Ankle Injury Claims

Family doctors see a lot of foot and/or ankle injuries and conditions across all ages and a high proportion of ankle patients are referred to orthopaedics. Similarly, accident and emergency departments and specialist sports health professional commonly see severe ankle injury patients.

Sprained ankle injuries can be mild but unfortunately, some people suffer very severe ankle injuries, such as complex breaks. These may need surgery and a lengthy period of recover and rehabilitation.

It may not even be immediately apparent that you have a fractured or sprained ankle. If you start to suffer pain, swelling and tenderness it is vital to seek medical advice as soon as possible. The usual recommended treatment to begin with is RICE – rest, ice, compression and elevation. But if this doesn’t help in a relatively short period of time or it worsens, further investigations such as an x-ray, may be required to determine what’s going on.

Sprained ankle injuries are one of many types of lower limb injury that can have a major impact on your life and your ability to do your normal job. If someone else was responsible for your injury, get in touch with our specialist advisers to find out more about making your ankle injury claim.

Making ankle injury compensation claims is simple – simply call our trained legal advisers on 0800 234 6438 for free. They’ll talk you through the accident, explain the ankle injury claims process then partner you with the best personal injury solicitors for your case.

Your personal injury claim will be taken on a No Win No Fee basis which means you will not have to pay out any legal fees do not win. You can call free on 0800 234 6438 or, if you prefer, you can fill in this online contact form and request a call back

We all know that suffering a sprained ankle or a broken or fractured ankle can happen simply by accident, often as a result of our own carelessness. But in many cases, ankle injuries are avoidable – caused by someone’s negligence or carelessness.  In these cases, it is only fair that the law allows us to make ankle injury compensation claims.

For example, you may have injured your ankle in a road accident, playing sport or by tripping over a hazard while walking around a shop. These incidents are usually someone else’s fault because of their carelessness, in which case it’s only fair that ankle injury claims can be made.

Find out more about bicycle accident claims.

So, anyone who has been injured in an accident that was someone else’s fault is usually able to bring an ankle injury compensation claim, including children. If you’ve have a sprained ankle through no fault of your own, it’s really important to start an ankle injury compensation claim as early as possible because of the potential impact on your life.

Whether you’re a worker or employee or a simply member of the public who’s hurt their ankle, you should be able to make a no win no fee claim.

FACT

Orthopaedic doctors have reported that an increasing number of children are suffering sporting injuries, including broken or sprained ankle injuries, as they return to sport after the covid-19 lockdown

Any movement that causes the ankle to bend beyond its natural limits can cause a sprained ankle or other injury. The ankle is a complex joint which enables a wide range of mobility of the foot, whether on level or uneven ground, climbing stairs and ladders, riding bikes or running and jumping.

The ankle is actually comprised of two joints – the true ankle joint which allows what is called ‘dorsiflexion’ and ‘plantar flexion’; and the subtalar joint which allows inversion and eversion of the ankle.

The ankle contains ligaments which join the two lower leg bones – the fibula and the tibia – to other bones within the foot, including the metatarsal.

As a weight-bearing joint, the ankle is regularly subjected to considerable amounts of force at time. If, for example, weight-bearing is accompanied by a sudden and unexpected change in direction or a force is applied, it’s not hard to see how an injury can be caused.

A strained or sprained ankle injury can be mild. With a few days of RICE treatment at home, most mild to moderate ankle injuries will heal. However, severe injuries can mean you need an operation and could lead to weeks or months for a fully recovery. You will know it’s serious if you have severe bruising or swelling or cannot weight bear on your foot without a lot of pain.

According to the NHS, a sprained ankle are one of the most common injuries in children. Whatever the cause, make sure treatment is sought as soon as possible because if left, an ankle injury can cause long term problems for a growing child.

Ankle injuries can be caused by all sorts of activities Even the most mundane activities like walking around a park or shopping centre, can lead to an unexpected injury.  As well as accidents at work, the most common causes of a sprained ankle, broken ankle and other types of ankle injuries include:

Ankle sprains and a fractured ankle are often caused by sports. In fact, around half of all sprain types of ankle injuries are caused during athletics or sports activities such as football, rugby and running. Sporting injuries are often par for the course – after all, sports participants engage in their sport knowing there is some element of risk of injury.

