Why Travel Insurance Matters: A Real Case of a Fractured Leg Overseas

When Mrs Petunia* travelled to Marseillette in the South of France on a barging holiday, the last thing she expected was that she would injure herself and require an operation on her leg, which would cost R200 000. Fortunately, she had taken out a TIC travel insurance policy and her emergency medical expenses were covered.

Mrs Petunia tells us her story: "We were in a lock in Marseillette and I was throwing the rope over the bollard when the back of the boat hit the wall of the lock and because of my momentum (I was about to throw the rope) I was thrown forward off the boat and landed on the concrete quay." Her travel companions went into the village to phone the emergency number given by their boating vacation company. "The guys needed to find someone to give directions as to where we were as there was a bit of a language problem," she explains. "I was taken by ambulance to the hospital where I stayed for six days. Initially, the hospital wouldn't do anything until I produced a copy of my travel insurance and passport. The surgeons had to operate to reset my leg as the tibia and fibula were broken where they join at the knee. They put a plate and screws in my leg and built up the broken bone with artificial bone. "When I was discharged TIC arranged for me to be taken to Montpellier Airport by ambulance in order to fly to Paris to catch my flight home. Special seating had to be arranged on the flight from Montpellier to Paris as I couldn't bend my leg! The Air France staff members were very supportive, and they went out of their way to assist me.