By Lewis Hendrix. Last updated 25th November 2022. Have you experienced an illness or injury Belgium which was caused by an accident because somebody else was negligent? You could have the right to claim compensation from the party that is responsible. Whether your accident on holiday in Belgium was a car accident in Belgium, an accident in a hotel, an incident of food poisoning or something else, if your injuries or illness were caused by the negligence of another party, you could be able to make a holiday compensation claim.
Belgium holiday accident
Trust an excellent holiday compensation solicitor provided by Accident Claims UK to handle your compensation claim for an accident abroad. Who are Accident Claims UK? We are a well respected personal injury law firm that specialises in helping holidaymakers that have experienced injuries or illnesses abroad, make holiday compensation claims. We can provide you with a solicitor based in Great Britain, who can manage your personal injury claim in this European destination for you. If you believe you are entitled to compensation for an accident on holiday in Belgium that you suffered, trust Accident Claims UK to handle your personal injury claim.
In this guide to making a holiday accident claim abroad, we will advise you on what to do if you are injured or become ill on holiday here, how to find medical treatment in when abroad, and how to gather evidence to strengthen your holiday accident claim if you suffered illness or other injury because of a accident that was not your fault. We will explain what are the most common holiday accidents on Belgian holidays, the benefits of making a no win no fee claim and will advise you on how to get the best personal injury solicitor to handle your claim. Accidents Claims UK offers a free personal injury compensation claims consultation. So if you believe that you are entitled to claim compensation for your injuries, call Accident Claims UK today. We will assess your situation and if you’ve got a strong claim to compensation, we will estimate how much compensation your claim could be worth and provide a top holiday compensation solicitor to process your claim.
Call us on 0800 073 8801 to see if you are entitled to claim compensation.
Select A Section
- A Guide To Making A Claim For An Illness Or Injury In Belgium
- Ten Largest Cities And Towns In Belgium
- What Should I Do If I Am Injured Or Made Ill On Holiday
- What Is The Emergency Number In Belgium?
- Getting Healthcare In Belgium As A Visitor
- What Is The Personal Injury Claim Time Limits In Belgium?
- Package Holiday And Package Tour Injury Claims
- Accidents In Hotels Abroad
- Food Related Or Waterborne Illnesses
- Slips, Trip And Falls
- Accidents And Injuries On Cycling Holidays
- Road Traffic And Car Accidents In Belgium
- Do I Have To Use A Solicitor In Belgium?
- Belgium Injuries – No Win No Fee Solicitors
- Why Make Your Claim With Our Team?
- Start Your Claim Today
- Where To Get Help Or Find Out More
A Guide To Making A Claim For An Illness Or Injury In Belgium
Belgium is one of our nearest neighbours in Europe and is easily accessible via the Eurostar train network, cross channel ferry system and our airports. With its excellent beer, food and history, the country is a popular destination for city breaks. Tours of the WW1 battlefields are also a popular reason for visiting. Other reasons for visiting include business trips and seeing family or friends. Up to 1.4 million people a year visit. It’s considered a relatively safe country to visit and most trips here will be relatively trouble free. However, unfortunately some holidaymakers will experience an illness or injury on their holiday, caused by an accident. If you sustained an injury in an accident, or become ill, because of an injury that was caused by the negligence of a third party, you could be entitled to make a personal injury claim for compensation. Common personal injury claims here include: claims for a car accident in Europe, claims for an injury caused by a slip, trip and fall accident, claims for food poisoning compensation or hotel accident claims.
If you have been injured on a trip to Belgium, in an accident that was not your fault, you may very well be eligible to make a claim to compensation for your injuries. Many people think that if they are injured here, this means that they have to use a Belgian personal injury claims solicitor to handle their compensation claim. This is not the case. If you choose to work with Accident Claims UK, you can be assured that we will provide you with an excellent personal injury solicitor based in Great Britain, who is experienced at handling overseas claims, who can handle your Belgian accident or injury claim.
