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Sicily Car Accident Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation?

When you are driving on holiday you might face a plethora of different driving conditions.

The roads themselves, the road signs, rules and regulations of driving, and the simple matter of using a different side of the road can all combine to make it much more likely that people will suffer accidents, such as a car accident in Sicily, than when driving in the UK.

Car accident claims Sicily

Car accident claims Sicily

If this has happened to you, the expert team at Legal Expert are here to support you through the process of making a personal injury claim.

We will take you through how to claim for an injury in Italy, how much your injuries were worth, and how a no win no fee solicitor may be right for you.

To contact our team, please call Legal Expert today.

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A Guide To Car Accident Claims In Sicily

In this guide we will take you through everything you may need to know if you are injured in a car accident in Sicily. We look at what you should do specifically after a car accident in Italy, as well as what to do after any other type of accident or injury in general. We look at how you can make a claim, as well as how our team can help you to do so.

First, we will look at things you need to be aware of. Anyone car on the road in Italy is required to carry several items in their car with them. Failure to carry these items can result in a fine on the spot. These items are as follows;

  • You must carry a reflective jacket, which needs to be worn if you are involved in any kind of accident and are by the roadside.
  • A spare tyre incase of a puncture, etc.
  • A triangular warning sign to place in position to warn other drivers if necessary.
  • Deflectors for your headlamp beams. You may need to have these or the ability to adjust the beam manually. This depends on the vehicle.
  • It is also recommended (but not compulsory) that you carry a fire extinguisher in the vehicle with you.

Personal injury claims time limit in Sicily

Before making a personal injury claim, you need to remember different countries such as Italy, have different laws and differing amounts of time in which you can make a personal injury claim. In some countries, you might only have one year in which to make a personal injury claim.

Edit
Type of Illness/Injury Time Limits
Injury where the liability was with a British package holiday company. 3 years.
Injury which happened on non-package holidays. 5 years (variable).
Car accidents in Sicily or Italy as a whole 2 years (variable).

For more information on making your claim and relevant personal injury claims time limits, please read the remainder of our guide on how to claim for an injury in Italy after a car accident.

Sicilian Emergency Service Numbers

All EU member states operate the Europe wide contact number for the emergency services. This number is 112. The average response time is 11 seconds.

In addition to this, you can also contact other emergency services after a car accident in Italy. Locally, these are;

  • Italian Military Police: 112 (same as the generic number)
  • General Police Number: 113
  • Emergency Fire Service: 115
  • Emergency Help And Assistance When On The Road: 116
  • Ambulance And Paramedic Service: 118

You can also contact the British Embassy or Consulate in the event of a devastating incident and request assistance. Details of the closest embassy are at the bottom of this page.

Medical Care In Italy For International Tourists

If you are injured in a car accident in Sicily, or any part of Italy, you can expect to receive a very high standard of healthcare overall from hospitals or doctors. Before travelling to Sicily, tourists should make sure that they have adequate travel insurance in place, which will cover injuries from accidents on the road. You may also wish to take out any insurance policy offered by a rental car company. In addition to this, you should also register with and take a copy of your European Health Insurance Card.

This means that you will be treated in the same way as a resident of Sicily when visiting a doctor or hospital. You will then only pay immediate costs or surcharges that normal residents of Italy would do. The EHIC does not help with getting back to the UK or any other additional costs, expenses, or losses. As such, this is why you should also have travel insurance in place before visiting.

Steps To Take After A Car Accident In Sicily

In the event of being involved in a serious accident, and one where people have been injured, requiring immediate assistance, there are several numbers to call. You need to call the general emergency services, authorities, and the ambulance service.

  • Emergency number: 112
  • Authorities: 113
  • Ambulance: 118

There are several things which you should note down at the scene of the accident.

  1. Names and addresses of any parties who were involved in the car accident.
  2. Details of any witnesses.
  3. Information of insurance companies and policies of the vehicles involved.
  4. Photographic evidence of the scene of the accident.

The accident is required by law to be reported to the police and insurance providers of the parties involved.

