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Slovakia Car Accident Claims Guide – How Much Compensation Can I Claim For Car Accident In Slovakia?

Car accident claims Slovakia

Car accident claims Slovakia

On this page, you will find a guide to claiming compensation following a car accident in Slovakia. Before you start your claim, reading this guide is going to give you a solid grounding in issues such as a) why you could have a valid claim, b) who might be liable, and c) how to get your claim started as simply as possible.

If you have any questions once you have finished reading this guide, or you are ready to start your claim, speak to one of the Legal Expert team on 0800 073 8804. They will be ready and waiting to answer your questions, and talk you through our new claims process.

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A Guide To Car Accident Claims In Slovakia For Holidaymakers

Below, you are going to find a detailed guide on how to make a compensation claim for a road accident in Slovakia. You will learn everything you need to know about making your claim, and also how your personal injury solicitor will process the claim for you. The guide begins by giving the kinds of useful information you will need regarding the accident itself while you are still overseas. This includes both how to contact the emergency services, and how to get access to medical treatment as a foreigner. You will also find information on your legal obligation related to reporting the accident, and also some of the things that you can do to prepare for making your claim.

The second part of this guide covers key facts related to the claim itself. You will find a detailed table, covering a wide range of different injuries and the typical amounts of compensation that can be awarded. You will also find a list of some of the most common type of damages that your compensation settlement could include.

The last part of this guide will introduce you to the Legal Expert national accident and injury claims service. This is a very simple way for residents of the UK to have their claim processed. Furthermore, from a financial viewpoint, it is entirely risk-free. To learn more about this service, please speak to one of the Legal Expert team on the number at the end of this guide.

The Slovakia Personal Injury Claims Time Limit

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Circumstances of Claim Time Limit
If booked through a UK tour operator package holiday and the vehicle was part of the transport. 3 years may very

Please note that time limits may vary.

Contacting The Emergency Services In Slovakia

Slovakia road traffic accident statistics

We can see from the graph above, that fatal road accidents in Slovakia are on the decline but they do still happen. If you have been unfortunate, and have suffered a road accident abroad, getting the help you need, when you need it, is vital. Contacting the emergency services to get help with accidents in Slovakia is quite simple. The country conforms with the European standard for providing a unified emergency services number on 112. Calling 112 from any phone, will get you through to an operator that speaks English. They will dispatch the correct emergency services, based on the circumstances of the accident. You can also contact the emergency services directly on these numbers:

  • 150 – for the fire service.
  • 144 – for an ambulance or emergency medical help.
  • 158 – for the police.
  • 159 – for the municipal police.

You can find an extended list of some of the minor emergency numbers at this link:

Emergency contact numbers in Slovakia

Healthcare And Medical Services For Tourists

If you are unlucky and are involved in a car accident in Europe, you will need to know how you can get the medical treatment you need. Slovakia participates in the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme. This is a reciprocal healthcare agreement between all participating countries. What this means for you, is that you will receive emergency treatment to the same level as a local resident would.

However, EHIC only covers you for basic treatment, so anything that needs treating to save your life, or to treat injuries. It won’t cover other types of treatment such as dental, or outpatient treatment. If you need a medical procedure that isn’t covered by EHIC you only have two choices. 1, you can pay for it yourself and 2, you have a valid health or travel insurance policy that will pay for it. If you do pay for it out of your own pocket, you could attempt to claim the cost back as part of your compensation settlement.

You can find the official UK Government website for the European Health Insurance Scheme at this link:

UK Government info on EHIC

You Have Had A Road Accident Abroad, What Should You Do?

If you have unfortunately been the victim of a road traffic accident while travelling overseas, there are a number of things you should do to a) ensure that yourself and others are safe, b) ensure the scene of the accident is safe, and c) fulfil your legal obligations. The list below covers some of these things:

  • Check injured people, and make sure they are at no further risk of harm. Do not move them unless you have to in order to move them out of harm’s way.
  • Make the road safe. Remove debris from the accident, and move the vehicles involved to the side of the road. Switch on hazard warning lights if appropriate to do so.
  • Contact the emergency services, and make sure that help is on the way for anyone who has been injured.
  • Inform the police of the accident. You don’t legally have to do this unless one of the drivers is intoxicated, they refuse to give you their details, or there is some contention over who was to blame.
  • Exchange details with all of the drivers who were involved in the accident. Take their driver’s licence number and also their insurance details.

