Broken Foot Compensation Claims And Payouts In The UK
By Danielle Fletcher. Last Updated 15th February 2023. If you’ve suffered a broken foot in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you could be compensated for this. It is possible to suffer broken bones in your foot due to a wide range of different accidents. Examples include accidents at work, road traffic accidents and slips, trips and falls which may happen in public places.
How to claim broken foot compensation
No matter how a broken foot injury happens, there are some important questions to ask. Was the accident that led to your injury caused by another party? Did that other party owe you a duty of care? Do you have evidence that this other party breached their duty in a way that led to your injury?
If you can answer yes to these questions, then you could have a strong case to claim compensation. In our guide to broken foot compensation, we’ll explain the process for this type of personal injury claim.
Get In Touch With Our Team
You can get in touch with UK Law now for free advice on making a personal injury claim. Our advisors help with any queries you may have about broken foot compensation claims.
To contact us online, you can use either our live chat service, our online claim form or our call back form. You can also contact our advisors on the phone by calling 020 3870 4868
Services And Information
- Everything You Need To Know About Broken Foot Compensation Claims
- The Criteria For Claiming Compensation For A Foot Injury
- What Are The Names Of The Bones In Your Feet?
- What Causes A Broken Foot?
- Average Settlement For A Foot Injury
- Is There A Time Limit For Broken Foot Compensation Claims?
- I Broke My Foot In An Accident, What Should I Do?
- Can You Claim For A Broken Foot On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Contact Us For More Help
- Related Services
- Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Need To Know About Broken Foot Compensation Claims
There are numerous kinds of accidents which can cause a broken foot injury. Car accidents, accidents in the workplace plus slips, trips and falls are just some examples. If one or several bones break in your foot, then it can cause a lot of pain and restrict your movement. Particularly severe foot injuries can have a long-term or even permanent effect on your everyday activities and overall quality of life.
An important question to ask if you suffer a broken foot in an accident is whether someone else is responsible. If another party which owed you a duty of care is liable in causing whatever accident injured your foot, then you may be able to claim compensation from them.
Read on to learn more about how broken foot injuries are defined. We’ll also look further at the requirements you need to meet to successfully claim compensation for a broken foot. We will also talk about potential compensation payments for this type of claim. We’ll also look at time limits and No Win No Fee agreements for this type of claim.
The Criteria For Claiming Compensation For A Foot Injury
If you would like to learn more about compensation for a foot injury, our guide may help. The eligibility criteria for a personal injury claim needs to be met to have any chance of success. This means you must prove that a liable party owed you a duty of care. You must also have evidence showing that you were injured due to a breach of this.
There are several types of incidents that could cause a broken bone in your foot. These include: at work, while using the roads and in public spaces. We examine of each these below.
Workplace Injuries
The main piece of legislation in place to govern workplace health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). This sets out the workplace duty of care, which is employers must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees. For example, they should ensure that all equipment is well-maintained and safe for use. If equipment is faulty and not taken out of use or fixed, and you are injured as a result, you might be eligible to make an accident at work claim.
Public Injuries
While you are in public, you are owed a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This means that those in control of the space must ensure your reasonable safety while you are in that space. For example, you may suffer foot injuries due to falling down the stairs. If you fell due to a faulty hand railing or other fault on the stairs, you might be eligible to claim.
Car Crash Injuries
You could also suffer foot injuries while on the roads. The Road Traffic Act 1988 sets the duty of care for road users. While navigating the roads, users are expected to reduce the risk of causing harm to others. For example, by following the Highway Code, which sets additional rules and regulations for road usage. Should a driver not abide by the duty of care and you suffer injuries as a result, you might have an eligible claim.
Call our advisors to learn more about foot injury compensation payouts. They can discuss the circumstances of your injuries and assess your claim eligibility for free.
What Are The Names Of The Bones In Your Feet?
The feet combine bones, joints, muscles and soft tissue to create flexible structures. They allow us to complete a range of physical activities. They include standing, walking, running, jumping, kicking and using certain kinds of equipment.
