How do I claim broken rib compensation if an accident happened abroad? I slipped and fell down a flight of stairs on holiday in Germany, and I don’t know who is liable or even which country I can make a claim in?

You can still claim broken rib compensation if your accident happened while abroad — however the manner in which you booked your holiday will determine who is liable for your accident and where you will have to pursue your claim. Your first step when making a claim should be to speak with a personal injury solicitor upon returning to the UK, who can help determine whether you can pursue injury compensation through the UK legal system or if you need to do so in Germany.

Your broken rib compensation claim can be made in the UK if you booked your holiday through a package deal, which was done via a UK based tour operator. This package deal means that your transport and accommodation for your holiday were booked from the same company. This should be verified by your solicitor, particularly if the holiday was booked on the internet. Under the Package Travel, Package Holiday and Package Tour Regulations (1992), the operators of package holidays must assume liability for any injury that has been sustained by a holidaymaker for which they are not to blame. If you believe that the hotel caused your injury, it is advised that a personal injury solicitor with experience of dealing with holiday injuries is consulted at the earliest opportunity in order to determine whether the tour operator is liable for your injury.

It may be possible to claim broken rib compensation if it can be determined that the health and safety standards experienced in the hotel were inadequate, which resulted in your injury. This must be on account of an injury caused by the negligence of another party and for which you were not primarily responsible. And if this was booked through a package holiday, the claim can be made in the UK.

However it is possible that you arranged your holiday by yourself, in which case you may have to pursue your claim for compensation through the German legal system. If this is the case, you will require a local solicitor who is familiar with German injury laws and the compensation that you may claim. Claiming compensation in another country — or indeed in another language — may be complicated and expensive. For this reason, it is important that you first verify with a UK based solicitor whether you can make a claim for compensation through the UK system.