If a skydiving injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward
Skydiving carries inherent risks of equipment failure, freefall accidents, and landing injuries. Catastrophic injuries are thankfully rare, but injuries still occur ranging from sprains and fractures, to more severe trauma in cases of equipment failure or improper landing techniques.
If your life, or the life of a loved one, has been affected by a skydiving accident, we can help. If your injuries were caused by someone else's actions or negligence, you may be entitled to claim compensation.
You can make a No Win, No Fee sports injury compensation claim with the help and support of a solicitor.
Skydiving is relatively safe, but accidents still happen
Skydiving, including group, tandem and solo jumps, is increasing in popularity. The sport is an inherently dangerous activity, carrying the risk of very serious injury and death in the event of an accident. Safety standards are extremely high and accidents are rare.
Despite rigorous safety protocols, however, serious injury can occur where these standards are ignored or regulations are breached.
For experienced skydivers, the average injury rate is 0.3 injuries/1,000 jumps and the fatality rate is just under 1/100,000 (britishskydiving.org).
If you decide to make a skydiving accident 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.
How much compensation can I claim for a skydiving accident?
Compensation for a skydiving accident is dependent on:
- the severity of your injury,
- how your injury disrupts your life and work,
- the costs or financial losses you?ve experienced due to the accident.
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Updated March 2025
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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.
Special damages are for financial losses and expenses you have incurred because of your accident. In addition to paying for loss of earnings (including future earnings loss and retraining costs), damage to clothing, damage to your equipment, special damages can cover any care costs and medical procedures you need, such as pain medication and psychological support.
Read more:
A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim
How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?
Average skydiving accident compensation payouts
The following skydiving accident 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).
Ankle injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Minor fractures, sprains, and ligament injuries with full recovery | Up to £15,250 |
| Moderate | A fracture or ligament injury with mild ongoing symptoms | £15,250 to £29,500 |
| Severe | Lengthy treatment required, and your ability to walk has been permanently affected | £34,740 to £55,540 |
| Very severe | Severe ongoing symptoms that are likely to worsen in the future | £55,540 to £77,340 |
Back injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | A back sprain, disc prolapse, soft tissue injury or minor fracture that fully recovers without surgery | £2,720 to £13,870 |
| Moderate | A disc lesion, prolapse, fracture or soft tissue injury leading to chronic conditions, including pain, mobility issues, impaired sexual function, psychological effects, a risk of arthritis, spondylolisthesis, and nerve root irritation | £13,870 to £30,800 |
| Severe | Severe spinal cord damage, nerve root damage, disc lesions, fractures and soft tissues leading to serious chronic conditions | £43,020 to £178,590 |
Knee injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | E.g. dislocation, torn cartilage or meniscus, that could cause future symptoms or weakness, or that exacerbated an existing injury | Up to £15,250 |
| Moderate | More serious knee injuries with a greater risk of future symptoms, pain and weakness | £16,460 to £29,050 |
| Serious | E.g. a leg fracture that extends to the knee joint, or injuries that cause constant pain and restricted movement, and/or a risk of osteoarthritis or future knee surgery | £29,050 to £48,210 |
| Severe | Severe symptoms, including ongoing pain, disability and which are likely to worsen and require future surgery (arthroplasty or arthrodesis) | £57,830 to £77,360 |
| Very severe | Very severe knee injury with joint disruption, osteoarthritis, ligament damage and significant pain, and/or requiring extensive surgery | £77,360 to £106,740 |
Leg injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Simple tibia or fibula fracture | Simple fracture with full recovery | Up to £13,140 |
| Simple femur fracture | Simple femur fracture with no damage to articular surfaces | £10,110 to £15,620 |
| More serious fractures | Incomplete fracture recovery with ongoing symptoms | £19,930 to £30,800 |
Neck injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Soft tissue injury | £2,720 to £8,750 |
| Moderate | Fracture or dislocation injuries, or worsening of existing conditions, including wrenching, disc lesions and cervical spondylosis | £27,730 to £42,700 |
| Serious | Severe fractures, dislocation, soft tissue damage, ruptured tendons, and/or chronic disability | £50,450 to £62,120 |
| Severe | Serious fractures or damage to discs, with disability and substantial loss of neck movement, including loss of function in one or more limbs | £72,950 to £145,250 |
| Very Severe | Incomplete paraplegia, spastic quadriparesis, and/or very restricted neck movement | Around £164,560 |
Paralysis
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Paraplegia | £243,040 to £315,350 | |
| Tetraplegia & quadriplegia | £360,130 to £448,180 |
Pelvis and hip injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Injury with no residual disability and complete recovery in under 2 years | £4,380 to £13,970 |
| Moderate | Ongoing symptoms but no major disability | £13,970 to £43,460 |
| Serious | Including fracture of acetabulum and injuries with a risk of future hip replacement surgery or leg instability | £43,460 to £58,250 |
| Severe | More serious leg injuries with worsening future symptoms | £68,680 to £86,980 |
| Very severe | Including extensive fractures, dislocation, bladder injuries, spondylolisthesis, exteme pain and permanent disability | £86,980 to £145,250 |
Whiplash
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery in under 3 months | Up to £220 | |
| Recovery in 3 to 12 months | £220 to £1,200 | |
| Recovery in 1 to 2 years | £1,200 to £3,830 |
Can I claim compensation for a psychological injury?
