Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Leg Injury Claims
If you have suffered a leg injury as the result of an accident that was someone else’s fault, you may be in a position to make a personal injury compensation claim.
Our specialist personal injury lawyers have extensive experience in leg injury claims and can provide you with expert injury claim advice. You keep 100% of your compensation. Contact The Legal Line on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online.
Leg Injuries
Types of Leg Injury
Leg Injury Symptoms
Making a Leg Injury Claim
Leg Injury Compensation
Our Specialist Injury Lawyers
Successful Leg Injury Claims
Leg Injuries
Leg injuries are unfortunately fairly common and they can occur in a number of ways. As a leg injury can restrict walking and mobility it may prevent a person from working, driving or caring for their home or children as normal, so it is important that anyone injured due to the negligence of someone else is able to recover compensation, to help them through what can be a difficult time.
• Sports – sports accidents caused by unsafe playing facilities or equipment, a lack of proper instruction or dangerous tackles can all result in leg injuries.
• Accidents at work – falls from height, falling objects, defective equipment, sharp protruding objects and tripping accidents are all common causes of leg injuries at work.
• Accidents at school – defects in school grounds, badly maintained facilities such as desks and tables and accidents during sports lessons are some causes of leg injuries at schools.
• Road accidents – cycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, passenger accidents and driver injuries can all involve leg injuries.
• Medical negligence –surgical errors and failure to correctly diagnose and treat patients are examples of how medical negligence can cause a leg injury.
• Animal bites – animal bites, in particular dog bites, can cause leg injuries, as dogs are often at leg level and this area is vulnerable if they attack.
• Slips, trips and falls – it is not uncommon in slips, trips and falls for a person to twist over their ankle or knee, land with a leg underneath their body, often resulting in a leg injury.
• Holiday accidents – leg injuries can sometimes occur due to holiday accidents, for example because of a lack of safety in a hotel or pool, an accident on a plane or ship, or during sporting pursuits.
Employers have a responsibility to uphold acceptable standards of health and safety to prevent workplace accidents and employee injuries.
Similarly, owners of premises such as shops and supermarkets, should ensure that they provide a safe environment for customers and visitors and local authorities have a duty to maintain public pavements and other public places to a safe standard.
Types of Leg Injury
The leg contains several bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Leg injuries can affect the ankle, knee, hip, lower leg, upper leg, groin or a combination of these. Some leg injuries include:
• Fracture – A fracture is a crack, break, chip or splinter in a bone. Leg fractures include: fractured ankle, fractured tibia, fractured fibula, fractured knee, fractured femur, fractured hip.
• Dislocation – When the bones of a joint become misaligned or displaced (out of joint), including: dislocated ankle, dislocated knee, dislocated hip.
• Sprains – Sprains occur when a ligament is overstretched, damaged or torn, as in a sprained knee or sprained ankle.
• Strains / muscle injuries – Leg strains and groin strains occur when there is damage or tearing to the muscles.
• Cartilage damage – Cartilage supports and cushions the joints and it can become damaged in accidents. Damage to the cartilage is particularly common in knee injuries.
• Lacerations and puncture wounds – Wounds are usually damage caused by sharp objects and they can affect any part of the leg.
• Bruising – Bruising will usually result from blunt trauma to the skin and tissues but it can also be a symptom of other injuries, for example bruising will usually accompany sprains and fractures.
• Nerve damage – Deep lacerations and crush injuries can cause nerve damage, affecting sensation and sometimes movement.
• Burns – Caused by exposure to extreme heat, cold, or corrosive chemicals, burns can affect any part of the leg.
• Amputation – A very serious injury, amputation refers to when a limb, or part of a limb, is removed.
• Crush injuries – When large amounts of pressure are applied to the leg, crush injuries can occur. An example would be when the leg is crushed by a heavy object or becomes trapped in machinery. Crush injuries can affect multiple structures.