Ten Largest Cities And Towns In Belgium
Belgium is a popular destination for holidaymakers from the United Kingdom. Cities such as Brussels, Antwerp and Bruges are all popular destinations for short city breaks. Below are the largest Belgian cities, by population.
- Antwerp – 523,248
- Ghent – 260,341
- Charleroi – 201,816
- Liège – 197,355
- Brussels – 179,277
- Scharebeek – 133,010
- Anderlecht – 118,382
- Bruges – 118,284
- Namur – 110,939
- Leuven – 101,396
What Should I Do If I Am Injured Or Made Ill On Holiday
If you have sustained an injury or become ill on holiday in Belgium, because of third party negligence then you could be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries. If you are able to, you can collect evidence to bolster your claim at the scene of your accident. This will help your solicitor to build up and win your claim.
How to collect evidence to bolster your Belgian holiday accident claim?
- Keep your receipts: If you have to spend any money because of your accident, keep your receipts. You could be reimbursed for your accident related expenses when you make your compensation claim, and the receipts could serve as evidence to strengthen your claim.
- Photograph your injuries: if it is safe to do so, to provide visual evidence to strengthen your claim. Include a time/date stamp if possible.
- Photograph the health and safety problem that caused the accident, if this does not pose further risk to you. If possible, include a date stamp.
- Speak to eyewitnesses and make a note of their personal contact details. Your personal injury solicitor may need to contact them for a statement during your case.
- If you are injured in a car accident in Belgium, make sure that you and the other driver swap contact details. If the other driver does not own the car that they are driving then request the contact details of the vehicle’s owner. If you are involved in a car accident abroad or at home, make sure that you don’t sign any paperwork that the other driver, their lawyer or insurer gives you before consulting your own solicitor, as this could be an attempt to unwittingly dupe you into admitting liability.
Of course, if you are seriously injured or ill, your immediate priority should be getting medical attention for your injuries. If you need to go to hospital right away, you can get a friend or family member to collect this information for you instead.
What Is The Emergency Number In Belgium?
In Belgium, the emergency telephone number is 112. This number covers requesting assistance from the ambulance services, police or fire brigade. Belgium is multilingual, so calls to the emergency services can be in Flemish, Dutch, French, or English. If you report your accident on holiday to the emergency services, this will also serve as evidence to back up your claim. However, only do so if it is appropriate to, as this number is for emergency situations only.
If you are in Belgium and find yourself in need of urgent diplomatic assistance you can call the British Consulate in Brussels on +32 2 287 62 11. This number is for emergency situations such as a member of your party being arrested, attacked or an unexpected death.
Getting Healthcare In Belgium As A Visitor
Whilst the United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union, UK citizens can use a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC allows holders travelling to other European Union states to access the same free healthcare as the country’s citizens can. You can apply for an EHIC card here for free. However, please note that not all countries have a state healthcare system which is as comprehensive as the NHS, so you may not be able to get more complex treatment. Therefore we recommend you take out fully comprehensive health and travel insurance before you travel. Insurance will also cover the costs of services such as repatriation to your home country, if you are seriously ill and have to return home.
Please note that when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in 2019, its citizens may no longer be able to use the EHIC program.
What Is The Personal Injury Claim Time Limits In Belgium?
If you have experienced a personal injury in Belgium that was not your fault, you could be entitled to claim a potentially large settlement for your injuries. If you are injured in Belgium, a personal injury claims time limit applies. This time limit starts from the day of the accident that caused your injury or illness in Belgium, or the day that you realised that you had been harmed. You can see what personal injury claims time limit applies to your accident below.
