In my previous article titled Brexit Uncertainty and Road Traffic Accidents Abroad, the situation regarding Brexit was not yet clear.
Since then the UK has officially exited the European Union and we are currently in the transition period, which is due to expire at the end of this year.
For those who have had a road traffic accident abroad or those who are planning holidays abroad this summer and are unfortunate enough to have a road traffic accident, this means you will have very limited time to make a personal injury claim for compensation. This is because as it stands no deal has been agreed and the transition period will finish at the end of this year.
If by the end of the transition period no deal has been agreed, this will make claiming compensation for an accident abroad very difficult.
This is for the following reasons:
- You may have to directly communicate with a foreign insurer and legal representatives in a foreign language
- You will need to understand the law of the country where the accident occurred
- You will need to know the time limit to bring a claim for personal injury (for example, in Spain you have 1 year whereas in the UK it is 3 years)
- It will be much more complex and very time consuming
To avoid this we recommend that you make the injury claim as a matter of urgency and potentially issue court proceedings before the end of the transition period.
Of course the situation may change if a deal can be agreed and we shall keep you updated.
It is worth noting that if the person at fault for the accident was uninsured or was untraced then you may have to contact the ‘Guarantee Fund’ for that particular country.