However, clubs and other individuals or organisations who are responsible for a sports match or event have a duty of care to those taking part, as well as spectators and others involved. So if they have been negligent and your ankle injury has been caused as a result of their negligence, you should be able to make an ankle injury claim.

Most of us have slipped over at some point in our lives and suffered a twisted ankle. Fortunately, with a little rest and self-care we’ve quickly recovered and carried on.

However, if you have been out in a public place or at work, for instance, and you have slipped over on a spilt liquid on a supermarket floor, or on an icy train platform or tripped over a hazard that has been left lying around a supermarket or without a clear warning sign, and you’ve injured your ankle – it’s only fair that someone else should be held responsible for what has happened.

If the accident occurred in a public place and it was not your fault, make sure you seek medical treatment – and get in touch us to find out how we can help you on the path to securing maximum compensation.

Ankle injuries are not uncommon in public places, such as public parks, train stations and leisure centres and on stairs and steps. However, the organisation or person owning or occupying land or premises to which the public have access owe them a duty of care to minimise the risk of injury.

If an accident occurs in public and someone else was negligent or careless, and you have suffered ankle injuries, it’s only fair that you can bring an ankle injury claim. It can be reassuring to know that any organisation that owns or operates land and premises where the public can visit are legally required to hold public liability insurance to cover the risk of injury. This covers the financial risk of a personal injury claim made by you or anyone else following an injury.

Whether you’re the driver, a car passenger, a pedestrian or cyclist, our busy roads involve an element of risk of road traffic accidents. If you’ve been involved in a road accident and you have suffered an ankle injury and the accident was the other driver’s fault, you can claim ankle injury compensation.

Sometime, a patient is failed by their doctor or knee specialist who may fail to diagnosis an ankle problem. A high professional standard is expected of doctors and other health professionals and must be held accountable if their errors cause harm and injury.

So if you’ve suffered an ankle injury and sought treatment, but you’ve been misdiagnosed or there’s been a delay in diagnosis and treatment and you’ve suffered further pain as a direct result, it’s wise to get legal advice from solicitors experienced in medical negligence claims.

We work in conjunction with National Accident Helpline and National Accident Law to provide free injury guidance to those who have suffered an injury because of medical negligence or other breaches of care.

Unfortunately, ankle injuries do happen in the workplace. They are most likely to occur in environments that involved some physical labour like climbing ladders and walking around, such as construction and building sites; warehouses and factories; and in restaurants and similar establishments.

Thankfully, most workplace accidents are preventable; so if you’ve suffered an ankle injury at work, you can probably make an ankle injury compensation claim against your employer.

In any workplace, the employer has a general duty of care towards you and other workers under a raft of health and safety legislation. This means business have strict responsibilities to ensure the workplace is safe and reasonably free from the risk of injury. Employers are required to carry out risk assessments that promptly identify any risks to worker health and safety; and they must deal with risks identified in a timely way.

For example, the Health and Safety Executive sets out how an oil company in the UK became concerned about the number of ankle injuries suffered by staff wearing loose-fitting rigger boots on their exploration and production sites both onshore and offshore. This led to testing of various types of boot before settling on two types of boot that had the best slip resistance.

Many employers do take their health and safety obligations seriously, but there are always businesses who fail – with the result that there is an increased risk of injury. So if you have suffered an ankle injury at work, you should act quickly and take specialist legal advice about making an ankle injury claim.

If you’ve suffered a fracture of the ankle or an amputation injury, it is useful to know that your employer has a legal duty to report the injury to the Health and Safety Executive under RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) so check your employer has make the report.

We do understand taking legal action after an injury is a daunting prospect and you may well be worried about suing your employer. It can be reassuring to know that ankle injury claims will actually be against their insurance company and not the employer directly. Your ankle injury compensation will then be paid by the insurer and not out of the employer’s own pocket. For more information, see our ankle injury claims guide.

FACT

29% of non-fatal injuries to employees reported in 2019-2020 were caused by slips, trips of falls on the same level

The ankle is a small but important part of your body, so if you’ve injured it – the impact on your life can be debilitating and cost you your mobility. If your ankle injury happened was not your fault, you should be able to bring a no win no fee compensation claim.

