Formentera Car Accident Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation For A Personal Injury After A Car Crash In Formentera

By Joanne Jeffries. Last Updated 24th November 2021. Welcome to this guide to claiming after a car accident in Formentera.

Have you been injured in a Formentera car accident? Do you need a holiday accident solicitor to help you to claim compensation? This guide can help you to find out how to make a personal injury claim after a car crash abroad.

Formentera car accident

Formentera car accident

Package holidays to destinations such as the Balearic Islands are very popular for a lot of British holidaymakers. In 2016/ 17 as many British tourists – 871,288 – visited Ibiza and Formentera (counted together) as the number of French, German and Italian tourists combined. Whilst most of these visitors will have a fun and relaxing holiday, for some, their holiday may entail an illness or accident.

If you have been injured in a road traffic accident abroad, knowing what to do next can be confusing. There can be language barriers when reporting your accident or trying to get medical treatment. When it comes to getting compensation for your accident you may also find that dealing with an accident in another country can be difficult. This is where our holiday accident personal injury solicitors we provide can help. To see how, read the rest of this guide below.

Select A Section

A Guide To Claiming Compensation For A Car Crash In Formentera

If you have been involved in a Formentera car accident and was injured, whether as a passenger or if driving a vehicle, as long as you were not responsible for the accident happening, you could claim compensation.

Our panel of personal injury solicitors are experienced at conducting car accident abroad compensation claims and could assist you. Some of the ways in which our experts can help you include;

  • Obtaining a copy of reports by the police in Spain and medical reports from the facility where you were treated.
  • Get statements from any witnesses.
  • Organise a follow up medical examination in the UK.
  • Negotiate your claim and compensation settlement.

In the UK, there are laws which are designed to help you claim compensation for a car accident abroad, such as a road traffic accident in Formentera. Whatever the cause of your accident, you could be able to make a compensation claim against the person responsible.

Top Villages, Towns And Resorts In Formentera

Before we move on to providing you with tips on how to drive safely in Spain and how to make a no win no fee claim, we will look at some of the most popular places to visit or stay at when in Formentera.

Formentera is the smallest of the Balearic islands and is very often paired as a destination with its larger neighbour, Ibiza. The following are some of the popular places to visit or stay on the island.

  1. Es Pujols
  2. Sant Ferran
  3. Pilar de la Mola
  4. Estany des Peix
  5. La Mola Lighthouse

If you have had a Formentera road accident in these or any other location on the island, or elsewhere in the Balearic islands, please contact us to see how we could help.

Tips For Driving Safely In Formentera

Next, we move on to looking at what to do before driving in Formentera. Below we provide some top tips for how to stay safe on the roads when driving in the Balearic Islands. There are several things which you will always need to carry with you when driving. Some of these items will be provided by your car hire company.

When driving in Spain you are required to have the following;

  1. A copy of your UK driving license.
  2. A copy of your rental agreement.
  3. Details of your insurance policy, or coverage through your rental agreement.
  4. Reflective or high visibility jackets for both the driver and any passengers.
  5. Reflective warning triangles to be placed in front and behind the car after an accident.
  6. Beam deflectors for your vehicle’s headlamps.
  7. Carry a first aid kit.
  8. If you wear glasses, you must carry a spare pair with you.

Things which you may need to know.

  • A vehicle overtaking you on the motorway may flash you first.
  • Indicate when pulling out and crossing back if overtaking on the motorway and do not cross a solid white line to do so.
  • As the alcohol limit is extremely low, you should avoid drinking at all before driving.

Following these tips will help you to stay safe and help to avoid your being involved in a Formentera car accident. If you do have a car accident abroad, talk to a solicitor to find out if you can claim compensation.

Why Having The Right Travel Insurance Is Important

Further on in this guide, we look at how to access medical care using a Global Health Insurance Card. However, whilst the GHIC could be used to get treatment after a car accident abroad in some destinations, it does not provide other forms of cover. This is why we highly recommend that you still get comprehensive travel insurance which covers you driving in Spain.

If you have had a hire car accident in Formentera, your vehicle will probably be insured as part of your car hire agreement. Before your holiday, check your car insurance policy. If you are driving in Spain being insured is mandatory. However, drivers are not required to have a breakdown cover policy. If you are hiring or driving a car in any destination abroad, we do also recommend that you have breakdown cover for your holiday.

What To Do If You Have A Car Crash Or Accident In Formentera

Next, we move on to look at what to do if in a car accident in Formentera. In the event of a road traffic accident abroad, taking these practical steps can be helpful. Whilst still at the scene of the accident, you should;

  • Safely pull over at the side of the road.
  • Where and when safe to exit the vehicle, move to a safe place at the side of the road.
  • Make sure that all passengers are wearing high visibility vests.
  • Safely place reflective warning triangles 50 meters in front and 50 meters behind the vehicle.
  • Never move a seriously injured person unless they are in an unsafe place.

