Each year hundreds of young Australians are injured or worse from Winter sport accidents overseas and at home.
1Cover customer Alicia knows this all too well.
When 25-year-old Alicia Hickey booked a ski trip to Canada, she never imagined that a simple mistake would derail her holiday and leave her facing serious, potentially life-changing consequences. Her story highlights the unpredictable nature of overseas travel and the importance of ensuring your safety- no matter where you’re headed.
Alicia, who had been visiting her sister on a ski resort in Canada, says she’d been feeling particularly confident while on the slopes- until disaster struck.
“I probably had about five days left in my trip and we're just going down a run and I was getting more and more confident and going faster and I lost control and I landed on my back.”
Alicia says she was immediately aware of the damage she’d done.
I instantly knew I had done something because I had severe pain and was winded and felt like I was going to pass out.”
After being hospitalised Alicia’s condition was quickly assessed, and the severity of her injuries became apparent.
“Once I got the X-ray done, the doctors came out and said, you've crushed one of your vertebrae's completely and you're going to need surgery tonight. You'll be in a brace for three months and you'll have chronic back pain for the rest of your life.”
Alicia was given little time to process her diagnosis as she was quickly rushed into surgery and then spent several weeks recuperating. After she was given clearance to fly home, Alicia says the process was made seamless by her insurer, 1Cover.
“I wasn't able to sit upright and had to be horizontal for my flights and 1Cover had, within a couple of hours, already booked business flights on the next appropriate flight for me to get home.”
While Alicia knew her recovery would be difficult, she couldn’t have anticipated just how long it would take to return to her normal routine.
“When I got home, I thought it was going to take me two months, maybe three, of recovery, which turned into almost five. So having the loss of income benefit in the policy meant that I could actually make it to physio and pilates and pay for some medications and also have a small amount of social life which was really important being off work for such a long time.”
Alicia says that her ordeal has taught her to appreciate her health, given her outcome could have been so much worse.
“Throughout my whole recovery I've been told by multiple neurosurgeons and doctors how lucky I am that I didn't do anything more serious. I could have very likely been a paraplegic.”
Thankfully, Alicia is now fully recovered and has booked multiple trips away since then. However, she continues to take travel insurance on each holiday, recognising the importance of looking after herself no matter where she travels.
“Having a life changing injury like this has changed my perspective on my health and my body and how important looking after it can be.”
Alicia was skiing in Canada when her trip quickly turned downhill after a terrifying accident on the slopes left her with a fractured back.
Thankfully, Alicia has Ski Insurance with 1Cover which covered her emergency evacuation off the slopes as well as Loss of income benefit which helped while she was off work recovering for five months.
Watch to hear Alicia's story
Getting Winter Sports cover for skiing or snowboarding is crucial for ensuring protection in case of unexpected events on the slopes. Skiing can be an exhilarating and thrilling activity, but it also carries risks, like injuries, equipment damage, or even evacuation costs due to an emergency.
1Cover's Winter Sports Pack covers you for:
Medical Costs
Unlimited medical assistance for your overseas expenses including emergency medical evacuation if you hurt yourself on the ski slopes.
Winter Sports
Cover for skiing, snowboarding, heli-skiing, and other winter sports activities both on-piste and off-piste within resort boundaries.
Cancellation cover
Choose how much cancellation cover you need. If illness or injury mean you can’t use prepaid ski passes, ski hire, or ski lessons, we’ll cover lost deposits or expenses.
Ski equipment
If your favourite snowboard, skiis, or any other winter sports equipment is lost, stolen or damaged, (while not in use) we'll cover it.
Bad weather
If bad weather delays your travel by more than 12 hours, we’ll cover any accommodation and required travel expenses.
Piste Closure
If bad weather, lack of snow, or power failure cause closures for more than 24 hours, we'll cover extra ski pass costs, or transport to the nearest resort.
Rental Ski gear Excess
If your ski rental gear is stolen or damaged, don't worry. We'll cover the rental gear excess, or the cost of the repairs.
1Cover ® is a registered trademark of 1Cover Pty Ltd. 1Cover Pty Ltd ABN 91 105 954 265, is an authorised representative of Coffre-Fort Pty Limited ABN 66 125 358 518, AFS Licence No. 472457. Before you buy, please read the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination. Any information contained on this website is general advice only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider these having regard to the Product Disclosure Statement (‘PDS’). Before you purchase, please note in particular, the eligibility criteria, travel warnings in place and limitations to claim under multiple policy sections.
This insurance is underwritten by HDI Global Specialty SE – Australia.
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