Ankle injuries are one of a number of types of lower limb injury which can include the hip and thigh, calf or foot. However, ankle injuries – along with knee injuries – can cause real problems for your mobility and the ability to do your normal work and other everyday activities.

There are many different types of ankle injury, ranging from serious breaks and ankle ligament damage to minor soft tissue injuries that take little to time to heal.

Your injury might be minor – a simple sprain and bruising from which you quickly recover; or it can be a significant injury requiring surgery and long term physiotherapy. But you can claim compensation for even minor injuries if someone else caused it. The most common types include:

A broken or fractured ankle is one of the most common bone injuries and are often the result of an overwhelming twisting injury or trauma, such as a kick to the ankle. In fact, sometimes you can think you have a sprained ankle, then find out you actually have a broken ankle.

Fractures of the metatarsal are often a sporting injury suffered by football players. Most ankle fractures, if straightforward, heal naturally within 6-8 weeks.

However, serious cases, such as a misplaced or compound ankle fracture sustained in a road traffic accident, will require surgical intervention. If you need metal pins or plates inserted to aid your recover, it can take months to fully recover. Physiotherapy and other forms of therapy may well be necessary.

Further surgery may also be required. For example, once a serious fracture has healed it is not uncommon for the individual to find the metal work uncomfortable and pins or plates can then be removed.

Fractures of the ankle can also lead to complications which require additional treatment. This includes infections, clotting or thrombosis, nerve damage, failure of the bones to heal properly and long term problems such as soft tissue damage, stiffness and pain.

Your specialist solicitor will ensure that your ankle injury compensation claim will reflect the extent of your ankle fracture injury, including any complications that arise.

The ligaments on the outer side of the ankle are called the lateral ligaments and are particularly prone to injury. This type of injury is called a lateral ankle sprain (also called an inversion ankle sprain). It’s usually caused when the foot unnaturally rolls inwards, as a result of an over or under-step, a tackle or blow to the ankle or sudden twisting.

Though a lateral ligament injury can be mild, in some cases these injuries can be serious – sometimes leading to a complete rupture of the ligament; and even potentially causing a small chip from the leg bone. Sprains are common but if you think someone else should be held responsible, even if it’s a minor injury – you should be able to make a sprained ankle injury claim.

These happen when the ligament injury affects the ligaments on the inside of the ankle. Eversion ankle sprains are less common than lateral ligament injuries.

An osteochondral lesion is a lesion of cartilage lining the ankle joint resulting from trauma and can affect the inner, outer or central surface of the cartilage. If a frequently sprained ankle causes pain and bruising and is left untreated, a cyst in the bone can develop and a piece of cartilage and bone can become detached. It causes deep joint pain which can get worse if you continue with activities.

Once diagnosed, plasma injections can help but unfortunately, surgery is often required. Physiotherapy is vital for sufferers of ankle osteochondral lesions.

This is sometimes known as ‘footballer’s ankle’ and is pain in the ankle which is caused by impingement – or strangulation – of the soft tissue. It usually results from inflamed or damaged, scarred soft tissue being trapped, which cases swelling and a reduction in the range of motion of the ankle.

Physiotherapy can help, though surgery may be required to treat the condition.

This is a common overuse/repetitive injury to the plantar fascia ligament which connects the heel to the front of the foot. It causes pain on the bottom of the foot, and around the heel and arch.

Plantar fasciitis can also be caused by tightness of the Achilles tendons which are located at the back of the lower leg and connect the calf muscles to the foot. The condition can be treated effectively with RICE treatment and, sometimes, the use of braces of anti-inflammatory medications – and steroid injections if necessary.

A tear of the tendon is particularly serious requiring surgery to release the plantar fascia tendon. This itself can cause permanent problems such as loss of full function of the foot.

Tendinitis of the Achilles tendon is thought to be the result of, for instance, sports activities, overuse and lack of training and it causes pain along the back of the lower part of the leg. It is known to cause stiffness and swelling and can take up to six months of treatment to recover.

It is more common in people with arthritis and other conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure

Dislocation of the ankle is a serious injury and extremely painful and, in most cases, is a accompanied by a fracture. You’ll know about it because of the amount of pain you’ve been in and as your ankle will look noticeably deformed.