Leg Injury Symptoms
Some of the symptoms that you may experience if you suffer a leg injury include:
• Pain
• Swelling
• Bleeding
• Inflammation / redness
• Bruising
• Numbness / tingling
• Weakness
• Coldness in extremities
• Paleness
• Difficulty moving
• Snapping or popping sound at time of injury
If the injury is minor you may be able to treat it at home, however if there is a lot of pain, heavy bleeding, deformity, numbness, or you cannot move part of your leg, you should seek immediate medical attention.
Making a Leg Injury Claim
If you believe that you may be entitled to make a claim for leg injury compensation, you should obtain specialist advice from an experienced personal injury solicitor. They can advise you on the best way to pursue your compensation claim, collect all the relevant evidence and calculate the losses you have suffered.
It is also important to seek medical attention if you have suffered a leg injury. This will ensure that you receive any necessary treatment to put you on the road to recovery and details of your injury will also be entered onto your medical records. Medical evidence is important in any injury claim case.
In any personal injury claim it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (were negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence.
Leg Injury Compensation
There are two elements to a compensation award made in a leg injury claim. The first, general damages, is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and any loss of amenity (perhaps an inability to go shopping, continue with hobbies, walk the dog or drive). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after an accident or forever if that is what the medical evidence supports.
The second element of a compensation award, for your losses and expenses, is known as special damages and aims to put you back in a position financially as if the leg injury had never occurred. This may include an amount for loss of earnings, costs of treatment and so on. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to your personal injury so that these can be reclaimed.
In serious cases, where a person may no longer be able to continue their employment, this can be taken into account. Costs for care, equipment, transport and housing modifications can also be factored into the calculations.
If the person is still able to work but not in the same role as before, particularly if they held a public service role such as a doctor, firefighter or police officer, an extra amount may be awarded for loss of ‘congenial employment’. These awards are made in recognition that some jobs provide greater rewards than monetary benefits alone, such as the satisfaction gained from providing a service to the public. A court can also make a financial award to recognise that an injured worker's prospects on the open labour market may be limited.
Our Specialist Injury Lawyers
At The Legal Line, our solicitors are experts in all areas of personal injury, with decades of experience in recovering compensation for the victims of leg injuries and other accidents and industrial diseases.
Your case will be handled efficiently and sympathetically by a specialist lawyer and we will always work hard to ensure that the best possible outcome is achieved.
Successful Leg Injury Claims
To read details of some of the many leg injury claim cases our lawyers have fought and won, follow the links below or visit our personal injury news and success stories sections:
Pothole in Workplace Car Park Causes Leg Injury
Grounds Supervisor Injured in Digger Accident at Work
Compensation Success After Fracturing Leg In Club
£175,000 Compensation for Victim of Clinical Negligence Misdiagnosis
Successful Compensation Claim for Football Injury
Personal Injury Claim for Woman Injured by Defective Seat in Theatre
Tandem Cyclist Injured by Farm Waste on Road
Injured Pedestrian Receives £110,000 Compensation
Compensation for Hospital Employee Injured in Slipping Accident at Work
Employee Suffers Personal Injury Due to Dangerous Workplace
£4,000 Compensation for Pedestrian Knocked Down on Zebra Crossing
Bus Passenger Suffers Personal Injury Due to Driver Error
Claim for Injury Caused by Workplace Hazard
£90,000 Damages for Condition Brought on by Accident at Work
Compensation Claim for Midwife Injured in Fall at Work
£42,500 Damages for Victim of Skiing Accident Caused by Negligence
Compensation for Hernia Sustained in Manual Handling Accident
Council Employee Injured at Work Receives Damages
Compensation Claim for Cyclist Knocked off Bike in Cycle Lane
Restaurant Accident Victim Receives Injury Compensation
Personal Injury Claim for Press Operator Injured in Factory Accident
Unsuitable Car Park Surface Causes Accident at Work
Over £40,000 Compensation for Woman Injured by Loose Dog
Faulty Drain Cover Causes Personal Injury
Serious Injury Compensation for Pedestrian Who Lost Leg in Road Accident
Road Worker Injured by Driver Receives Personal Injury Compensation
Faulty Chair Causes Accident at Work
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