British holidaymaker faces £28,000 bill after quadbike crash in Greece
British holidaymaker Diane Steadman says she broke two vertebrae when a car hit the quadbike she and her partner were riding in Skiathos, Greece. She was left facing a £28,000 bill to return to the UK by air ambulance after discovering her travel insurance did not cover quadbikes, highlighting the importance of checking policy exclusions before hiring one.
The 61-year-old was injured on 11 September, the final day of a £2,200 two-week holiday, and was taken first to an emergency centre and then to mainland Greece. She could not afford a £40,000 operation there and is awaiting surgery in the UK after borrowing £28,000 for the flight home on 30 September. A fundraiser has been set up to help with the costs, and her partner Mick is urging travellers to check their cover.
- A quadbike crash in Greece left Diane Steadman with two broken vertebrae.
- Her travel policy excluded quadbikes, leaving a £28,000 air-ambulance cost.
- Her partner urges holidaymakers to check policy details before renting.
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A British holidaymaker suffered a serious injury whilst on a quadbike holiday in Greece. Diane Steadman, 61, broke two vertebrae when a car collided with the quadbike she was riding with her partner in Skiathos on the final day of a two-week break. She was taken to an emergency centre and then transferred to mainland Greece for further treatment.
When faced with hospital bills, Ms Steadman discovered that her travel insurance policy specifically excluded coverage for quadbike hire. The cost of returning to the UK by air ambulance came to £28,000—far more than she could afford at the time. She also required £40,000 for surgery in Greece, money she did not have, leaving her with significant financial difficulties.
The case illustrates why understanding travel insurance matters. Many policies exclude activities like quadbike hire, meaning an accident can leave holidaymakers facing large unexpected bills. This scenario highlights the financial risks of not knowing exactly what an insurance policy covers before activities abroad.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Travel insurance is a market with varied products at different price points, and customers bear responsibility for selecting appropriate coverage before hiring specialist equipment or undertaking particular activities. Quadbiking carries inherent risks that insurers reasonably may exclude or charge higher premiums for. A prudent traveller planning this activity should confirm their policy covers it, just as they would verify cover for any specialist pursuit. The information exists within policy documents; the onus rests with the purchaser to read them carefully.
The case against
Whilst individuals ought to read policies, travel insurers deliberately create lengthy, complex documents with critical exclusions buried in fine print, knowing most consumers will not study them thoroughly. Quadbiking is a routine tourist activity, freely offered by holiday rental companies, not an extreme sport warranting exclusion from standard cover. The current system allows insurers to collect premiums from customers who reasonably assume they are covered for typical holiday activities, creating an unfair information imbalance. Stronger requirements for prominent, point-of-sale disclosure of exclusions would be more equitable than relying on individual diligence through dense terms and conditions.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Brit mother who broke her back in Greece when car slammed into her quadbike is left with £28,000 medical bill due to ‘wrong travel insurance’”.