Fuerteventura Car Accident Personal Injury Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation For Car Accident In Fuerteventura?

By Joanne Jeffries. Last Updated 25th November 2021. Welcome to our guide on claiming for a car accident in Fuerteventura.

Fuerteventura car accident car accident in Fuerteventura.

Fuerteventura car accident

In this article, we set out and take you through everything that you need to know about making a Fuerteventura car crash claim if you have been injured in a vehicle accident whilst on holiday that was not your fault. Whilst people are aware that they can claim if injured in an accident in the UK, many are not aware that they can also do so if injured in a car accident abroad. As long as you can show that you did not cause the accident in which you were injured, we could be able to help you to make a no win no fee car accident abroad compensation claim.

If you think your accident and injuries are eligible for compensation there are steps which you will need to take to do so. You also need to be aware that the time limit for making a Fuerteventura car accident could be much shorter than in the UK and in some circumstances, you may only have a year in which to make your claim. To learn more about how a solicitor could help you read this guide and contact our expert team.

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A Guide To Fuerteventura Car Crash Claim

Through this guide, we provide information on how to drive safely, what to do before driving in Fuerteventura and how to avoid Canary Islands car accidents. We also look at what documentation or insurance you may need to drive in Spain, how much you can claim for a variety of different injuries, and how we could help you.

When travelling abroad on holiday many people will either hire a car (or another vehicle such as a moped) or bring their own vehicle. When travelling to the Canary Islands most people will have hired their vehicle either as part of their holiday package holiday or when they arrived. Unfortunately, road traffic accidents abroad could happen when people are on holiday and if you are involved in a car accident in Europe you should be aware of your rights.

If you are involved in or injured by a Fuerteventura road accident that was not your fault you are protected through pan-European laws which entitle you to make a personal injury claim in the UK. Under the 4th and 5th EU Motor Directives, insurers in other EU countries have to have an appointed representative in the UK to handle any compensation claims. This means that you could claim compensation in the UK, rather than in the country the accident happened in.

Towns And Resorts In Fuerteventura

Before we delve further into looking at different aspects of Canary Islands car accidents, we have included a list of some of the most popular places to visit in Fuerteventura including resorts, towns, and villages.

  1. Puerto del Rosario
  2. Corralejo Grandes Playas
  3. Caleta de Fuste
  4. Morro Jable & Jandia
  5. El Cotillo & La Concha Beach
  6. Costa Calma
  7. Cofete
  8. Betancuria
  9. Antigua
  10. Ajuy
  11. La Lajita
  12. Las Playitas

Where you stayed in Fuerteventura is not important to your ability to make a personal injury claim. We have taken these recommendations from a variety of holiday resources. Whether you were staying in or travelling through one of these locations when you had a car accident abroad, you could be able to claim compensation if you are injured and a third party is liable.

Tips And Requirements For Driving In Fuerteventura

If you will be driving in Spain there are things which you need to know before you start driving there. Firstly, let us look at what to do before driving in Fuerteventura.

If you will be driving in the Canary Islands or Spain in general, there are several items which you need to have with you.

  • Have a copy of documents such as your driving license.
  • Reflective jackets for the driver and passengers.
  • A warning triangle to place in front and behind the vehicle in the event of an accident.
  • Beam deflectors for your vehicle’s headlamps.

There are additional things which you may need to know before driving in any part of Spain. You should check whether your UK based insurance policy covers you for driving abroad for holidays. When you are driving in Spain you are allowed a certain amount of leeway in terms of observing the speed limit for overtaking. When you are changing lanes or position on the roads, you need to indicate. You should also take greater care when you are driving in built-up areas there can be a lot of small vehicles such as mopeds and scooters.

If you have still been involved in a car accident abroad and need to make a compensation claim, talk to our expert team today.

Why Having Comprehensive Travel Insurance Is Important

As we will see later in this guide when looking at how to pay for medical care after a car crash in Fuerteventura, whilst you can use the GHIC card scheme to get medical treatment, you may still need to have comprehensive travel insurance in the event of a Fuerteventura car crash.

If you are involved in a rental car accident in Fuerteventura it is likely that you will be insured through the rental agreement. However, if you have an active driving insurance policy in the UK it is quite likely that you will have up to 90 days of insurance cover if driving in the EU. The majority of insurance providers in the UK will provide you with third party when driving in EU states. Before you leave you should check your level of cover.

Whilst it is mandatory to be insured, there is no requirement to have breakdown cover, however, we do recommend that you organise this for either your own vehicle or for when using a hire car.

What Should I Do After A Car Accident In Fuerteventura?

If you have been injured in a Canary Island car crash and wish to make a Fuerteventura car crash claim there are some practical steps which you could take. At the scene of the accident, you could do the following;

  • If not already stopped, pull your vehicle over to a safe place.
  • If safe to do so, exit the vehicle and make sure that you and all passengers wear a high visibility vest.
  • Place reflective triangles which should be in your vehicle at points 50 meters away from the vehicle in front and behind.
  • Do not move any injured persons unless it is unsafe for them to remain where they are.