We then advise that you also take the following steps;

  • In the event of an accident of any type, if anyone has suffered an injury, you should contact an ambulance for treatment as well as contacting the police to report the accident.
  • Notify the police and fill out an accident report form. This is a standard European report and should be available in English for you to fill in.
  • If asked, show the police copies of your driving license as well as your hire car agreement.
    Inform your holiday, car, or hire car insurance provider. Make sure you have noted down the phone number for your insurance policy.

Finally, you should contact a personal injury lawyer to start your claim if you are injured and not responsible for the accident within the applicable personal injury claims time limit.

How To Contact The Emergency Services In Formentera

If you or someone else is injured in a Formentera road traffic accident, you may need help from the emergency services such as the ambulance service or the police force.

If you are in Spain the main number you need to dial to get the different emergency services is 112. Dialing this you can request help in Spanish, English, Catalan, and German. Below, we have also included other useful emergency numbers in Formentera below.

Emergency Services – 112
Local Police – 092/ 971 32 20 87
Civil Guard – 971 32 20 22
Fireman – 092/112
Hospital – 971 32 12 12

How To Get Medical Treatment In Formentera

The healthcare systems of each country are different and when accessing healthcare in Spain without travel insurance or a GHIC card you may have to pay privately. As such, both the UK government and our advisors recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance. This can work in tandem with your GHIC card to give you full coverage for both medical treatment and other costs.

Anyone who requires urgent care will be provided with it. If you do not have an GHIC card, you will be expected to pay in full for your treatment. When taking out travel insurance, you should ensure that there is adequate coverage for any treatment which you could require whilst in Spain. If you do have to pay any costs, make sure that you keep paperwork and receipts or invoices for payments you have made.

Remember, the GHIC does not cover or reimburse you for things such as the cost of any private medical treatment, the cost of extra travel or accommodation and the cost of getting back to the UK, the cost of things such as mountain rescue service and other costs.

How To Report A Car Accident To The Policia Local Or Guardia Civil

After being involved in a car accident in Formentera, you need to make sure that you report your car accident to the police and record the incident with a European accident report form. As with different healthcare provisions and charges, there are also different rules for if and when you need to report accidents on the road to the police.

Our advisors do recommend that you contact the police to report your car crash in Formentera. You should also note that cases under criminal law have precedence over civil cases.

Crashes And Accidents In A Rental Car

With Formentera being a part of Spain’s Balearic Islands, it is more likely that you will be driving a rental or hire car on the island than driving your own vehicle there. This means if you are involved in an accident, it is more likely to be a rental car accident in Formentera.

If you do have a crash, you should inform the hire car company as soon as possible. They should have insurance in place to cover damage to the vehicle. There may also be coverage for injuries. If your hire car was booked as part of a package deal, you should also inform the relevant holiday provider.

How To Claim Compensation For Whiplash Abroad

Whether you are driving in the UK or abroad in Formentera, whiplash is one of the most common types of injury you could suffer in a car accident. Because you were injured in an EU country, it is much easier to make your compensation claim in the UK’s courts. However, whilst you can make your compensation claim in the UK, for an accident which happened abroad, you may need to make your claim with a personal injury solicitor who is experienced in helping people to claim compensation for accidents and injuries abroad.

Time Limits For Making A Formentera Car Accident Claim

If you are making a Formentera road accident claim, you need to be aware of any personal injury claim time limits which apply. To make any type of personal injury claim, you will always need to do so within the applicable time limit, before the case becomes time barred and you can no longer do so.

Whilst we have provided examples of applicable time limits in this table, we do recommend that you contact a solicitor who specialises in personal injury claims as soon as possible to find out how long you have in which to make your claim as time limits can vary.

Edit
Cause of injury Relevant personal injury claim time limit
Injury and illness suffered on holiday booked through a UK based package holiday company. 3 years.
Injury and illness (such as from a car accident) which happened on a privately booked holiday. 1 year – can vary.
Claims for injuries and illnesses caused by or on a flight to or flying from an international airport. 2 year may vary.

Claims Calculator

When you look at our personal injury claims calculator in the table below, you should keep in mind that these figures only take into account what you can claim in compensation for the injuries themselves which you suffered. In addition to these figures, it is also likely that you will be able to claim compensation for other costs which you have incurred, such as additional travel expenses, loss of income if you can not return to work when expected and compensation for the loss of enjoyment of your holiday.