Police at the scene will take reports and statements from all parties and produce an accident report. Before you sign anything, make sure you are fully aware of everything contained in the report, and the implications for you of signing the document. If in doubt, seek legal advice.

Your Rights After An Accident On Holiday

If the accident was caused by a travel provider based in the UK, such as a rental car which was booked as part of your package holiday but which had not been maintained, you have the right to be protected under UK law.

This means that you would be able to take legal action (such as making a personal injury claim) against the tour operator/ holiday company in the UK’s courts. This may mean that you can also claim for things such as the enjoyment which you have lost, and additional expenses which arose because of your accident.

How To Report Your Car Accident In Sicily

In the event of an accident which has caused injuries, the police and any other authorities will need to be notified on the numbers above, and attend the scene. The accident will be reported and logged with police officers on-site, and the causes of the accident will be agreed between the parties involved and added to this report. This can then be sent to insurance companies, and used as part of your personal injury claim.

If you do not agree with the official recording of the facts, or if you feel it has not been adequately explained to you, or do not understand, you should make this fact known, and seek legal guidance.

Whiplash Claims When Driving Abroad

Injuries to the neck, shoulders, upper back and head, such as whiplash, are one of the most frequent reasons why people make claims with a personal injury lawyer. They are also one of the most common ways in which people are injured whilst in a road traffic accident, and if you have suffered this type of injury, our team can help you seek car accident compensation in Italy for the effects.

Whiplash injuries can take between a few hours and a few days to fully present, and in some cases they can get worse overtime. You should initially see a doctor and get a full assessment, before then going back at a later stage to check on your injuries progress. Has it got worse or better during this time?

Whiplash and similar injuries happen when your head and neck are violently and quickly thrown forwards and backwards. This create a snapping motion. It happens more often in car accidents where the impact is from the rear.

What You Can Include In A Claim For A Car Accident In Sicily

There are two main types of compensation which your car accident in Italy can be made for. These are damages for the injury itself, and those for the wider impact and affect it has had upon you. We will deal with compensation for injuries in the following section. Here we will look at the special damages, which compensate you for other things.

The most common things which you can include in a compensation claim are the following;

  • Loss of income, earnings, and benefits.
  • Damage to your property or its loss.
  • Medical or healthcare, or the cost of care in the home.
  • Other costs which you have had to meet because of your accident or your injuries.

The more serious any of these consequences, the greater the final settlement which you will be entitled to claim.

How Much Car Accident In Sicily Compensation Can I Claim?

One of the first and most commonly asked questions we are asked by new claimants is how much money they can expect their claim to be settled for. Many people will have viewed a personal injury claims calculator online and have an idea of how much they could claim. without knowing about the individual circumstances of what happened to you, any information from a personal injury claims calculator will not be fully accurate.

The amount you will be able to claim will depend on what injury you sustained and how severe the injury was. It is not possible for us to say how much you will be able to claim, but this can start to be assessed during your initial call with our team.

How much you can claim will be set in guidelines produced and updated by the Judicial College. Compensation amounts are set in bands with a lower and upper amount set. Where your settlement will fall in this will be negotiated between solicitors acting on behalf of you and the defendant. A large part of the basis for the claim will be the attached medical evidence.

To provide you with an idea or example of how much your claim could be worth, please see these examples below.

Edit
Reason for making a claim Amount of compensation awarded Notes
Mental anguish £3,550 Fear of end of life or fear of death.
Loss of earnings £10,000 – £400,000 Will account for any earnings which have already been lost as well as what may be lost in the future. Awards can exceed the maximum.
Loss of benefits £5,000 – £500,000 Will account for benefits actually lost. Again, awards can also be higher than the maximum level set.
Pain and suffering £1,000 – £200,000 The more severe the pain and suffering experienced, the higher the potential settlement.
Minor brain injuries £1,675 – £9,700 The brain injury or damage may be very minimal, or there may be none at all. How much paid is dependent on things such as headaches.
Severe chest injuries £76,500 – £114,100 This will include serious damage to the lungs or the heart. There may also be prolonged suffering or pain.
Less severe level of chest injury £9,575 – £13,650 Simple injuries but where they may be some (minor) tissue damage. No long term effect on the lungs.
Minor head injuries £1,500 – £9,500 Head injuries which have not resulted in brain damage.
Moderate head injury £12,500 – £200,000 May affect the cognitive abilities as well as motor functions.
Either severe head or brain
injury/ damage		 £214,350 – £307,000 How much the injury has affected the person will eventually determine how much compensation you will be able to claim for.

