Christina's story: Don't let a preventable injury ruin your holiday

Christina Nicol’s tropical island holiday was not meant to end like this.

One minute, she was cruising around Rarotonga on a moped, without a helmet. The next, she was being treated by medical staff following a “face first” collision with a road sign, resulting in a life-changing concussion she is still dealing with six years later.

Nicol is not alone in injuring herself while on an overseas holiday.

In the three years to 2019 (before New Zealand’s borders closed in March 2020), an average of almost 15,000 people lodged injury claims with ACC for accidents that happened outside our borders.

Now that the borders are open once again, many New Zealanders will soon be escaping the winter for warmer climates. Nicol urges Kiwi travellers not to make the same mistake she did.

Coming to grips with concussion

She says she let her guard down because she was on holiday, and should have been wearing a helmet – even though that was not compulsory in the Cook Islands at the time.

“I was on holiday, not wrapped in cotton wool.”

Nicol says she still suffers migraines and fatigue and can be forgetful.

It is frustrating.

“But it's part of me now, and I've gotten used to dealing with it.”

That means putting notes on her phone and taking photos to help her remember things.

She has been through countless counselling sessions, funded through ACC, as she struggles to come to grips with what has happened and why she is still not quite herself.

ACC has also funded nurse and physiotherapist visits, house cleaning, assistance with medical costs, and transport to appointments.

“A lot has changed for me from then to now. I might never get back to where I was, but change will happen, and I do hope I get better in time.”

How our injuries affect others 

ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker says while everyone deserves a hard-earned break, people should follow Nicol’s advice and use common sense to stay safe.

“It’s good to give new experiences a go when we’re on holiday but it pays to remember that injuries don’t just affect us,” Whitaker says.

“There’s lots of ways our family, friends, workmates, and others might be affected if we get injured.”

ACC supports people with covered injuries once they are back in New Zealand, but it’s better not to get injured in the first place, Whitaker says.

“If you get injured overseas and need help with your recovery once back in New Zealand, ACC will be here to help you.

“But it’s even better if you never get hurt in the first place, and the best way to avoid that is to take some time to think through risks, then do things the safest way.”

Nicol also suffered a nasty leg injury during her accident, after a screw attached to a roadside barrier went into her shin.

The wound required several skin grafts when she was back in New Zealand.

But it was the ongoing concussion symptoms that turned her life upside down.

Protecting yourself overseas

Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa chief executive Tim Grafton says while ACC support is available for people when they return home, having good travel insurance is essential.

“Providing all conditions are met, overseas medical costs arising from accidents and unexpected illness will be covered,” Grafton says.

“This could include hospital stays and special medical repatriation flights.”