Holiday Accident Claims Solicitor Referral Scheme
If you are a solicitor and have received instructions or an enquiry involving an accident that happened abroad have you thought about referring the matter?Simpson Millar Solicitors are specialist personal injury lawyers dealing in accidents abroad and on holiday and offer a claims referral scheme to solicitors.
Taking on a case where the law, time limits and procedures are very different to a typical personal injury claim can be a time consuming, expensive and daunting prospect and requires specialist skills.
If you have a case you might want to refer then Simpson Millar may be able to provide you with a solution.
Our solicitors and lawyers work closely with foreign experts in disciplines ranging from law to forensic architecture.
If the claim has merits we can talk to you about preserving a lien or even a profit share.
Contact Nick Harris, Head of Simpson Millar’s Holiday Personal Injury Claims Department for advice and discuss how you can profit without taking on the risk.
Accidents on Holiday
Many law firms who take on what seem to be straightforward Holiday Accident Claims fail to contemplate the pitfalls involved or the lengthy process and often substantial investment needed to win a case.
For example, the most simple foreign accident claim will require expert witness evidence of the local safety standard at the date of the accident. Although English procedural law often applies the standards measured are those applicable in the country where the accident happened. Without such evidence the case will more than likely fail.
A typical accident would be a slipping accident at a hotel caused by a spillage. This would appear a simple case but the present position makes this very different.
To succeed it would need to be proven that the hotel had been negligent. If there are no local standards requiring floors to be kept dry or for warning signage to be displayed, etc, applicable at the date of the accident then there is no breach of the local safety standard and the case is doomed to fail.
Unlike personal injury claims arising from accidents in England and Wales the Defendant is entitled to an extended period of 6 months to investigate and respond to the issue of liability. This is often frustrating for a claimant and hard on cash flow and can even be prejudicial to the claimant and their ability to gather evidence.
Illness on Holiday
At Simpson Millar we are often contacted by law firms who have got themselves into difficulty prosecuting a claim where a client claims they fell ill on holiday due to substandard hotel conditions or Food Poisoning.
What we find is that the solicitors prosecuting the Holiday Illness Claim have in most cases failed to appreciate the complexities usually in establishing causation and negligence.
Whilst a gastroenterologist may report on the illness further expert evidence is often required from experts in disciplines including microbiology, food and environmental safety, foreign applicable law, HACCP and pool water treatment.
Again the Defendant will have 6 months to investigate and respond to the issue of liability and the disbursements incurred can be very expensive.
Accident and Illness Abroad Specialist Solicitors
Simpson Millar are a nationwide law firm with expertise in pursuing foreign accident and personal injury claims.
Our lawyers have more than 30 years of previous experience actually defending claims for the major tour operators and so know exactly how to win compensation and successfully prosecute difficult claims.
Speak to Nick Harris today if you would like to find out more about referring your foreign accident and illness claims.
Freephone: 08081293329 or drop us a line using the form above.