There are 26 bones in a human foot and these include:
- Tarsal bones – The group of bones at the rear of the foot.
- Phalanges – Refers to the bones in the toes.
- Metatarsal bones – The bones in the middle of the foot which connect to the tarsal bones and the phalanges.
What Causes A Broken Foot?
A fracture to one or several foot bones can occur if they are subjected to a large amount of force or pressure. There are various types of accidents which can lead to a broken foot, such as the following:
- Road traffic accidents – This can include car accidents, motorcycle accidents, cycling accidents and being hit by a vehicle as a pedestrian.
- Slips, trips and falls – Slipping, tripping or falling from a great height can cause a breakage of bones in your feet. Such accidents can happen anywhere, including at home, at work or in a public area.
- Impact from a heavy object – For example, your foot could be broken if a box is accidentally dropped on it.
- Overuse – Small stress fractures can potentially occur in weight-bearing bones due to repetitive force or overuse. Running long distances on a frequent basis is one type of activity which can lead to such fractures. Stress fractures can also occur if the bones have been weakened by a condition, such as osteoporosis.
Average Settlement For A Foot Injury
Following a successful personal injury claim for a broken leg, compensation payouts in the UK could include both general and special damages.
General damages compensate you for your physical or mental injury, including the pain and suffering it has caused you.
To help you understand how much you could receive in compensation for your injury, we have provided the following table. The amounts listed have been taken from the most recent edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), published in April 2022. This is a document that is used by many legal professionals to help them value claims, as the JCG provides compensation brackets for different injuries at different severity levels.
We cannot provide the average settlement for a foot injury. This is because how much compensation you could be awarded will be impacted by the specific factors affecting your claim, such as:
- The severity of the injury.
- Recovery rate.
- The psychological impact.
- Any ongoing symptoms.
Therefore, you should only use the following table as a guide.
| Injury | Description | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Foot Injury | Fractures of both heels or feet that cause permanent pain, with restricted mobility. | £41,970 to £70,030 |
| Serious Foot Injury | Traumatic arthritis that causes continuing pain. Or there is a risk of fusion surgery, or traumatic arthritis in the future. | £24,990 to £39,200 |
| Moderate Foot Injury | Can include metatarsal fractures which lead to permanent symptoms and deformity. | £13,740 to £24,990 |
| Modest Foot Injury | Can include simple metatarsal fractures, puncture wounds and ruptured ligaments that cause continuing symptoms such as aching and a limp. | Up to £13,740 |
| Very Severe Ankle Injury | Extensive soft tissue damage and a transmalleolar fracture that causes deformity and may require a future amputation. | £50,060 to £69,700 |
| Severe Ankle Injury | The ankle may require time in plaster or plates and pins may have been inserted which results in instability in the ankle. | £31,310 to £50,060 |
| Moderate Ankle Injury | Ligamentous tears and fractures that make it difficult to walk and stand for a long time or on uneven ground. | £13,740 to £26,590 |
| Modest Ankle Injury | Sprains, ligamentous injuries and minor fractures. Whether a full recovery has been made will affect how much is awarded. | Up to £13,740 |
| Serious Toe Injury | Multiple fractures of two or more toes which lead to permanent disability with pain and discomfort. | £9,600 to £13,740 |
| Moderate Toe Injury | Can include relatively straightforward toe fractures which may require surgery. | Up to £9,600 |
You can contact our advisors today if you have any questions concerning your potential claim.
What Else Can Foot Injury Compensation Payouts Include?
You could also be eligible to claim for special damages in a foot injury claim if you have suffered financial loss as a direct result of your injury. This would be part of your final compensation for a foot injury.
For example, you could potentially claim for:
- Care costs
- Loss of earnings
- Travel expenses
- Medical costs
If you would like to learn more about what could be included in foot injury compensation payouts then please reach out to our advisors.
Is There A Time Limit For Broken Foot Compensation Claims?
