We are all afraid of the scenario of having to claim holiday accident compensation – but if you do, it’s vital to be aware of your rights and the law before any proceedings start.

If you’ve been injured on holiday and someone else is to blame, legally you may be able to claim if the accident or injury has occurred in the past 3 years. According to a recent survey, the most common claims, and sometimes the most horrific injuries, come from hotel pools, balconies, burns and scalding accidents and hotel staircases.

In 1992, a regulation was passed to ensure that any tour operators you travel with takes responsibility for your ‘reasonable’ safety. Of course, ‘reasonable’ safety is a vague term and can often lead to confusion – one shouldn’t expect the same standards of health and safety, or even healthcare, as the UK and therefore if an accident occurs, steps should be taken to ensure you are entitled to a compensation pay-out.

Try to gather as much information as physically possible. In the eyes of the law, this will make your case a lot easier as you will have a lot of information to prove what happened and why. Booking forms, tickets, any correspondence with your tour operator and copies of accident reports must be kept. If able, also try to take photos or video of the accident location and how your injury occurred.

Once back in the UK, there are many companies who provide advice, consultancy and holiday accident compensation no win no fee support. Any foreign language barriers can be easily removed by dedicated solicitors with proven experience, and any evidence reviewed before a claim takes place. For expert advice, Brighton based BBC Law offer specialist support for holiday accident compensation claims.