A young couple whose cab was rear-ended in Las Vegas is on the hook for more than $8,000 in medical bills after learning their travel insurance doesn't cover car accidents.

Andrew Fong and his girlfriend Justine Burlo had just rung in New Years Eve on the Vegas strip when the cab they were travelling in was struck from behind. The couple was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance for X-rays and medical treatment.

Burlo gave the hospital administrator their travel insurance information and they left feeling reassured that they were taken care of.

"We gave them the card that we were given at the time, and everything seemed to be fine. We left not having to pay assuming that everything was fine," she said.

But everything was not fine and within several weeks the couple started receiving medical bills, with the final tally just over $8,000.

"So we're getting bills from the ambulance ride, from the hospital just for the drugs they were giving, we're getting a separate bill for the examination that they did…it was literally every little thing," Fong said.

The couple had purchased travel insurance through the Co-Operators group, but it turns out the policy had several pages of fine print including an exclusion for auto collisions.

Their policy reads that the insurance is invalid in the event of: "sickness or injury resulting from a motor vehicle accident."

"We assumed we were covered. We clearly weren't," Fong said.

The couple was forced to hire a lawyer and launch a private lawsuit against the driver who hit their taxicab. They were also left to hope that ICBC would cover the rest of their medical bills.

Leonard Sharman of Co-Operators said it's important for consumers to read the fine print so they don't miss small exclusions.

"There's no doubt about it that most people who buy a travel insurance policy, or any type of insurance, aren't likely to go through it with a fine-tooth comb and know every exclusion…and every single fine point," Sharman told CTV's Steele on Your Side in a telephone interview.

The young couple says they've learned a valuable lesson about reading the fine print, but are disappointed about the experience.

"It just seems like there's so many ways for them not to pay," she said.

Watch CTV for a full report from Lynda Steele…