By Olivia Ivy. Last updated 23rd July 2024. Welcome to our guide to claiming foot injury compensation. If you have sustained a foot injury due to an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to make a foot injury compensation claim.
Although often overlooked, the foot is a very complex and important part of our body. It is made up of both large and small bones, ligaments, tendons, joints and muscles that all work together to give us stability, balance and of course, mobility. Every day we use our feet to walk, run, stand, and drive. In order to carry out daily tasks we use our feet without a second thought all the time. However, if we were to suffer a foot injury, as well as suffering a lot of pain and discomfort, the ability to carry out many of the tasks we do daily, would be greatly reduced. Apart from being a real inconvenience, this could have a real impact on someone’s life and well-being, and could also have a huge impact on their livelihood.
Foot injuries can happen due to many different reasons. A foot injury may occur due to an accident at work, being involved in a car accident, slipping on a wet floor, or tripping over an uneven surface for example. If you have sustained a foot injury, regardless of how it happened, if it was due to an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be eligible to make a foot injury compensation claim. Legal Helpline is a specialist personal injury claims management firm that can help you to make your compensation claim.
Browse Our Guide
- Examples Of How A Foot Injury Could Happen
- How To Make A Foot Injury Claim
- What Kinds Of Compensation Could I Receive?
- How Much Foot Injury Compensation Could I Claim?
- Can I Make A Foot Injury Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Useful Links
Examples Of How A Foot Injury Could Happen
Foot injuries are far from rare and knowing the most common reasons a foot injury may occur can allow preventative measures to be put in place to minimise the risk of a foot injury. Foot injury accidents can be classed as follows:
- Work Accidents – These may include slipping or tripping over, dropping items onto the foot, machinery or vehicle accidents that could cause the foot to be crushed.
- Road Traffic Accidents – Pedestrians, passengers and drivers can all be at risk from injury caused by a road traffic accident.
- Outdoor Activities – Often activities and sports that require strenuous movement can put the feet at risk from injury. Some indoor sports can also be risky.
- Trips, slips and falls – these accidents may happen at work, in a shopping centre, at the park or whilst walking along a public path for example due to obstacles or uneven surfaces.
Let’s take a look at injuries sustained in the workplace. According to self-reports from the Labour Force Survey, 693,000 workers sustained non-fatal injuries between 2019 and 2020. The most common types of injuries in the workplace were due to:
- Slips, trips and falls
- Handling, lifting or carrying
- Being struck by a moving object
- Falling victim to violence
- Suffering a fall from a height
The rate of non-fatal workplace injuries has shown a largely downward trend, which has flattened in recent years. However, this isn’t to say that they don’t still happen.
How To Make A Foot Injury Claim
Sustaining a foot injury can happen in a variety of different ways. First and foremost, if you have injured your foot, medical attention should be sought as soon as possible. Once you have received some treatment for your injury, you may then start to think about claiming compensation if the injury was caused by someone else.
To make a successful foot injury compensation claim, having the correct evidence and documentation is crucial, as with any claim, liability needs to be proven. By carrying out the following steps where possible, you will be making a start on building your case:
- Medical Report – Once you’ve seen a medical professional, a medical report will be put together which documents your injury, what treatment has been recommended and any next steps.
- Photos – Take photos of where the accident took place and photos of what caused the injury. Also, take photos of the injury itself as visual proof of your pain and suffering.
- Witnesses – If there were any witnesses to your ordeal, try to get their contact details so that a witness statement can be acquired at a later date if necessary.
- Accident book – If the accident took place at work or in a public place such as a supermarket, make sure the details are written in the accident report book. This is actually a legal requirement. Ask for a copy of the report.
- CCTV / Emergency Services report – Try to get a copy of any CCTV footage that may have recorded the accident taking place. Also if the Emergency Services were needed to attend, they will also need to have written a report of events. Having a copy of this could be very beneficial.
What Kinds Of Compensation Could I Receive?
