One of the hardest things for a medical professional to judge when a person has an accident is the long-term consequences. If you have the misfortune to have an accident abroad, particularly if you don't know the language, it can be extremely hard to understand immediately the severity and the potential outcome of the event.  If your accident occurred due to the negligence or willful disregard of others and not your own actions you are entitled to receive compensation for the impact and the immediate consequences, such as lengthy time off work, as well as the possible adverse long term outcome that may arise as a result of the incident. 

Piero Mastrosimone, Head of Insurance & Personal Injury, commented "sometimes what appears to be a minor incident at the time of the injury has major repercussions in the future and can seriously impact on the lifestyle and wellbeing of the victim." Liability for an accident can be surprisingly complicated, and if what seemed to be a straightforward matter becomes a far more serious matter, especially if some time has passed before this has been recognised, it can turn into a complex muddle of blame, negligence and vicarious liability.  The evidence to support a compensation claim can sometimes to be challenging to piece together and it is advised that should an accident take place all information plus contact details for any potential witnesses is retained in case there is a change in the circumstances of the victim.

Piero cautioned "there is a time limit with regard to how long after the event you can start a claim for compensation," he further remarked "If you find yourself facing the possibility of an on-going deteriorating condition resulting from your accident which you discovered some time after the accident happened, it is imperative that you seek advice from legal experts.  Particularly as to make a successful claim you may require an expert witness opinion, as well as have to trace actual witnesses for supporting evidence and also obtain medical reports from the time of the accident, all of which will take time." 

As with many international legal matters, the laws around making accident compensation claims can differ from country to country.  However, very often you can still make a claim from the time when you first receive a medical diagnosis indicating that your injury is far from trivial and will have a considerable impact long term on your life.  Giambrone's experienced lawyers in the insurance and personal injury team have an enviable reputation for successfully obtaining substantial compensation for our clients, especially where negotiation with foreign insurers is required. Accurate top-level legal advice coupled with the right approach to ensures that your compensation claim gets off to the right start. Giambrone can bring the additional benefit of our lawyers' language capacity and their cultural knowledge; their understanding of the way of negotiating in the various countries is invaluable. Importantly our lawyers will negotiate your settlement whilst ensuring that you fully understand the implications, risks and consequences of accepting out-of-court offers as opposed to going the distance and embarking on court action in a foreign jurisdiction. 

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.