These steps will help you to deal with the initial aftermath of the accident. They take care of your legal obligations, and make sure everyone is going to be safe.

What Should You Do After A Holiday Accident?

The section above covered all of the things that you will need to do at the scene of the accident, to manage the incident effectively. This section covers everything you can do in preparation for making a compensation claim when you return to the UK. Each step offers the benefit of leaving a record of your injury, and the accident that caused it. This will help to simplify the claims process. You can take steps such as:

  • If there are any witnesses who saw how the accident happened, collect their contact details so that you can contact them at a later stage, to give testimony if needed.
  • Make sure the police attend the scene, or are informed that the accident took place. Get the incident number from the local police if you can.
  • Go to the hospital and have your injuries examined and treated. Even if you don’t think they need any treatment, still visit the hospital so that your injuries are officially recorded.
  • When you get back to the UK, visit the hospital and ask them to check your injuries to ensure that they have been treated properly. This will ensure that your injuries are recorded in the UK health system.
  • Begin making a detailed list of any losses you sustain due to either the accident or your injuries. This can be financial losses, such as missing time off work and losing income. It can also be for ad-hoc losses, such as having to miss the wedding of a child due to your injuries.

Legal Expert will be able to process your personal injury claim for you even if you don’t take steps such as those outlined above. However, if you do take them, your claim will be much simpler to make, and you could be giving yourself a better chance of a positive outcome. Speak to one of our team on the number at the bottom of this page to learn how we can help start your claim today.

How To Correctly Report An Accident On the Road In Slovakia

If you have been involved in a road traffic accident while you are visiting Slovakia, we recommend you get the police involved no matter the circumstances. This is so that there is a record of the accident and how it happened. However, you are not legally obliged to report the accident to the police unless:

  • Somebody was injured or killed.
  • The cost of the damages to property is over 3,999 Euros.
  • The accident caused damage to anything owned by the Government, such as road signs, safety rails, etc.
  • The accident damaged property that belonged to a third party not involved in the accident itself.
  • There is a disagreement over who was responsible for causing the accident.
  • There is no clear reason for why the accident happened (for example., your car just ran off the road).
  • The public road has been obstructed in some way, and you cannot clear it safely.
  • If there is fuel such as diesel, petrol or LPG leaking from one of the vehicles.

Many of these reasons are pure common sense. Just be aware that if any of these statements above are true at the scene of your accident, you must report it to the police. If you don’t, you could end up being prosecuted.

Claiming Compensation For Whiplash In An Overseas Accident

It is estimated that the average cost of whiplash claims to drivers in the UK, in the raised costs of motor insurance, is over £150 for every policyholder. Whiplash claims cost UK motor insurance firms over £2 billion every year.

Whiplash is a generalised injury, a combination of related symptoms. This makes it very hard to diagnose and treat. This also makes it the perfect injury for basing a fraudulent claim on, and because of this, all whiplash claims are scrutinised closely. Legal Expert recommends that you have an impartial medical examination to support your whiplash claim. If you speak to one of our team on the number at the end of this guide, they will be able to arrange a free one locally for you. You may also like to check out the information that the NHS has published about whiplash, at this link:

NHS information on whiplash injuries

What Can Holiday Accident Claims Commonly Include?

When you make a claim for holiday accident compensation, if you are successful, the compensation settlement you receive will be made up of a few different kinds of damages. Each type of damages is awarded for a different reason, and these reasons can include, but are not limited to:

  • General damages (for physical harm):
    • Pain and suffering (during and after the accident).
    • Mental trauma (for the shock of the accident and being injured).
    • Psychological injury (PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc.).
    • Long recovery (for a long and painful recuperation period).
    • Permanent disability (such as amputation of a limb, brain damage, damage to an internal organ, etc.).
  • Special damages (for financial and other losses):
    • Travel costs (for the injuries or to deal with the claim itself).
    • Medical fees (for private healthcare).
    • Care costs (nursing or home help).
    • Loss of earnings (missed work).
    • Loss of future income (reduced earning potential).

If you would like to know what types of damages you may be able to claim in your own case, speak to one of the Legal Expert team on the number below. Once they know a little about your claim, they will be able to tell you the types of damages that may apply.

Compensation Calculator For Car Accidents In Slovakia

Instead of adding a personal injury claims calculator to this page, we have provided these accurate figures below. They are based on the actual judicial guidelines used by the UK legal system to judge the worth of a claim, for a range of different injuries.

