Accidents While Traveling: How to Handle Them
- Elisabeth Caraballo
- Sep 11, 2018
- 2 min read
Traveling can come with lots of potential things that might go wrong. Whether you're a risk taker or you prefer to take things easy, there's always a chance that you could get hurt while you're traveling. Having an accident isn't ever something you plan on doing, but if you're skiing, driving or even just walking around a famous landmark, you could end up getting hurt. Knowing what to do when you have an accident should help you to stay calmer if anything happens, and give you the tools and knowledge to deal with the aftermath.
Be Prepared
If you're going traveling, you can prepare yourself to prevent accidents and be able to handle them better if they do occur. Taking out travel insurance is essential if you want to make sure you're covered for everything from lost belongings to medical expenses. It's especially important if you're planning on doing anything risky, like extreme sports. But it's important to remember that even getting in a car comes with a fairly high risk for getting in an accident. It's also useful if you have any necessary paperwork with you, including insurance paperwork, driver's license, car documentation and anything else that you think might be useful.
Get Medical Help
If you do have an accident, the most important thing is obviously to get medical help as soon as you can. You might need to call for an ambulance, so make sure you know the local emergency number, no matter where you're traveling. Even if it's not an emergency, you should know when and how you need to get medical help. Some minor injuries might only require advice from a pharmacist, while other complaints might need an urgent care visit or a doctor's appointment. Make sure you check what your insurance covers so you know how to pay for everything.
Get Legal Advice
In some cases, it might be wise to seek legal advice. If you think the accident was caused by someone else's negligence, you might be able to make a claim for financial compensation. This could be particularly necessary if the accident results in the death of one of your traveling companions. As wrongful death lawyer Ivan Diamond says, no money will replace a loved one, but it can help you to deal with the financial impact of someone's death. A family member's death could have huge consequences not just emotionally but financially too.
Reorganize Your Trip Home
Some accidents won't affect your trip too much, and you'll be able to go home when you planned. However, sometimes you might need to rethink your trip and either leave early or stay longer to allow for recovery. If you want or need to go home early, you're not able to travel or you want to extend your trip to make up for lost time, you can reorganize your return trip. It might cost you money to reschedule, especially if you need to exchange tickets but it could be worth it.
Having an accident can ruin your trip, but it doesn't always have to. Sometimes a change of plans might be all that's needed.
