Stuck abroad, what can I expect from travel insurance?

halfpint79

My friends have driven a Europcar rental vehicle from UK into Scandinavia.
The driver has been taken ill and is currently being operated on in hospital. They were due to drive back (via a ferry) tomorrow but there is no way he will be able to drive for a few weeks. The vehicle is due back this week.
I am guessing this will be quite an unusual situation for their travel insurance company...does anyone know what will happen? Will the insurers be able to send someone over to collect the vehicle so my friends cam fly home?
They are tied up at the hospital so have not called their insurers yet.

Grumpelstiltskin

They must call the travel insurance company NOW, if they are not careful they will cause problems if medical bills are being racked up without their knowledge.


Next they must call the car hire company they will have come across the situation where the driver is ill and cannot drive the car.

Voyager2002

Difficult to answer without knowing details of the insurer and the specific policy...

halfpint79

There shouldn't be any medical bills, all taken care of with ehic so far. I don't know who they are insured with but think they just have a basic policy. Will help them phone insurers tonight.

Moto2

Just make sure Europcar and the travel insurers are fully aware of the situation and each other and let them deal with it.

Hopefully your friend will make a full and speedy recovery

tomtontom

I take it none of you drive?

Voyager2002

halfpint79 wrote: »

There shouldn't be any medical bills, all taken care of with ehic so far. I don't know who they are insured with but think they just have a basic policy. Will help them phone insurers tonight.

Try to get them to 'phone in office hours, since the people who understand their policy are unlikely to work in the evening.

There will certainly be some medical-related costs that the EHIC does not cover...

lea2012

The EHIC will only cover them if they are in a state hospital, not if they are in a private hospital. Check out the NHS website for more info on what's covered|: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/countryguide/Pages/EEAcountries.aspx

As others have suggested they need to have the conversations with their relevant insurers / car hire company and see what they have to say. It's not an unusual situation really and I am sure they will be able to offer some advice.

zagfles

Normal travel insurance is unlikely to cover this, but the car hire insurance/breakdown policy might. It's usual for European breakdown insurance, where you take your own car, to cover "driver taken ill" scenario - so it's possible the car hire company will cover it as part of their breakdown cover, particualrly for hires which allow you to take the car abroad.