You may feel like being an international tourist is all “the passenger is responsible for their own luggage” kinda game but, to be honest, it really is not the case everywhere. If you are an international tourist in the USA, and you happen to be anywhere near Houston, you can in eec plead your case to a personal injury attorney in Houston and if you are lucky, they might just take your case.
As it so happens, the united states accommodate her international tourists with a plethora of tourist rights, apart from the tourist attractions of course. In the past, there have been a few personal injury cases in the USA, and due to that, there has been a set of legal rights that have been set aside for International Tourists in the United States.
Tourist Laws
While there is a long list of basic visa and stay protocols for US tourists to follow, including maintaining cultural sensitivity, visa terms, durations of stay, etc etc. There also happen to be a ton of other laws that encourage healthy behavior from both sides, the tourists and the hosts.
This might come as a surprise but the tourist law book also restricts all kinds of risky behavior such as an excess of drinking, hooligan behavior, making sure you have health insurance, legal drinking age, legal driving age, etc. They also state that with regards to photography, the comfort and consent levels of passer-bys be respected and accommodated at the same time, so that no one’s privacy is compromised at the hands of a tourist documentary for instance.
We probably don’t need to warn you of this but a very basic behavior protocol would be to not indulge in any kind of illegal or incriminating activity.
Tourist Rights
Now, on to the fun part.
While there may be a huge list of protocols to follow and make sure you remain a good samaritan during your stay in the USA, you also have a ton of legal rights too; and these are not just in theory, you can claim any of your legal rights according to the US constitution tourism and travel laws, depending on the circumstances.
Now, keep in mind, we are not just spitballing here. These are all your LEGAL rights as an international tourist in the United States of America and are 100 percent verifiable.
- In the same way, as one is expected to maintain their neutrality towards different cultures, US citizens are also expected to remain sensitive to one’s race and culture. As a tourist, you have the legal right to press charges against anyone for bullying or discrimination in regards to your gender identity, cultural association or race et cetera.
- We already covered this one but it is well within your right as an international tourist to seek as well as receive legal help whenever you need it, The kind of legal help you are entitled to as an international tourist in the USA includes but is not limited to:
- This one goes without saying but the right to legal safety and security, as any decent government would offer its tourists.
- Right to information
- The right to refuse search; for instance, if a random threatening officer were to approach you and ask to search your stuff, you have the legal right to refuse them. Of course in this case, the matter would fall into the hands of another security agency and you would probably still have to go through a formal search but that would be it. Unless of course, you were carrying drugs or unlicensed weapons, etc.
- You have the right to emergency health care.
- Like any American, the tourists too, have a right to privacy and can refuse to be caught in someone else’s camera angle etc, you get it.
- You also have the freedom to tour whatever place you want, to refuse to let a tour guide be your handler, as well as the freedom to move freely; i.e., dance in the streets if you want.
- Other than online legal directories, which are a big help, one can also seek out the legal tourism police and ask legal community centers for help.
Next time you are in the USA, feel free to contact a local tourist helpline or ask a tourist information center for help, specifically in the case of an injury sustained during your trip to the US.
Personal Injury Cases in the USA
Over the past few decades, there have been a ton of personal injury cases in the USA, but the good news for international tourists is that they can immediately ask for medical attention and file for legal help navigating the expenses of their sustained personal injury.
In this case, one would collect all the necessary evidence, document the scene of the injury and then consult a personal injury lawyer depending on the severity of the case, who would then help the complainant gather evidence and file liability charges against the responsible party.for example, aggravated assault, extortion and etc.While it is not necessary, it may help to have health insurance, in other cases, the responsible parties would likely be ordered to cover the medical expenditures and the claimant would have had little to lose.