The standard time limit for starting a broken foot compensation claim is three years from the date of the accident which caused your injury. However, in some cases, a broken foot injury may not be confirmed until some time after the accident occurred. When this applies, the three-year time limit starts from the day your broken foot was diagnosed. This is referred to as the date of knowledge.
Under certain circumstances, the three-year time limit for starting a claim may be frozen for at least a temporary period. For instance, it can be put on hold for a child who has suffered a fractured foot. The three-year time limit does not start for children who broke their foot in an accident until the day they turn 18. An injured child can’t start their own claim before they reach their 18th birthday. However, a claim could possibly be started before they reach 18 on their behalf by a representative known as a litigation friend. This representative could be a parent or someone else close to the child.
The three-year time limit for starting a claim may also be frozen if the victim lacks the mental capacity to act on their own behalf. In these circumstances, a claim could potentially be started by a litigation friend representing the injured party. If at some point, the injured party regains enough mental capacity to act on their own behalf, then the three-year time limit for claiming starts from the day this occurs.
I Broke My Foot In An Accident, What Should I Do?
When you’re suffering symptoms of a broken foot following an accident, you should go to a medical professional or hospital as soon as possible. If your injury occurred due to a breach in duty of care by another party, then you may be considering a personal injury claim against them. If you want to explore starting a case, then it’s worth gaining medical evidence of any treatment you receive for your injury. Evidence could include discharge letters plus medical notes from a doctor.
Should you wish to move forward with a claim, then you should next work on gathering other evidence. Other potential evidence may include photos of the accident and your injuries, security camera footage and witness contact information.
When you’ve finished gathering evidence, you could then consider hiring a solicitor to support your claim. If you do choose to hire one, we recommend picking a solicitor who has previously handled broken foot compensation claims.
Your chosen solicitor will review your potential case based on the details and evidence available. If they are confident that your case can succeed, and they’re happy to support it, you could then sign an agreement with them. From this point, your solicitor will then guide you through the remaining steps required to complete your claim.
Can You Claim For A Broken Foot On A No Win No Fee Basis?
You can contact UK Law for advice on making a broken foot claim on a No Win No Fee basis. If you hire a solicitor to support your case, then you may sign a No Win No Fee agreement with them. Signing this type of agreement can deliver several financial benefits to you, including the following:
- No requirement to pay legal fees upfront to your solicitor.
- It also won’t be required to pay out for legal fees during the process of your claim.
- If your claim proves to be unsuccessful, you won’t be required to pay your solicitor’s legal fees. That means your solicitor should have plenty of incentive to work hard on your case, since they face extra risk
If you win with your No Win No Fee claim, then a small percentage of your compensation will be deducted by your solicitor. They will do this in order to cover their legal fees. The amount they can charge is capped by law.
Contact Us For More Help
You can contact UK Law for advice on making a broken foot injury claim. Our advisors can assist with advice on other kinds of personal injury claims as well. You can reach us through the following methods:
- With our online live chat service
- By using our claim online form
- With our call back form
- You can also phone us on 020 3870 4868
Related Services
For advice on other kinds of bone fracture claims, you can read our related guides linked to below:
We also have guides on different types of personal injury claims, such as the following:
Frequently Asked Questions
In this final section of our guide on claiming for a broken foot, we’ve addressed some popular questions:
What happens if a child has broken their foot?
If a child of yours suffers a broken foot injury, then getting them the required medical treatment should be the first priority. You or another representative may be able to claim compensation on the child’s behalf as a litigation friend. That is provided that the child’s injury was caused by a breach of duty of care by another party.
Could you claim for a minor fracture injury?
A broken foot injury does not need to be considered severe in order for you to claim compensation for it. If another party breached their duty of care towards you and this breach led to your injury, then you may be entitled to compensation. It’s possible to receive compensation for foot fractures which are considered minor.
Thanks for reading our guide about broken foot compensation.
Writer PL
Checked by EI.