Our team advises that you take these general steps:

  • First and foremost if you or anyone else has been injured, you need to contact the emergency services such as the police and ambulance services.
  • Report the accident to the Police. In Spain, you should report accidents where people are injured to the local Municipal Police force.
  • Do not admit any liability for the accident. We also recommend that you do not sign any documents other than the general European Accident Statement.
  • If you do not understand what you are being told or being asked to sign, request an interpreter.
  • The police may ask for a copy of your driving license and either your rental agreement or registration documents.
  • Make sure you get your injuries treated.
  • Next contact your insurance provider, whether for your own travel or vehicle insurance, or that of your hire car. Most UK insurers will have an emergency phone number which you can call after a car crash abroad.

Your final step could then be to contact a specialist personal injury solicitor who can discuss your case with you.

Fuerteventura Emergency Service Phone Numbers

In the event of a road traffic accident in Fuerteventura, you should contact the emergency services to request any necessary assistance as well as to report the accident to the police.

The main emergency service number for the whole of Spain, including the Canary Islands, is 112. This number can connect you to many of the police services in Spain, including the Policia Nacional, regional and municipal police forces. You can also dial 062 to contact the Guardia Civil.

Emergency Services – 112
Guardia Civil – 062
General Hospital Virgen de la Peña – (+34) 928 86 20 00

How To Access Healthcare In Fuerteventura

After being injured in a Fuerteventura road accident, you may require either emergency medical care or to visit a GP or hospital. In an emergency situation, you could call either 061 or 112 to request an ambulance. The Spanish words for ambulance and A&E are AMBULANCIA and URGENCIAS respectively.

Currently, when visiting Spain you are entitled to use the GHIC / Global Health Insurance Card system.

Your Global Health Insurance Card will enable you to receive any medical treatment you need from the government-run healthcare system. The card does not cover operators in the private sector. The benefit of having an GHIC card is that you will receive treatment under the same conditions as someone living in Spain. Note that this does mean that you may still have some small upfront costs to meet.

Whilst your healthcare is covered, the GHIC can not reimburse you for the cost of travelling to a hospital, or the cost of either delaying your flight home or returning earlier than planned. It can not also reimburse you for lost or damaged property. As such, the GHIC should not be used as a substitute for having comprehensive travel insurance or for claiming compensation.

Reporting Your Car Accident To The Guardia Civil

If you have been involved in a car crash abroad it is always a good idea to notify the authorities in that country, such as the local or national police force. Different laws can apply when abroad and it may be a legal requirement in the country you are visiting to contact the police within a certain amount of time after a road traffic accident.

We do recommend that you report any Canary Islands car crashes. Under the law in Spain, criminal cases take precedence over civil cases. We should also note that compensation can be awarded through the criminal court system.

Accidents In Rental Or Hire Cars In Fuerteventura

If you were involved in an accident when driving a hire car or other rental vehicle, you will need to notify the rental company as quickly as possible. They should provide you with a number to call in an emergency and details of what you need to do if you are involved in a car accident. It is likely that you should be covered through the insurance policy provided by the rental company. If your hire car was booked as part of a package holiday, you should also notify the package holiday company as well.

Claim Compensation For Whiplash Abroad

Whiplash is perhaps the most common form of injury resulting from a car accident. In many cases, the symptoms could last for many weeks or months after the accident happened. Your whiplash claim could be made against a package holiday company, a hire car provider, or another driver. The important part of your whiplash claim is being able to show evidence of your injury and that someone else was the cause of your accident.

Because your road traffic accident abroad happened in Europe you should be able to bring your claim in the UK courts system. To find out more about claiming compensation for a whiplash injury, please speak to one of our personal injury lawyers, panel of solicitors or advisors.

Time Limits For Making A Fuerteventura Car Crash Claim

When you make a personal injury claim, either in the UK or in Spain (of which Fuerteventura is a part), you need to be aware of the personal injury claims time limit which applies to your case. In the UK, this time limit is generally three years. However, when claiming for a car crash in Fuerteventura the time limits might be different. Talk to a member of our team to find out the limitation period for your claim.

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Type of Injury Amount Brackets Information
Moderate Neck Injury £6,920 to £33,750 Brackets start at soft tissue damage with remaining vulnerability, severe disc lesions to fractures and dislocations.
Minor Neck Injury Up to £2,150 to £6,920 These brackets are concerned with the recovery period of minor soft tissue injuries.
Moderate Shoulder Injury £6,920 to £33,750 Lower brackets apply to moderate soft tissue injuries where the period of recovery has been fairly protracted, possible surgery due to further trauma to fractures and dislocations for the upper limits.
Fractures of Jaws £5,660 to £39,940 Simple fractures leading to complete recovery to permanent disability to the jaw to very serious multiple fractures.
Moderate Shoulder Injury £6,920 to £11,200 Soft tissues injuries or frozen shoulder that lasts a couple of years or so.
Wrist Injuries £3,090 to 52,490 Brackets include minor displaced fractures, soft tissue injuries,uncomplicated Colles’ fracture, significant disability to loss of wrist function.
Moderate Pelvis Injury Up to £3,460 to £34,340 Soft tissue injuries are allocated in the lower bracket, hip replacement or surgery to significant permanent disability.
Modest Foot Injuries Up to £12,050 The less serious, minor or undisplaced fractures, sprains and ligamentous injuries.
Less Severe Psychiatric £1,350 to £5,130 The level of general damages will reflect the length of disability.