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Injury Type Severity Compensation Information
Hand injury Minor to serious Up to £54,306 The injuries will start from damage to the tissue such as bruising and cuts, through sprains, fractures and nerve damage, to amputation of either one or both of the hands.
Wrist injury Minor to severe Up to £4,186 The injuries will start from bruising, cuts and soft tissue damage, though fractures and sprains, to loss of functionality of the wrist.
Arm injury Moderate to severe Up to £114,836 The injuries will start from lacerations, cuts, bruising and other tissue injuries, through nerve damage or muscle damage, and fractures, to amputation of the arm at the shoulder, or below the elbow.
Finger injury Minor to severe Up to £21,946 The injuries will start from tissue damage (lacerations, burns, cuts, etc.), through dislocation, sprains and fractures, to amputation of one or more of the fingers.
Thumb injury Minor to severe Up to £48,046 The injuries will start from tissue damage (lacerations, burns, cuts, etc.), through dislocation, sprains and fractures, to amputation of one or both of the thumbs.
Back injury Minor to severe Up to £141,176 The injuries will start from damage to the soft tissue of the back such as deep cuts, scrapes, burns and lacerations, through fractured vertebrae, nerve and muscle damage, to complete loss of functionality of the back.
Neck injury Minor to severe Up to £130,086 The injuries will start from damage to the soft tissue of the neck such as deep cuts, scrapes, burns and lacerations, through fractured vertebrae, nerve and muscle damage, to complete loss of functionality of the neck.
Toe injury Moderate to severe Up to £49,146 The injuries will start from tissue damage (lacerations, burns, cuts, etc.), through dislocation, sprains and fractures, to amputation of one or more of the toes.
Ankle injury Minor to severe Up to £61,146 The injuries will start from bruising, cuts and soft tissue damage, though fractures and sprains, to loss of functionality of the wrist.
Foot injury Minor to very severe Up to £96,146 The injuries will start from damage to the tissue such as bruising and cuts, through sprains, fractures and nerve damage, to amputation of either one or both of the feet.
Leg injury Minor to severe Up to £119,246 The injuries will start from lacerations, cuts, bruising and other tissue injuries, through nerve damage or muscle damage, and fractures, to amputation of the leg at the hip, or below the knee.

For a much more accurate idea of how much your claim might be worth, speak to one of the Legal Expert team on the number below. They will go over your claim with you, tell you how much you may be able to claim, then arrange to get your claim started right away.

No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims For Car Accidents In Slovakia

Legal Expert can act as your personal injury lawyer, and process a claim for you. We can do this under a No Win No Fee agreement. This is a financially risk-free way to have a legal firm handle your claim. There is no fee to start working on your claim, no fee as we process your claim, and no fee if we are unsuccessful with your claim. We will only take a fee when we receive a compensation payment for you. When we do, we take the fee out of the money we received on your behalf, then send you the rest. Speak to one of our team on the number below, to find out more about how this service operates.

Why Choose Our Personal Injury Team?

When you choose Legal Expert as your car accident abroad solicitors, you are using a legal firm that has a proven track record of successfully winning significant settlements on behalf of our clients. We have the skill and experience needed to make sure you have the best chance of your claim being successful, and receiving the maximum level of compensation possible. When you are ready to move your claim forward, speak to one of our team on the number below.

Slovakia Top Destinations

  • Bratislava
  • Košice
  • Prešov
  • Žilina
  • Banská Bystrica
  • Nitra
  • Trnava
  • Trenčín
  • Martin
  • Poprad

Talk To Us Today

If you have been involved in a car accident abroad, Legal Expert can help you to claim the compensation that you are entitled to. Speak to one of our team on 0800 073 8804. They will discuss your claim with you, explain your legal options, and then offer you a simple and effective way to get your claim underway right away.

British Consular Assistance And More Holiday Accident Guides

British Embassy Bratislava

Panská 235/16

811 01 Bratislava

Slovakia

Tel: +421 2/599 820 00

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

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

You can check the link below, for our package holiday accident claims guide:

A guide to package holiday claims

Our full and detailed guide to RTA claims, can be found here:

How to make a claim for an RTA

If you have had an accident involving a Lithuanian lorry driver, read this guide:

How to claim against a Lithuanian lorry driver

Edited by Melissa.