Although the type and severity of your injury is a large deciding factor on how much compensation you may receive should your claim be successful, there are also a number of other things to take into consideration that should be included in your claim and will therefore also have a bearing on the final award amount. Things that should be included in your claim are:
- General Damages – These cover the physical and psychological aspects of your claim. This is where the severity and long term effects of your injury matter. General damages cannot be quantified mathematically and can sometimes be difficult to assess. General damages are for the pain and suffering you have endured and any future physical and psychological effects.
- Medical Expenses – Any medical costs such as prescription fees, physiotherapy costs or the costs of any special equipment you have needed to purchase for example, that directly relate to your injury should be included.
- Travel Expenses – As well as the obvious travel costs to and from medical appointments, any costs incurred due to the necessary adaptions to your vehicle can be included.
- Care Claim – If you have needed home help from a relative, neighbour or friend, the person providing the help may be able to make a claim.
- Loss of earnings – Any earnings lost or potential future earnings lost should be included.
How Much Foot Injury Compensation Could I Claim?
As can be seen from above, the average settlement for a foot injury compensation claim is going to vary from case to case. This is because there are so many contributing factors that make up the final compensation amount awarded. Each and every case is unique and so it would be impossible to give an exact figure to everyone that asked how much compensation they will receive.
However, we can show an estimated and averaged amount awarded for certain injuries to at least give you some idea of what may be achievable.
| Reason for Compensation | Average Amount Awarded | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries & Special Damages | Up to £500,000+ | A combination of multiple severe injuries and financial losses, like lost earnings and the cost of a wheelchair or crutches |
| Amputation of Both Feet | £206,730 to £245,900 | Similar to a double below the knee amputation as the ankle joints are lost. |
| Amputation of One Foot | £102,470 to £133,810 | Similar to a below the knee amputation as the ankle joint is lost. |
| Very Severe Foot Injuries | £102,470 to £133,810 | Severe pain and discomfort with the risk of arthritis developing. The higher payment would be for severe permanent pain and disability due to extensive damage to the foot. |
| Severe Foot Injuries | £51,220 to £85,460 | Fractures of both heels or feet that considerably limits movement and causes substantial pain. |
| Serious Foot Injuries | £30,500 to £47,480 | Injuries less severe than those above, but still resulting in considerable pain from future arthritis. |
| Moderate Foot Injuries | £16,770 to £30,500 | Metatarsal fractures where pain is present and a continuing limp, to more severe fractures and damage to the ligaments causing a permanent deformity, pain and potential risk of osteoarthritis. |
| Modest Foot Injuries | Up to £16,770 | Simple foot injuries such as simple fractures, lacerations, and contusions etc where full recovery is expected over time. |
If you would like to discuss your individual case in more detail, just call Legal Helpline for free help and advice.
Can I Make A Foot Injury Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Legal Helpline offers a No Win No Fee service. What this essentially means is that if we do not win your compensation claims case, then you will not be required to pay any of our legal fees.
No Win No Fee is another name for a Conditional Fee Agreement. In this agreement, our responsibilities to you as your legal representative are outlined, as well as what we also expect from you as our client. The agreement clearly defines what our roles are within the working relationship.
Our payment terms are also written clearly. As already stated, if we do not win your case for you, you do not need to pay us anything. However, if we are successful and win your case, then we will require payment. This is taken as a small percentage of your award and is legally capped. What’s more, with our No Win No Fee service, there are no upfront costs or any costs during the whole process.
Legal Helpline is a claims management company that specialises in personal injury claims with a fantastic reputation. We offer brilliant customer service, and the solicitors making up our panel have many years of experience and are completely committed to doing the very best for our clients.
Contact Us
We offer a very competitive service with our No Win No Fee policy, free advice and consultations, and the ability to provide a local medical free of charge. There is no financial risk involved and we provide informed legal assistance every step of the way during the claiming process. We really care about our clients and genuinely want to get them the best compensation award we can for them as quickly as we can so that they can move on with their lives.
Call our team today on 0161 696 9685 for an informal chat about what we can do for you as your legal representative when making your compensation claim.
Useful Links
- Slip, trip, and fall compensation claims guide
- Foot pain help – NHS
- Strains and sprains – NHS
- Suing The Council For Negligence
- How Much For A Broken Arm At Work?
- Have you been ran over by a car? Our guide offers more information on claiming compensation and the road traffic accident claims process.