Talk to a personal injury solicitor or claims advisor who could help you to calculate how long you have to make your personal injury claim.

Personal Injury Claims Calculator

Next, we look at how much you can claim for a variety of different types of injury which you could claim for after being involved in a road traffic accident abroad. Whilst the figures in our personal injury claims calculator are based on awards made in the UK, if you are making a claim through the UK court system, such as making a claim against a package holiday company, these figures will still be applicable to your case.

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Injury and severity Settlement range Personal injury claim calculator comments
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.

The figures in this personal injury claims calculator are based on settlement recommendations made by the Judicial College. These figures are observed by solicitors and the courts in the UK. Settlements are individual to your case and claim, so to find out how much you could claim, speak to an expert today.

No Win No Fee Car Crash Claims In Fuerteventura

If you have been injured and wish to make a Fuerteventura car crash claim, you may be wondering how you will pay for a solicitor and how you will fund your claim. At Accident Claims UK we are able to take on car accident claims on a no win no fee basis. As a claimant, this means that you can make your claim without there being any financial risks whatsoever. In fact, you will make absolutely no payments until you have been awarded compensation. And, as your settlement will be paid via your solicitor, their fee will be deducted before the compensation is passed on to you. You never have to really think about your solicitor’s payment once you have agreed on the rate with them at the start of your case.

How Our Holiday Accident Specialists Can Help You

Our advisors and the panel of solicitors we work with have years of experience. In fact, some of the solicitors have as much as three decades worth of experience in helping people to claim compensation. We are experienced in helping people to claim for injuries and illnesses which happened in a variety of different ways whilst on holiday, whether in the UK or abroad.

Our team will make sure that they take the pressure off you, our team can provide you with a free assessment of your case. We can give you peace of mind that your claim is in good hands.

Contact Our Advisors Today

Contact our expert team to get your free and no obligation assessment of your case, as well as holiday accident, claims advice. Our panel of solicitors and advisors are ready to talk to you about how you were injured or became sick whilst on holiday. You can contact us today using the contact form above to request a callback, or you can contact us using the phone number at the top of this page.

Additional Advice And Information

To help people who have suffered an accident or an injury whilst on holiday or otherwise travelling to Spain, we have included other relevant guides. We have also included details of where you can find help from the British Embassy or Consulates serving Spain. We have also included an NHS resource on healthcare abroad.

British Embassy Help In Spain

British Embassy Madrid
Torre Espacio
Paseo de la Castellana 259D
28046 Madrid
Spain
Tel: (+34) 91 714 6300
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Website: www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-consulate-general-madrid/office/british-consulate-general-madrid

British Consulate in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Plaza Weyler, 8, 1º
38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Spain
Tel: +34 928 26 25 08
Website: www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-consulate-santa-cruz-de-tenerife

NHS Guide To Healthcare In Spain
How to access healthcare services in Spain as a British national when injured or sick.

Holiday Accident Claims In Fuerteventura
If you have suffered any other type of injury or illness caused by another person whilst on holiday in Fuerteventura, find out how to claim with a holiday accident solicitor.

Do You Have To Use A Solicitor Based In Spain?
Find out how and why you do not need to use a holiday accident solicitor or lawyer based in Spain in this guide.

What evidence do I need to claim for a car accident in Fuerteventura?

The type of evidence you would need would largely depend on how the accident happened, and what your injuries were. In general terms, you would need to submit evidence such as:

  • Photographs- photographs of the injuries you’ve received or the scene of the accident could be useful in helping you secure compensation. If you are able to, it would be a really good idea to take photos at the scene from lots of different angles. This could help you capture the accurate position of the vehicles. This could help you work out who would be eligible to claim. If you are unable to take photographs yourself, you could ask someone else to do this for you. Alternatively, you could draw a picture of the position of the vehicles and note down the weather conditions and the road conditions at the time the accident occurred.
  • Documentary evidence – as well as being able to document any special damages you sustained, such as costs for care, medical treatment or travel expenses, you could also document any loss of earnings claims. Bank statements, receipts and pay slips could all be useful. Or the documentary evidence that could support your claim would be a police report of the car accident in Fuerteventura that you or injured in.
  • Medical evidence- to submit independent medical evidence to support your claim, you would need to have an independent evaluation by a medical professional. An appointment could be arranged for you as part of your claim. The independent doctor would examine you and write a report that could be used to evidence how serious your injuries were.

Could you help me claim for a fatal car accident in Fuerteventura?

Our solicitors are highly knowledgeable and experienced in helping claimants claim for the loss of a loved one in an accident that was not their fault. We could handle your claim on a no win no fee basis.

 

 

Thank you for reading this guide to claiming for a car accident in Fuerteventura.