Tanvir complains after his claim for medical expenses incurred on holiday was turned down by his insurer.
What happened
While Tanvir was on holiday in Tenerife, he collapsed and was taken to hospital as an emergency case. He was then repatriated to the UK.
Tanvir’s insurance company rejected his claim for medical and associated expenses. It said his policy didn’t provide cover for ‘any claim resulting from being under the influence of or in connection with the use of alcohol or drugs’.
Tanvir felt this was inaccurate and unfair and complained to the insurer. Unhappy with its response, Tanvir approached our service and made a complaint.
What we said
We asked Tanvir what happened. Tanvir said his illness hadn’t been caused by alcohol or drugs, but by a prawn curry he’d eaten. He said he’d suffered a severe stomach upset, breathing difficulties and then collapsed. At this point he was taken to the hospital.
The medical evidence from the doctors who’d treated Tanvir in Tenerife indicated he’d drunk a high volume of alcohol in a short space of time and that this most likely caused his illness.
Based on this evidence, we were satisfied there was a direct causal link between Tanvir’s actions in Tenerife and his claim. We thought the insurer had applied the alcohol exclusion to Tanvir’s claim fairly and didn’t uphold his complaint.