Psychiatric harm is less obvious than physical injury, but the consequences can be just as difficult to deal with.
According to our 2025 Personal Injury Claimant Survey shows that 29.03% of potential claimants sustained a psychological injury, 70.97% of which related to a physical injury.
Skydiving accidents often result in PTSD, a deep-seated phobia of flying (aerophobia) and of heights (acrophobia), and reluctance to engage in similar thrill-seeking activities.
Your solicitor will help ensure that any psychological harm you have suffered as the result of another party's negligence is recognised and included in the calculation of your compensation award or settlement. In addition, you can also claim for mental health treatment costs that may not be readily available on the NHS.
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.
Am I entitled to make a skydiving injury claim?
If you've been injured or diagnosed with an illness in the last three years and it wasn't your fault, you will be able to claim compensation.
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.
Skydiving health and safety
Due to the inherent dangers of jumping out of a moving plane and free-falling for thousands of feet, skydiving schools must follow stringent regulations, and the BPA publish guidelines (britishskydiving.org) which all qualified instructors in the UK must follow.
Many holidaymakers try skydiving while abroad, however. In some countries such strict guidelines may not exist, or may not be consistently imposed.
Before taking part in a jump, an instructor should go through a number of training procedures with participants. This should include how to exit the plane safely, how to perform some simple manoeuvres while in the air, the correct position to take while free-falling, and the correct position to take when landing. The instructor should also teach some basic hand signals to facilitate mid-air communication.
Common skydiving injuries
Common injury claims arising from unsafe skydiving jumps include:
- Soft tissue and whiplash claims resulting from unsafe parachute opening or impact on landing
- Cuts and abrasions-related claims following incorrectly-fitted parachute fastenings
- Leg injury claims and claims for back injuries arising from the impact of landing, for example claiming compensation for a broken ankle
It is also possible for dependants to claim compensation following a death of very serious injury, however the incidence of such cases is extremely low.
Tandem skydiving
A tandem skydive is the most common form of skydive that members of the public take part in, and describes a jump where the participant is securely attached to a trained skydive instructor.
The professional skydiving instructor is responsible for ensuring that the skydive goes smoothly. It is their responsibility to deploy the parachute at the correct altitude and navigate the flight to a safe landing at the designated drop zone.
If you have been injured during a tandem skydive, you may be able to make a claim against the skydiving instructor, or the company they work for. Your solicitor will confirm against whom a claim should be made when you start the claims process.
Indoor skydiving
Indoor skydiving takes place inside a large cylindrical room with a powerful fan built into the floor. When the fan runs, the power of the air enables people to experience the feeling of free-falling from the safety of the ground.
Indoor skydiving is a popular activity for those who want to experience the feeling of skydiving in a safe environment, or for more experienced skydivers to practice techniques.
As with outdoor skydiving, indoor skydiving is carefully regulated for health and safety reasons. Anyone partaking should be briefed on health and safety, and given training before taking part. Suitable safety equipment should also be provided.
Beginners should not be allowed to enter the indoor skydiving area without a trained professional. If you have been injured while indoor skydiving, you may be able to make a compensation claim.
Making a compensation claim for a skydiving accident
To make a compensation claim for a skydiving injury you will need to be able to prove that your injury happened as a result of negligence of the skydiving centre or the instructor who was in charge when you took part.
Skydiving waivers and personal injury claims
Centres usually require participants to sign a waiver before taking part in the skydive, but this does not mean that you will be unable to make a claim against them if they have failed in their duty of care.
Under the Unfair Contract Terms Act, it is not generally possible for an individual skydiving in the UK to "sign away" their right to make an injury claim by agreeing to a waiver.
A claim is less likely to succeed if you have been injured as the result of a foreseeable risk where you consented to take that risk, but in cases where injury resulted from the negligence of your instructor, the claim will likely succeed even if you have signed a waiver.
If you are unsure as to whether you can make a claim, an injury solicitor will be able to advise you on whether the terms of any waiver you have signed are valid and enforceable.
What led to your skydiving injury?
The process for claiming compensation for a skydiving accident is dependent on how your injury occurred. Click the icons below for more detail:
Can I make a no win, no fee skydiving accident injury claim?
Yes. With no win, no fee, you can claim skydiving accident 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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How Safe? – British Skydiving (reviewed: 02/08/2024)
Operations Manual – British Skydiving (reviewed: 01/08/2024)
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.