If a leg injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward
Leg injuries can be particularly debilitating, impacting not just your mobility but your ability to carry out daily activities and enjoy life to its fullest. The journey to recovery can be long, often requiring extensive rehabilitation and sometimes leaving lasting effects.
If you have been affected by a leg injury, we can help. If your injuries were caused by someone else's actions or negligence, you may be entitled to claim No Win, No Fee compensation.
With 160,000 admissions for leg injuries each year, you are not alone
When personal injury solicitors talk about leg injuries they are referring to an injury to any part of the upper leg or thigh, lower leg or shin, knee, ankle or foot.
473,000 workers were suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder in 2021/22 (hse.gov.uk).
The NHS reported 79,610 lower leg and knee injury admissions in 2021-22, and over 86,000 for thigh and hip injuries (digital.nhs.uk).
The most common types of leg injury are sprains and strains, cuts and bruises, dislocation, and ruptures to tendons or muscles. More serious injuries such as compound fractures or injuries requiring amputation are less common, but have life-changing consequences for those affected.
If you decide to make a leg 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 need to move forward.
For information on broken leg symptoms and treatment, see: broken leg (nhs.uk).
Do I have a leg injury claim?
As a basic rule, you will be eligible to make an injury claim if you were injured:
- in the last 3 years,
- by someone elses actions or negligence, and
- they owed you a duty of care.
Find out online if you can claim with our injury claim calculator. Alternatively, you can speak to a claims advisor on 0800 376 1001 and find out if you have a claim in minutes.
What if I was partly to blame?
Liability for an accident often involves fault on both sides.
In our recent 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents thought they could be partially to blame for their accident.
Even if you were partly at fault, you could still be able to claim compensation. 'Split liability' or 'contributory negligence' are terms used to describe these cases.
Read more:
Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?
How long after a leg injury do I have to claim compensation?
In most cases, you have 3 years from the date of your accident or injury.
If you were injured when you were under 18, a parent, guardian or adult 'litigation friend' can make a claim on your behalf. Once you turn 18, you have until your 21st birthday to start an injury claim.
How much compensation can I claim for a leg injury?
The amount of money you could claim for your leg injury will depend on:
- the severity of your leg 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.
Leg injury
compensation calculator
Get an accurate compensation estimate (including for multiple injuries), confirm your legal position, and check if you have a No Win, No Fee claim.
Updated May 2024
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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 for financial losses and expenses you have incurred because of your accident. In addition to paying for lost wages and business losses if self-employed, special damages can cover any care costs and medical procedures you need, such as X-rays, CT and MRI scans, and physiotherapy.
Read more:
A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim
Average leg injury general damages compensation
The following leg injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, Sixteenth 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).
| Injury | Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg injury | |||
| Leg injury | Less Serious | Simple tibia or fibula fracture | Up to £10,760 |
| Leg injury | Moderate | Crush injury | £25,240 to £35,640 |
| Leg injury | Moderate | Simple femur fracture | £8,280 to £25,240 |
| Leg injury | Serious | Leg fracture with partial recovery | £23,810 to £39,510 |
| Leg injury | Serious | Serious with permanent symptoms | £35,640 to £49,850 |
| Leg injury | Severe | Very serious with permanent symptoms | £49,850 to £79,900 |
| Leg injury | Severe | Loss of one leg above the knee | £95,300 to £124,970 |
| Leg injury | Severe | Loss of one leg below the knee | £89,070 to £120,900 |
| Leg injury | Very Severe | Loss of both legs below the knee | £183,170 to £245,550 |
| Leg injury | Very Severe | Loss of both legs | £218,900 to £256,370 |
Can I claim for PTSD or other psychological trauma?
If you have suffered psychological harm in addition to a physical injury or illness, you are not alone.
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.
Leg injuries often lead to anxiety about walking, loss of mobility, dependence on others, and impact on daily life and work. Serious injuries may lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Although psychiatric injuries are less obvious than physical injuries and illness, mental health conditions can be no less debilitating.
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.
Claiming leg injury compensation with a solicitor
You can make a compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.
Your solicitor will ask you about what happened, and they will collect evidence to prove what caused your injuries. Your solicitor will also work out how much money you can claim, based on your injuries, lost earnings and other expenses.
We can help you make a personal injury compensation claim on a No Win No Fee basis.
Who would I claim compensation from?
Your solicitor will need to prove that your leg injury was caused by the accident, and that the responsible party (the defendant) owed you a duty of care.
A duty of care is when a person, company or organisation has a legal obligation to safeguard the well-being of others.
UK laws impose a duty of care on employers, local authorities, road users, medical professionals, landlords and the owners and occupiers of other premises, to protect others from harm.
The process of making a claim will differ, depending on how your accident happened.
Assessing the severity of a leg injury
When making a claim, it can be difficult to determine the severity of a leg injury and the effect it may have on a claimant in the future.
In most cases, a claimant will be normally need a medical examination to assess the extent of an injury and recommend any further treatment. The medical examination is a routine process carried out at a local medical centre.
A medical report will then be produced to support your claim and help determine the appropriate level of compensation.
How long will a leg injury claim take?
How long it can take to secure compensation for a leg injury can vary significantly.
For instance, a simple liability accepted injury claim can settle in a month or two. If the defendant denies liability, it could take considerably longer. On average an injury claim should take 3 to 9 months.
How likely am I to win my claim?
It needs to be proven that:
- the accident or circumstances in question resulted in your injuries, and;
- the accident resulted from an act or negligence by the party being held responsible (the defendant).
If the defendant accepts liability, the likelihood of your claim succeeding is very high.
What happens if the defendant does not accept liability?
On the other hand, if liability is only partly accepted or contested, reaching a positive outcome can be more of a challenge.
Whether liability is acknowledged or not, doing everything you can to help your case is strongly recommended. Your lawyer may recommend a course of action.
These are some of the steps you can take:
- report the accident to a suitable person or authority
- record the details of the accident where possible
- gather names and addresses or contact details of witnesses
- take photographs of the scene of the accident
Even where considerable time has passed, doing what you can to help your case is worth considering.
What happened?
The process for a leg injury claim depends the circumstances of the accident. To learn more, click the icons below:
No win, no fee leg injury compensation claims
With no win, no fee, you can claim leg injury compensation without financial risk. If your claim isn't successful, you pay nothing. If you win, you only pay a pre-agreed percentage of your compensation.
Get expert advice now
Interested in talking to an injury specialist about your claim?
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Call 0800 376 1001
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or arrange a callbackCitations
Source: Broken leg - NHS (reviewed: 09/12/2023)
Author:
Gaynor Haliday, Legal researcher
About the author
Gaynor Haliday is an experienced legal researcher and published author. She has had numerous articles published in the press and is a legal industry commentator.