Edit
How were you injured? What can you claim What else do you need to know
Minor neck injuries £2,150 to £3,810 Recovery expected in under three months. .
Minor neck injuries Up to £2,150 Recovery is expected in three to twelve months.
Serious shoulder injuries £11,200 to £16,830 Shoulder injuries which restrict the joints movement/ usefulness.
Moderate shoulder injuries £6,920 to £11,200 Injuries similar to frozen shoulders.
Minor head or minor brain injuries £1,940 to £11,200 Minor head injuries or minor brain injuries.
Significant burns – those covering a large percentage of the body Likely to exceed £91,910 There are significant burns which will cover around 40% of the claimant.
Less severe wrist injuries £11,040 to £21,480 Some level of minor disability is expected.
Wrist fractures Rarely exceed £8,970 Full recovery expected.
Severe pelvic injuries £68,740 to £114,810 Severe pelvic injuries might leave you with a degree of disability.
Jaw fractures – severe Up to £39,940 Three levels of severity (i), (ii) and (iii). The worse the fracture, the higher the settlement.

These example figures are taken from the latest (issue 14) version of the Judicial College Guidelines. These are not legally binding but are commonly observed by solicitors acting for both parties and are also followed by the courts.

No Win No Fee Car Accident Claims In Formentera

After being involved in a Formentera car accident, or any accident abroad you will likely already have faced certain costs and have lost out on fully enjoying at least part of your holiday. When you get back to the UK and are ready to make a personal injury claim, the last thing you want to do is to have to face further expenses. This is why we could offer you a no win no fee agreement.

We believe that people involved in accidents which were not their fault should not have to face extra expenses and costs in order to try and claim the compensation that they could be owed. To learn more about making a no win no fee claim for your accident abroad, contact our experts today.

How Our Holiday Accident Claims Team Can Help You

When you are involved in an accident abroad driving on the roads, it can be difficult to know what you should do. Remember, the rules around making a personal injury claim for an injury abroad can be very different to doing so in the UK. Navigating things like language barriers can make things harder to do and you may not be familiar with local laws. Our expert team is on hand to help you navigate making a compensation claim abroad. Contact us today to find out how.

Contact Our Holiday Accident Advisors

If you or a loved one have been injured in a road traffic accident abroad which was not your fault, our expert team can be on hand to help you to claim compensation for your injuries. Contact us today by calling 0800 073 8801 or by using our online contact form on this page.

How To Contact The British Embassy And Additional Guides

Whilst above we have provided you with all the information and resources for making a personal injury claim for a car accident in Formentera, we have also included other resources which could help you in similar circumstances. Below you can find details of British Embassies and consulates, a guide to healthcare in Spain from the NHS and some of our other Spanish holiday personal injury claims guides.

British Embassy Madrid
Torre Espacio
Paseo de la Castellana 259D
28046 Madrid
Spain
Tel: (+34) 91 714 6300
Website: www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-consulate-general-madrid/office/british-consulate-general-madrid

British Consulate Ibiza
Avenida Isidor Macabich 45
101a (Corner with Calle Canaries)
07800 Ibiza
Spain
Tel: +34 93 366 6200
Website: www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-consulate-ibiza

Healthcare In Spain
In this guide produced by the NHS, you can find out more about how to access and use healthcare and medical services in Spain.

Formentera Holiday Accident Claims
In this guide, you can find out about how to claim compensation for a variety of other types of accident and injury on holiday.

Hotel Accident Claims In Spain
If your injury or illness was caused by a hotel in Spain, find out how to claim compensation with a holiday accident solicitor.

Could I claim if a car accident in Formentera caused a pre-existing condition to get worse?

If you already have a pre-existing medical condition, you may be wondering whether you could still make a claim if you are injured further in a Formentera car accident. If you could prove that the accident was not your fault you could still have a claim. You would need to prove that but for the car accident, your condition would not be as severe as it is. You could claim if a car accident exacerbated your previous medical condition. You could also claim if it accelerates it. Such claims could be complex, which is why it is always a good idea to consider using a personal injury solicitor to help you make such claims. They would help to arrange a medical appointment with an independent specialist. The specialist could examine your injuries and how badly they have been accelerated or exacerbated. The resulting medical report could provide strong evidence of your claim, and could help you to secure the maximum compensation possible.

Could I make a claim if a car accident informant error injures my child?

Child accident claims could be made by parents of children who are injured in accidents that aren’t their fault. This could include accidents abroad. If your child was injured as a passenger in a car accident, you could make a claim on their behalf. Or, if your child was injured in a hit and run accident on the road, for example, you could claim as their litigation friend. When the claim is settled and compensation is paid out, the payout would usually go into a trust for your child. To find out more about making such claims, please do not hesitate to get in touch.  We’d be happy to advise you.

Thank you for reading this guide to making a claim for a car accident in Forrmentera.