Next, we will look in more detail at how a personal injury lawyer or solicitor will be able to help you.

No Win No Fee Car Accident Abroad Claims

Our team are able to handle even the most complicated and complex of personal injury claims on a no win no fee basis. This means that no matter what happens throughout your claim, there is no financial risk to you, and that you will never be left out of pocket.

When you make a no win no fee personal injury claim with our team you can do via what is called a Conditional Fee Agreement. Under this type of agreement, the cost of making this type of agreement will be limited (by law) to 25% or less of the total amount secured for you.

We could also be able to organise cover for you claim, which will mean that no matter what happens, such as losing your claim and adverse costs occurring, you will never be let out of pocket in any way. There will not be any costs which you need to pay upfront and our team or the personal injury solicitor you will be working with will never be asking you for a payment before the end of your case. As such, this means that it is in the interest of our team to get the best possible resolution to your claim, our fee also depends on it!

How We Can Help You Claim Compensation

After being injured in any accident, such as a car accident in Italy, the last thing on your mind may be things such as making a personal injury claim. You might worry that the process of doing so could be stressful. This is why we have worked hard to streamline the process of finding a using a personal injury solicitor. Your can start your claim with just a quick call or simple email.

Our team of personal injury solicitors can guide you through the claims process. They will ask you for details of how the accident happened, what injuries you sustained, and let you know how long it might take to get compensation.

You will be through the claims process from start to finish with our expert team. They will always work with you to get the maximum amount of compensation possible. They will also work to do this in the shortest possible amount of time.

The most populous cities in Sicily

These are the ten most populous cities and towns on the Italian island of Sicily. There are other popular tourist resorts, towns, and destinations

  1. Palermo
  2. Catania
  3. Messina
  4. Siracusa
  5. Marsala
  6. Gela
  7. Ragusa
  8. Trapani
  9. Vittoria
  10. Caltanissetta

Contact Us

Our nationwide panel of personal injury solicitors have handled all kinds of holiday accident compensation claims, including those for car accidents abroad. Whether your injury was relatively minor, or was very serious, we could still help you.

Our team are selected for their experience and the expertise in conducting and winning personal injury claims. To start your claim, contact us by phone (0800 073 8804), Email (Office@LegalExpert.co.uk), or by contact form today.

Further Helpful Services And Additional Holiday Accident Guides

If you or a loved one has been involved in a very serious accident whilst on holiday in Sicily (or elsewhere in Italy, you can contact the relevant British Embassy for assistance. Relatives in the UK can also contact the Foreign & commonwealth Office.

British Embassy Rome
Via XX Settembre 80/a
00187 Rome
Italy
Telephone: +39 06 4220 0001
Website: www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-rome

After returning to the UK, you can report your accident (if caused by your holiday provider) to the relevant industry body, these being ABTA for package holidays and AITO for more specialist or independent holidays.

Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) – Package Holiday Providers
30 Park Street
London
SE1 9EQ
Telephone: 020 3117 0599
Website: www.abta.com

Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) – Independent/ Specialist Holiday Bookings
18 Bridle Lane
Twickenham
Middlesex
TW1 3EG
Telephone: 020 8744 9280
Website: www.aito.com

Legal Expert Accident In Italy Guides

Holiday Accident Claim Sicily
Find out the various ways in which people can be injured whilst visiting Sicily, and how to make a personal injury claim in this guide.

Holiday Accident Claims Italy
This is our guide to holiday accident compensation claims across Italy in this guide.