Dislocation happens when there is an abnormal separation between at least one bone within the ankle joint. It can be caused by a severe trauma or twisting motion, such as a fall from a height or a sports injury.

If you’ve suffered an ankle dislocation, you may have needed casts or splints to realign your bones and possibly surgery.

An amputation injury is particularly distressing and can be caused spontaneously as a result of an accident, or during surgery following a medical decision that amputation is needed to save your life or your health.

An ankle amputation may be deemed necessary because of, for example, severe infection, crush injuries or gangrene. In cases of a traumatic injury, an accident may have resulted directly in the amputation of your foot and ankle, such as entrapment in a machine at work or in a road traffic accident.

If you have suffered a foot and ankle amputation because of someone else’s negligence or carelessness – whether or not directly in an accident – you need to take specialist legal advice about making an ankle injury compensation claim.

Usually classed as a sporting injury, a CAI is where the ankle has become chronically unstable. It can end sporting careers and can, therefore, deprive the suffer of substantial earnings in future. If you have started to suffer pain from an ankle sprain or other types of ankle injuries, early treatment is vital to mitigate the risk of developing CAI.

If it’s too late and you believe you have the right to make an ankle injury compensation claim because of the pain and the impact on your life, get in touch with us.

Your injury solicitor will explain how much compensation to claim following your ankle injury, including any financial losses. Your ankle injury compensation claim will include a specific element for your actual injury, pain and suffering (this is known as ‘general damages’)

Also, if you have had to have time off work and lost out on wages and overtime, or had to pay out for travel and medical expenses, and so on, ankle injury claims can include a claim for these financial losses. The majority of personal injury claims include claims for financial loss and these are known as ‘special damages’.

The compensation for an ankle injury in special damages will reflect the nature and extent of your particular ankle injury, because these injuries vary so greatly. So if you’re wondering, how much can I claim for an ankle injury in the UK, the answer is: it depends. Lawyers acting in personal injury claims look at the circumstances of the accident, the nature of your injury, the extent of it and the prognosis – and the impact on your daily life

This means your solicitor will work hard to assess the full impact of your particular ankle injury, gather the medical and other evidence, and ensure you receive the maximum compensation you deserve.

In time, your solicitor will arrange for you to have an expert medical examination and report carried out to support your ankle injury case. This will be done under your no win no fee agreement, so you need not worry about the cost of this – it will be covered by the agreement and you won’t be asked for any money up front.

Helpfully, there are formal judicial guidelines to which lawyers refer to calculate what someone could be entitled to by way of ankle injury compensation. For instance, if you’re thinking: how much compensation can I claim for my sprained ankle? these formal guidelines (the Judicial College Guidelines – 15th edition) provide a useful starting point as to how ankle injury compensation injury is calculated. For example:

• A sprained ankle injury claim could attract compensation of up to £13,000
• Severe injury to the Achilles tendon – up to £32,000
• Loss of a foot and ankle – up to £102,890
• Plantar fasciitis – between £10,000 and £30,000
• A fracture ankle requiring surgery and metalwork – up to £47,000

These figures illustrate how hard it is to estimate how much compensation for an ankle injury you could win early on in personal injury compensation claim, without knowing the nature and impact of it on the individual. Once your specialist lawyer has all the information about your own case, they will be able to give you a much more accurate picture of how much compensation you deserve.

You can also try our online personal injury claims calculator here to get a rough estimate of the compensation you could receive for your injury.

If you have suffered multiple injuries, the overall calculation of your injuries will depend on the seriousness of the other injuries but your specialist lawyer will explains this to you.

It is very common for those injured to successfully negotiate an ankle injury settlement with the other side, particularly if they have a robust case with strong evidence to support their claim. It’s also the case that most defendants do not want to go to court unless they have to, because of the legal costs and the time involved.

Your solicitor will discuss with you the value in negotiating with the other side. You can be sure that your solicitor will work on your behalf to agree an ankle injury settlement amounts that fairly reflect your injuries and the impact on your life.

CASE STUDY

A construction worker who broke both his ankles and wrists and fractured his spine when he fell from the third floor of a construction site at Canary Wharf in London. He won a settlement of £900,000 from his employer, Over The Edge Rope Access and Safety Netting Ltd.