| Accident, Injury or Illness | Applicable Time Limit |
|---|---|
| If the holiday was booked through a tour operator that is based in the UK. | 3 years can very |
| If you booked your holiday yourself privately. | Up to 5 years |
| Accidents at sea. | 2 years from the date the passenger stepped onto the vessel, Can very |
| On a privately booked flight to or from Belgium | 2 years can very |
Holiday Accident Compensation Claims We Can Handle
Package Holiday And Package Tour Injury Claims
If you wanted to get a great deal on your holiday to Belgium, you may have booked a package holiday to one of countries cities through a popular tour operator. Organised package tours of Belgium, such as tours of the WW1 battlefields and monuments, or coach tours of Belgium’s beautiful historic cities are also popular. If you pay to go on a package holiday or a package tour of Belgium, your tour provider has a duty of care towards you. This means that they are responsible for taking precautions and following regulations to provide you with a safe and hygienic holiday experience. If you suffered illness or another injury because of an accident on holiday in Belgium, which was caused by negligence on the part of the tour operator, you could make a package holiday accident claim worth (potentially) thousands of pounds against your tour operator. Call Accident Claims UK, if you have been injured on a package holiday to Belgium and wish to claim compensation.
If you are injured on a package holiday, because of negligence on the part of your tour operator or another third party, make sure that you report your accident in Belgium to your tour operator as soon as possible.
Below is a list of some of the most popular tour operators that offer package holidays to Belgium.
| Name of tour operator |
|---|
| Expedia |
| Thomas Cook |
| Jet2Holidays |
| LastMinute.com |
| TravelRepublic.co.uk |
Accidents In Hotels Abroad
Similarly to a package holiday, a hotel has a duty of care towards their guests. This means that they are responsible for providing guests with a safe and hygienic environment during their stay. If the hotel neglects their duty of care towards their guests and ignores a health and safety hazard, which injures a guest, they could be held liable for any illness or injuries caused and have to pay the guest personal injury compensation. Common hotel accidents can include: swimming pool or health suite accidents, gym equipment accidents, slip and fall injuries, food poisoning or accidents related to broken railings. If you have suffered from an injury that was not your fault, call Accident Claims UK today, to find out if you are entitled to claim compensation.
Food Related Or Waterborne Illnesses
Hotels and restaurants have to follow strict regulations, to ensure that foods and beverages are properly prepared and stored. If food or beverages are not prepared properly, then this could result in the customer suffering a food poisoning related illness. Similarly, hotel and health suite guests can suffer from waterborne illnesses if swimming pool or hot tub water is not properly treated with chlorine, or a chlorine alternative. If you have suffered a food poisoning illness in a hotel, restaurant or bar in Belgium, you could be entitled to claim holiday compensation for food poisoning. Call Accident Claims UK today, to find out if you are entitled to claim compensation.
Slips, Trip And Falls
Unfortunately slip, trip and fall accidents on holiday are relatively common. This is because a simple careless action, such as not repairing a broken floorboard, or leaving a spillage to go unmopped can cause you to experience a slip, trip or fall injury. Fortunately, many of the injuries caused by slip, trip or fall accidents are minor, such as cuts and bruises and will heal quickly. Other more serious injuries that can be caused by slip, trip or fall accidents include severances, soft tissue injuries and broken or fractured bones. If you have been injured because of a slip, trip or fall accident on holiday in Belgium, which was caused by the negligence of another party, call Accident Claims UK today, to find out if you are entitled to claim compensation.
Accidents And Injuries On Cycling Holidays
Because of its pretty, flat landscape and extensive network of long distance cycle paths, Belgium is a popular destination for cycling holidays. Although cycling carries inherent risks, if you were injured on a Belgian cycling holiday because of an accident that was not your fault, you could be entitled to claim a large settlement in compensation for said injuries. This could include: a car accident in Europe, if your bicycle was hit by a driver who was not following the correct rules of the road, or because you were supplied with a faulty bike by a bike hier company, then you could be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries. Call Accident Claims UK for your free personal injury claims consultation and if you you have legitimate grounds for compensation, we will provide you with an excellent holiday compensation solicitor to make your claim.
