Hip injury
compensation claims

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

Hip injuries can be a painful and debilitating experience, leading to lengthy rehabilitation, possible surgery and time off work. Hip fractures, dislocations, bursitis and tendinitis can lead to long-term pain and discomfort and possibly permanent loss of movement.

If your injuries were caused by someone else's actions or negligence, you may be entitled to claim No Win, No Fee compensation. If you have suffered a hip injury, we can help you understand your rights and options for seeking hip injury compensation.

With almost 90,000 hip and thigh injury admissions every year, you are not alone

Compensation claims for hip injuries are common and are often the result of a slip or trip, a road traffic collision or a work accident.

Hip injuries can affect people of all ages, although certain groups are more vulnerable. Where joints are more fragile, due to old age or a congenital condition, injury can be sustained through even the slightest trauma. For younger people, hip injuries are often due to a more serious accident or incident.

Our analysis indicated the NHS admitted 86,791 patients with hip and thigh injuries in 2021-22 (digital.nhs.uk).

The increasing participation in high-impact sports and the aging population have contributed to an increase in hip injuries.

In the elderly, the most frequent cause of hip injuries are falls, often leading to hip fractures due to the decreased bone density that comes with aging.

Among sportspeople and physically active individuals, hip injuries can result from overuse, impact, or accidents, leading to conditions like hip labral tears, strains, or bursitis.

If you decide to make a hip injury claim, your personal injury solicitor will take you through every step of the claims process. Your solicitor will be with you until you win your claim and get the compensation you deserve.

For information on hip fracture symptoms and treatment, visit: Hip fractures (nhs.uk).

Am I entitled to make a hip injury claim?

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

• in the last 3 years,
• by someone elses actions or negligence, and
• they owed you a duty of care.

Use our injury claim calculator to find out if you can claim. 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 compensation if I was partly at fault?

The law concerning liability (or blame) for an accident is complex, and varies depending on the situation.

In our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents believed they were partly responsible for their injuries, or were uncertain.

Claims are possible even when your actions partially caused the accident. In instances of 'contributory negligence', claims are usually settled with a split liability agreement.

Read more:

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

How long do I have to make a hip injury claim?

An injury claim will usually need to be made within 3 years of the date or your accident or injury.

For injured children, a claim can be started by a parent or guardian at any time before they turn 18. Thereafter, the injured individual has until their 21st birthday to make a claim on their own.

How much compensation can I claim for a hip injury?

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

• the severity 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 are awarded to compensate you for any costs or losses you've incurred or might incur as a result of your accident. These costs might include loss of earnings (including future anticipated earnings loss), retraining costs, career trajectory impact, or any other out of pocket expenses.

Special damages may also be awarded for medical treatments or procedures that you might need to treat your hip injury, including pain medication, physiotherapy, hip brace and surgery if needed.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

Average hip injury general damages compensation table

The following hip injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 17th Edition by the Judicial College (oup.com).

These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.

Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).

Can I claim for PTSD or other psychological trauma?

Psychiatric harm is less obvious than physical injury, but the consequences can be just as difficult to deal with.

According to our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey shows that 29.03% of potential claimants sustained a psychological injury, 70.97% of which related to a physical injury.

Hip injuries may cause basiphobia (fear of falling), anxiety about mobility, depression from loss of independence, and the potential need for long-term care.

Psychiatric harm is less obvious than physical injury, but the consequences can be just as difficult to deal with.

Our compensation calculator can estimate your compensation for psychological injuries. Or you can call us on 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor.

Types of hip injury

A person suffering a hip injury often has to take time off work - sometimes for a lengthy period. They may also be unable to carry out their normal everyday activities. In addition, hip injury can result in the need for long-term medical care and assistance.

Common hip injuries seen in compensation claims include:

Hip fracture

A hip fracture is a crack or break in the neck of the femur nearest the hip joint. According to the NHS, around 70,000 to 75,000 occur in the UK each year. Common causes include falls to a solid surface or blunt trauma.

Hip dislocation

Hip dislocation occurs when the ball-shaped head of the femur pops out of the cup-shaped acetabulum set in the pelvis. Common causes are an impact collision or a hard fall.

Muscle/ligament tears

Hip sprains occur due to a sudden contraction of muscle which stretches or tears the ligaments that support the hip joint. Common causes are over stretching or a hard blow to the muscle.

Hip bursitis

Bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa - a fluid-filled sack that reduces friction between moving tissues. Common causes are traumatic injury and repetitive pressure on the hip.

Who is liable?

As hip injuries can occur in a variety of different situations, who is liable depends on the individual facts of the case. For example, if a hip injury was sustained during a non-fault car or motorcycle accident, the other driver would be liable.

Alternatively, a hip injury which occurred in the workplace, whether caused by a fall from height, moving machinery or a slip or trip on a factory floor, would see the employer held liable under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other relevant legislation.

For other slips, trips and falls which occur outside of the workplace, for example in a supermarket or on a public footpath, the owner/occupier of the land or premises would be responsible under the Occupier's Liability Act 1957.

Vulnerable groups

In the case of vulnerable groups, the duty of care imposed on a shop owner or employer may not necessarily be higher because of the group's vulnerability to injury, but the owner, occupier or employer must take reasonable steps to protect anyone they owe this duty to from foreseeable harm.

In the example of a slip in a shop, the shop owner must put in place an inspection programme to ensure that spills are identified quickly and cleaned up. A failure to operate such a procedure may amount to negligence if someone is injured as result.

The hip injury claims process

The first step is to contact a solicitor to discuss your options and to determine whether you may have a claim.

The solicitor will help to arrange a medical exam to establish the nature and severity of the hip injury. The report produced following this medical will provide crucial medical evidence in support of your claim.

Other evidence will also be gathered to support your hip injury claim, such as:

• A shop or office's accident book
• Company health and safety records
• Photographs of the hazard or scene of the accident
• CCTV footage of the incident
• Witness statements

If the liable party is insured, a solicitor will contact the insurers notifying them of the claimants intention to claim. If they accept liability, a compensation sum will be agreed upon, depending on the severity of the hip injury and its wider impact on the person's life.

If liability is not accepted, or the defendant argues contributory negligence, the case may go to Court.

What happened?

The process for a hip injury claim depends the circumstances of the accident. To learn more, click the icons below:

Work accidents Public places Road accidents Medical negligence 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.