Getting injured at any time is a major inconvenience, but it’s especially troublesome if it happens while you’re traveling. Not only do you have to deal with the pain of the injury, but now you have to treat it in an unfamiliar place and make adjustments to your travel itinerary. To help make the process a little less stressful, below are the steps you should follow if you get injured while you’re away from home.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
First and foremost, you should seek immediate medical attention. Your health comes first, and you’ll want to address any injuries before you attend to the rest of the steps on this list. The more significant your injuries are, the more important it is to get help right away. However, even if you think you only have minor injuries, it’s still a good idea to visit a doctor.
Doing so will create a record of your injuries and ensure that there are no serious underlying problems. Head over to the nearest hospital or urgent care center as soon as you are able and get the medical treatment you need.
Document the Incident
If you’re able, you should document the incident as soon as possible. A record of what happened will help in various situations, such as needing to pursue legal action or file insurance claims. For example, if there is a car accident, you’ll want the license plate number of the other driver so that you can properly file insurance claims.
According to the Dolinsky Law Group, a personal injury attorney in Knoxville, TN, after an incident, you should “capture comprehensive photographs of the vehicles, injuries, and the overall scene from various perspectives. Additionally, collect essential details such as the other driver’s license number, license plate, insurance information, and contact details. If there are witnesses present, gather their contact information and a concise account of what they observed.”
The more documentation you can collect, the better. Take pictures, get the contact information of anyone involved, and get written reports from authorities like police officers and doctors. Hopefully, you won’t need any of this documentation, but if you do, you’ll be glad you took the time to collect it.
Alert Friends and Family
If you’re injured while traveling, it’s a good idea to alert friends and family about what happened. This is especially important if you’re traveling alone, as it’s a good idea to have someone back home aware of what’s going on. Having someone back home who knows where you are, what happened, and where you might be going for medical treatment ensures that there’s someone looking out for you. You may also need their assistance, such as contacting your primary care physician back home. A quick phone call or text message after your incident to a loved one is a simple precaution that everyone should take.
Work with Local Authorities
After an incident, you may need to work with local authorities to resolve any potential problems. For example, if you experienced an injury as a result of a crime or accident, local authorities can help direct you to the nearest medical center and will handle the legal ramifications for the culprit. It’s a good idea to know how to contact the local authorities before heading to another country and have that number saved on your phone. This way, you don’t have to waste time in the aftermath of your injury when you have enough going on.
Talk with Your Embassy or Consulate
When you’re traveling to a foreign country, you may also want to contact the local embassy or consulate. Your embassy or consulate can assist you in various ways, such as contacting family for you, recommending medical facilities, or helping you with legal actions. This is another number you should have saved on your phone before you travel, but if you don’t have the number saved, you can find the contact of local US embassies on their website.
Contact Your Travel Insurance Provider
Many people take out travel insurance before their trips to protect themselves financially in the event of an incident. If you have travel insurance, you’ll want to contact them as soon as you can after your incident. Let them know about your injuries and any other damage that might have occurred. In many cases, your travel insurance will cover costs associated with the incident, such as medical bills or damage to your property. It will depend on the type of insurance you have and the circumstances of the incident.
Make New Plans
Getting injured while traveling may disrupt the plans you had in mind. For instance, if you sprained your ankle, you may no longer be able to visit all those hiking trails you had in mind. However, getting injured doesn’t have to ruin your trip entirely. Spend some time making new plans based on what your injury will allow. You may not be able to walk around a city, but perhaps you could do a bus tour. The sooner you start thinking about your new plans, the easier it will be to find alternatives.
Pursue Potential Refunds
If you have to cancel plans because of your injury, you should seek to get refunds. In some cases, you’ll be able to get a full or partial refund if you cancel far enough in advance. In other cases, you might get a credit towards a future trip. For example, some hotels will give you a credit rather than a refund if you want to cancel right before your reservation. Once you know that, you’ll be unable to attend something you reserved, start pursuing refunds, as waiting will only make it harder to get your money back.
Follow Medical Treatment
Finally, make sure you’re following any prescribed medical treatment. It can be tempting to push yourself beyond your means because you don’t want to miss out on any of your pre-planned activities. However, doing so could make your injuries worse. If your doctor recommends bed rest after an injury, you should do your best to relax for as long as it takes to recover. It’s better to miss out on some activities now rather than make your injury worse and miss out on a lot of activities later.