Road Traffic And Car Accidents In Belgium
If you have been injured in a car accident in Belgium that was not your fault, trust Accident Claims UK to provide you with an excellent personal injury solicitor to handle your claim. Car accidents in Europe are often more common than the UK, plus being in an unfamiliar environment and driving on the other side of the road means that as a tourist, you could be more vulnerable to suffering car accidents in Belgium. If you have experienced whiplash, or any other injury in Belgium that was not your fault, because of a car accident abroad, call today to see how much you could claim for your injuries.
Do I Have To Use A Solicitor In Belgium?
Many people think that if they experience an accident or injury in Belgium that they have to claim personal injury compensation using a lawyer in Belgium. This is not the case. Accident Claims UK can provide you with an excellent holiday compensation solicitor, who is experienced at handling claims in Belgium. If you have experienced a personal injury in Belgium, which was down to the negligence of someone else, call Accident Claims UK today to start your claims process and what holiday compensation amounts you could claim for your injuries.
Personal Injury Claims Calculator
| Injured body part | Severity (level of injury) | Comments and notes on injuries | Example figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain damage | Less severe | With a good recovery where you can return to work and social activities | £13,430 to £37,760 |
| Psychiatric Damage Generally | Less severe to severe | Various factors are taken into account to calculate settlements. | £5,130 – £101,470 |
| Finger(s) | Minor to severe | A variety of factors will be taken into account to calculate your compensation. | from up to £4,160 to £32,210 |
| Hand | Minor to severe | A variety of factors will be taken into account to calculate your compensation. | £800 – £176,660 |
| Leg | Minor to severe | A variety of different factors are used to calculate your compensation settlement. | up to to £247,280 |
| Ankle | Modest to severe | A variety of different factors are used to calculate your compensation settlement. | from up to £12,050 – £61,110 |
| Foot | Modest to severe | We use different factors, such as how the injury has affected you, to calculator settlements. | from up to £12,050 – £176,660 |
| Brain/ head | Minor | Whilst such injuries are minor, there will still be a variety of symptoms. | £1,940 to £11,200 |
| Shoulder | Minor to severe | Compensation payments could progress upwards with the severity of the injury | £2,150 – £42,110 |
| Back | Minor to severe | Compensation payments could progress upwards with the severity of the injury | £2,150 – £141,150 |
| Wrist | Categories (A) through (F) | Compensation payments could progress upwards with the severity of the injury | Up to £52,490 |
| Hips | Lesser to more severe | Includes various injuries to the pelvic area and the hips | £3,460 – £114,810 |
Belgium Injuries – No Win No Fee Solicitors
After a car accident in Belgium, or similar accident in which you suffer harm, you might consider working with solicitors to help you prepare your personal injury compensation claim. However, if you are concerned about the financial risk of hiring a solicitor, a No Win No Fee arrangement could benefit you.
This could mean:
- You are not expected to pay an upfront fee
- Not being required to pay your solicitor if your claim is unsuccessful
- Only paying a success fee if you win compensation
Additionally, if your Belgium injuries claim is successful, the fee you pay to your solicitor is legally capped under the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013.
If you would like to work with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. If you suffered harm in Belgium, such as a head injury, due to negligence, our solicitors could help you.
Why Make Your Claim With Our Team?
At Accident Claims UK, we offer all of our clients the option to make a no win no fee claim. So if you believe that you are owed compensation for an injury or illness in Belgium call us today, to enquire about making a no win no fee claim.
Start Your Claim Today
If you believe that you have grounds to claim compensation for an accident on holiday in Belgium, call us today for your free consultation. We will assess your claim, and if you have strong reasons to claim, we shall provide you with an excellent holiday compensation solicitor who will start working on your claim right away. We will also estimate what holiday compensation amounts you could claim. Call us today, and speak o a solicitor today.
Where To Get Help Or Find Out More
British Embassy Brussels
Avenue d’Auderghem 10
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: (+32) 2 287 62 11
Web: www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-brussels
Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
NHS guide to healthcare abroad
In this NHS guide you can find out how to access healthcare when you are abroad.