hungary. 2 years

Package Holiday Accident Claims In Portugal

Have you been on a package holiday to Portugal and involved in an accident that was due to negligence on the part of the tour operator, which harmed you in any way? According to the Package Travel, Package Holiday, and Package Tour Regulations 1992 you are legally entitled to claim compensation for the injuries you sustained on your package holiday and other losses you incurred as a result. As we have said, there is a 3-year time limit to make a package holiday claim for compensation.

Some of the key tour operators that provide package holidays to Portugal include Thomas Cook, Tui, and Jet2Holidays. If you experience an injury on a package holiday in Portugal, be sure to inform your tour operator as soon as possible.

Portugal Holidays Compensation Claims

What sort of Portugal holiday compensation claims can Legal Expert’s holiday accident claims solicitors handle? We can handle any sort of accident or injury claim, including slip, trip and fall claims, hotel accident claims, road traffic injury claims and food poisoning claims. If you need to make a Portugal holiday compensation claim, for an accident you suffered while on holiday that wasn’t your fault, we will provide you with a top personal injury solicitor to handle your claim.

Hotel Accident Claims In Portugal

Most hotels in Portugal are managed to a high standard, however, if hotels do not comply with required standards of health and safety, accidents can be caused. Common hazards in hotels that can cause accidents include mismanagement of gym equipment, pool areas being mismanaged and left without a lifeguard, or food poisoning incidents being caused by improper hygiene practices in the hotel kitchens.

Claims For Holiday Food Poisoning In Portugal

Food poisoning can occur from food being improperly prepared in restaurant or hotel kitchens. Its little known that you can also contract forms of food poisoning or water-borne diseases from swimming in contaminated water, so if your hotel did not properly treat the pool water, it could lead to you contracting one of these sorts of illnesses.

Slips, Trips And Falls In Portugal

The main cause of slip, trip, and fall accidents on holiday are caused by wet surfaces that are not cleaned up immediately. These can be worsened in hotels, which often have high-end flooring materials like granite or marble. Wet surfaces can be caused by spilled drinks or food in restaurant areas, or guests walking into the hotel from the pool. Absorbent mats are an easy control measure for avoiding this. Other common causes of slips, trips and falls on holiday include obstructions on the floor, such as a loose nail sticking out of a floorboard.

Portugal Holiday Compensation Claims For Sports And Activities

Portugal is known for its beautiful beaches, where tourists can enjoy a variety of watersports. With water always comes inherent risks, however, and watersports providers have a duty of care to ensure that proper safety precautions are followed. Other adventure holiday activities that have led to accidents include walking tours of the levadas, which are ancient irrigation tunnels on the island of Madeira. Whilst most tour guides act responsibly, some have acted negligently, leading to holidaymakers being injured. These taking holidaymakers on narrow and crumbling ledges. The Algarve is of course famed for its luxury golf courses. If you have been injured on a golf course in The Algarve, due to the way the golf course was run then you could claim holiday compensation.

Car And Road Traffic Accident Compensation In Portugal

Unfortunately, Portugal has one of the highest rates of road traffic accidents in Europe, according to the FCO. in 2015 there was a major spike in road traffic accidents with fatalities in the Algarve region increasing by 90%. If you are involved in a road traffic accident in Portugal that wasn’t your fault, which injures you then you may be entitled to compensation. Please report all incidents to the police and exchange contact details with the other driver at the scene of the accident. Refrain from signing any documentation until you have involved a personal injury solicitor, who will handle your claim for you.

Should I Use A Solicitor In Portugal?

“Do I need to use a solicitor in Portugal to make my claim?” is a question our clients commonly ask us. No, you don’t. If you are a British resident who was injured on holiday in Portugal and want to make a holiday accident claim in Portugal, then you can do so easily using a holiday accident claims solicitor based in Britain. It will be easier to meet your solicitor in person and you won’t have to worry about language gaps either. Our holiday accident claims solicitors specialise in Portugal and know the law there inside and out. Trust a solicitor from Legal Expert, to help you make your holiday accident claim.

No Win No Fee Holiday Accident Claims In Portugal

If you have been injured or made ill by an accident that wasn’t your fault in Portugal, you could make a no win no fee compensation claim. What does no win no fee mean? A no win no fee solicitor will offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). this means that you will not have to pay an upfront fee or pay any ongoing fees if the case proceeds. Instead, you will pay all your solicitor’s fees if you win, out of the settlement you are awarded. If you do not win your holiday accident claim in Portugal, there is nothing to pay. For many Claimants who have been through untold stress because of their holiday accident and may have already lost their income, or had to spend money on expensive medical treatments as a result of their accident, making a no win no fee claim is the less stressful and financially risky option. What’s more, you will still get the same high standard of service you should expect from a Legal Expert solicitor, as you would if you were paying an upfront fee.

Legal Expert offers a free legal consultation to Claimants looking to claim compensation in Portugal for an accident they experienced on holiday, which caused them to become injured or ill. Call us today to enquire about making a no win no fee claim. We will also discuss how much your claim could be worth and put you in contact with the right no win no fee solicitor to fight your claim relentlessly.

Largest Cities In Portugal, By Population

  • Lisbon
  • Porto
  • Amadora
  • Braga
  • Setúbal
  • Coimbra
  • Queluz
  • Funchal
  • Cacém
  • Villa Nova De Gaia

What Should You Do Next?

If you have suffered an accident in Portugal that was not your fault, trust Legal Expert’s top solicitors to help you claim compensation for your injuries. We would love to help you claim the compensation that you are owed. Take advantage of our free legal consultation and call us today on 0800 073 8804 or fill out our online claims form, to get started. If we think you have a valid claim we will get started with your claim right away. We can also let you know how much your holiday action claim could be worth and can match you with a top lawyer to handle your claim right away.

What can you make your claim for? You can claim compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your accident or Portugal holiday illness and claim holiday compensation loss enjoyment (because who wants to be sitting on a sun lounger with their leg in plaster for two weeks?). You can also claim for loss of income if your injuries meant you weren’t able to return to work immediately once your holiday had ended and claimed for any medical expenses or additional expenses you had to pay for. These claims can be worth in the tens of thousands of pounds so they’re well worth pursuing. Call Legal Expert today to speak to our friendly advisors about how much compensation you could claim. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Useful links:

NHS Guide to healthcare in Portugal
Find out further information about accessing healthcare in Portugal as well as any healthcare or medical considerations for before your trip.

Embassies and consulates in Portugal

British Embassy Lisbon
Rua de São Bernardo 33
1249-082 Lisbon
Portugal
Tel: +351 21 392 40 00

British Consulate Lisbon
Rua de São Bernardo 33
1249-082 Lisboa
Portugal
Tel: +351 21 392 40 00

British Vice Consulate Portimão
Edificio A Fábrica
Avenida Guanaré
8501-915 Portimão
Portugal
Tel: +351 21 392 40 00

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