The first step in the case of any ankle or other injury is to see a doctor at the earliest opportunity. Not only will this enable you to get the treatment you need, your medical records will be important evidence when claiming ankle injury compensation. You will then need to know how to make a claim.

As soon as you’ve taken medical advice, the best step you can take is to speak with our experienced advisers for straightforward advice about how you can start your no win no fee ankle claim.

It’s always prudent to claim compensation as soon as possible while the accident and the impact of it on you are freshest in your mind. So long as your injuries were caused because of someone else’s negligence or carelessness, you can make an ankle injury compensation claim, so get in touch with us for expert guidance about the injury claims process.

When you first speak with your personal injury solicitor, try to have as much information to hand as possible that will help your personal injury claim. This will include details of witnesses and any photographs or sketches of where the incident happened. This will make it easier for you to answer their initial questions and obtain the best possible legal advice early on.

We strongly suggest you keep a detailed account of what caused your injury or ankle condition and keep it updated as you continue on your road to recovery. If, for instance, you suffered an ankle injury during a sporting event – make sure you have details of any witnesses to the incident; and make a note of the weather conditions and other relevant factors that you think may have contributed to the accident.

The physical progression of an ankle injury can often be seen by looking at the ankle itself – its colour, shape and so on, so it can be worthwhile keeping a photo diary of how your ankle looks each day.

If you developed an ankle condition or injury as a result of working for an extended period in an environment that placed ongoing stress on your ankles, your personal injury claims solicitor will need to know the history. This will include what your role required of you, the physical expectations on you, how it impacted your feet and ankles and the pain and discomforted it has caused, and whether your employer carried out regular risk assessments and took steps to minimise the risk of injury.

This is crucial because in some cases, the full extent of the physical impact of your injury on your life may not immediately be apparent.

To ensure you can make a claim for your financial losses, gather details of any loss of earnings directly related to your ankle injury, as well as other costs such as travel costs, physiotherapy and other medical-related expenses.

The more information your solicitor has to support your win no win no fee claim, the greater the chances of securing the maximum amount you deserve – as early as possible.

Your lawyer will discuss the injury claims process with you, guiding you through the initial steps and advising you of your options, depending on whether the other side accepts responsibility. In the vast majority of cases, ankle injury claims can be agreed by negotiating an ankle injury settlement amount without going to court – and that will be your solicitor’s aim.

To get the ball rolling and start your ankle injury claim, call us now and get free advice from a trained legal advisor on 0800 234 6438 or by filling in this online form.

If you think you were partly to blame for your ankle injury, it is imperative that you still discuss your accident with a specialist solicitor before deciding you can’t go ahead with claiming compensation. Many people discover they were not to blame at all, or find out that it is possible they may be found only partly to blame.

Simple accidents do happen. We often discount injuries as ‘one of those things’ and there are situations where no one else can be held legally responsible. For example, you may be fully aware that you have not acted on your club’s advice to change your sporting trainers to minimise the risk to your ankle or foot but failed to do so; or you carelessly decided not to warm up before running an event.

In these instance, you may be found partly to blame but don’t assume that means you cannot claim compensation– it may simply mean you won’t win quite as much. Discuss it with an expert so that you don’t lose out on the compensation you deserve.

The general rule in personal injury is that you have three years from the date of the accident to start ankle injury compensation claims. After three years, you may be ‘time barred’ from making ankle injury claims.

For those seeking to make ankle injury claims on behalf of children, this three-year period does not start to run until they reach 18 – which means they have until they are 21 to make their injury claims. However, it’s always best to begin a claim process as soon as you can while events are fresh in your mind.

If in doubt about whether you are time-barred, don’t assume you can’t make a claim because of the passage of time. We strongly recommend talking things through with specialist solicitors so that you’re aware of your legal rights.

We understand how painful and distressing ankle injuries can be, whether it’s yourself or a loved one who is suffering. We also appreciate that compensation can never undo the damage and inconvenience you’ve experienced, but it can go a long way to help you in your recovery.

To find out how to make no won no fee ankle injury claims, get in touch with an expert legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438. Or, if you’d prefer, you can fill in one of the online contact forms to receive a call back.