Glasgow gran trapped in Florida urges us all to check our travel insurance

Lorraine Romeo fell ill in December while on holiday, but the insurance company failed to payout

Published 15th Feb 2018

The family of a Glasgow grandmother who has been trapped in Florida for 2 months, since she became unwell, are warning other holiday makers to check their insurance cover.

55-year old Lorraine Romeo, who was born in Royston, travelled to the Sunshine State on December 20th, however 8 days into the holiday she fell unwell with flu, which then turned to pneumonia and she nearly died.

She suffers from several lung conditions - and despite declaring this on her £400 travel insurance policy - the company says she wasn't covered for the £100,000 medical bills she had racked up, because she failed to declare one of her medications. Her family say the medication is nothing to do with her flu.

The hospital in Florida has now decided to foot the bill for her journey home - along with a nurse - they are currently waiting on a suitable flight.

But the family say the policy is 300-pages long and looks to be full of legal loo-holes.

The company, World First, has declined to foot the bill but has offered them non-financial assistance - they offered to send a nurse at the cost of $10,000.

Lorraine, who is over there with her son Malcolm, says it is taking its toll on her mental health and she wants everyone to question their policies before travelling abroad.

Tifgroup, the underwriters for World First, who provide their Emergency Assistance and Claims handling say: 'We are aware of Ms Romero’s admission to a hospital in Florida, and we are assisting her and her family as much as possible. However, this is not a straightforward case and requires further investigation. We will be able to advise further once all the information is to hand.'