Gym injury
compensation claims

If a gym injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward

Gym injuries can interrupt your fitness journey and can be a result of faulty equipment, improper training, or inadequate guidance. If you've been injured at a gym, you may be able to claim compensation, particularly if your injury was due to the gym's oversight or negligence.

If your life, or the life of a loved one, has been affected by a gym accident, we can help. Whether your injuries were caused by a slip or trip, fall, faulty equipment, or other incident, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

You can make a No Win, No Fee compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.

With 1.5 million sports and leisure injuries each year, you are not alone

Across the UK, an estimated 1.5 million sports and leisure injuries occur each year (emj.bmj.com).

Gyms, with their array of treadmills, rowers, and weight training equipment, pose unique risks to gymgoers. The complexity and weight of some gym equipment increase the likelihood and severity of potential injuries.

Common gym accidents include injuries from faulty machines, misuse of complex or heavy equipment, poor advice from gym staff and personal trainers, and environmental hazards like loose mats or wet floors.

If an injury results from malfunctioning equipment, incorrect guidance from staff, or lack of proper safety measures, the gym may be held liable. Our experience includes handling claims for typical gym injuries like sprains, torn cartilage, and fractures.

Am I entitled to make a gym injury claim?

In general, you can claim compensation if you were hurt:

• within the last 3 years, and;
• another person was to blame, and;
• that person owed you a duty of care.

Find out online if you can claim with our injury claim calculator. Or you can call 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor. Find out in minutes if you have a claim.

Can I claim if I feel I was partly to blame?

Identifying who is legally responsible for a claimant's injuries is not always obvious.

In our 2024 Public Liability Injury Claimant Survey, 17.45% of respondents felt they were at least partly responsible for their accident or injuries.

Claiming compensation is still an option even if you were partly at fault. These contributory negligence cases are typically resolved with a split-liability agreement.

Read more:

Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?

How much compensation can I claim for a gym injury?

The amount of money you could claim for your injury will depend on:

• the seriousness of your injury, and
• any financial losses or costs you have incurred.

At the start of your claim, your solicitor will consider the many ways your injuries have affected your life. Your solicitor will take these considerations into account to calculate the correct compensation award.

General damages

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA).

Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College (judiciary.uk) and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?

Special damages

Special damages is compensation awarded to cover any financial losses and expenses you incur as a result of your gym injury or negligent medical treatment. These damages aim to put you back in the financial position you would have been in, had your injury not occurred.

Special damages will also cover your medical treatment expenses, that might include physiotherapy and pain medication.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

What are the responsibilities of a gym?

There are no specific health and safety that apply specifically to gyms.

Gym operators must, however, comply with more general legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work (HSAW) Act 1974.

Compliance involves undertaking an assessment of the health and safety risks to users and implementing measures to control them. This could include:

• Regular checking of all equipment and adherence to safety standards
• Continual monitoring of potential slip or fall hazards e.g. such as liquids, mats and free weights
• Routine and frequent training of all staff members
• All gym members being shown how to use equipment by qualified staff and explanatory signs put up
• Guidelines for gym users which cover dress, wiping down, putting equipment away and reporting defects

See also:

Sports-related injury claims

How can negligence by proven?

An injured gym goer's solicitor must prove that the gym was negligent to make a successful claim. In order to prove this breach, or negligence, it must be shown that the gym operator failed to reasonably carry out their duty of care towards the injured person, the claimant.

Proving there was a breach, and that this breach was the cause of the claimant's injuries, involves providing evidence such as:

• Medical records of the injuries sustained
• Witness accounts of the incident
• Photographs of faulty equipment or the offending hazard In addition

Claimants should avoid admitting liability at the scene.

What about disclaimers?

'Disclaimers' or 'exemption clauses' are terms that seek to exclude or limit liability. Exemption clauses are common and take many different forms. If, however, the clause hinders the signee in seeking redress from an organisation that has failed in its duty of care, the clause may be considered unfair.

Under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, Gym operators who ask members to sign contractual waivers or post disclaimer notices cannot be excluded from negligence relating to personal injury.

How about home gym equipment?

Compensation is also possible for injuries sustained using home gym equipment. In this instance liability could be attributed to the manufacturer if, for example, the product was faulty or did not pass the strict safety measures in place to protect consumers.

Gym accident compensation claims advice

If you have been injured in a gym accident you should always seek medical advice whether from your GP, walk in centre or accident and emergency department. Seeking early advice can help both diagnose injuries and guide you towards appropriate physiotherapy.

To give you claim the best chance of success, you should also try to do as many of the following as possible:

• obtain names and addresses of any witnesses to the accident
• take photos of the cause of the accident, and of your injuries
• request, in writing, any CCTV footage of the accident - a solicitor can assist with this

It is worth following the above steps even if you have not yet decided to make a claim.

What happened?

Making a successful gym injury compensation claim begins with understanding whether the gym, the equipment manufacturer or another party is ultimately liable. Please select from the following icons for more information:

Public places Work accidents Other accidents

Citations

Author:
Chris Salmon, Director

About the author

Chris Salmon is a co-founder and Director of Quittance Injury Claims. Chris has played key roles in the shaping and scaling of a number of legal services brands and is a regular commentator in the legal press.