A Guide To Sprained Ankle Injury Claims
By Danielle Jordan. Last Updated 2nd July 2024. In this guide, we look at making an ankle injury claim. There are various daily situations that can cause you to suffer an injury to your ankle, and we’ll take a look at these while examining the criteria to seek compensation. Additionally, all personal injury claims must be supported with evidence, and we’ll look at a few examples of what you could collect to help strengthen your case.
You might want to know more about how compensation is calculated in a successful claim. We examine the different factors that determine how much a personal injury claim could be worth, and we’ll further illustrate this by examining an ankle injury compensation case study.
Additionally, we look at the benefits of having the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor should you wish to make a claim. If you have any questions about personal injury compensation, or if you would like to check your eligibility to claim, one of the advisors from our team could help. They can evaluate your claim for free, and can offer further insight into the claims process.
To start your free consultation:
- Fill in our ‘claim online’ form and an advisor will call you back.
- Call 0800 073 8804
- Use our live webchat.
Select a Section:
- I’ve Sprained My Ankle – Am I Eligible To Claim?
- What To Do If You Are Involved in an Accident Causing a Sprained Ankle.
- Sprained Ankle Injury Compensation Amounts
- Sprained Ankle Injury Compensation Case Study
- Claiming For A Sprained Ankle Injury With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Helpful Links
I’ve Sprained My Ankle – Am I Eligible To Claim?
You may be wondering who is eligible to claim for a sprained ankle injury. In order to be eligible to claim personal injury compensation, you must be able to prove that you suffered your injury due to a breach of duty of care. You are owed a duty of care in various scenarios; we go through some of these in more detail below.
Workplace Accident Claims
Your employer’s duty of care is outlined in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This duty of care means they are responsible for taking all reasonably practicable steps towards ensuring your health and safety in the workplace or whilst performing work-related activities.
If your employer breached the duty of care they owe you, leading to a sprained ankle, you could make a work accident claim for ankle injury compensation.
If you have any questions about ankle injury claims after a workplace accident, get in touch with our team. They can offer free legal advice about the personal injury claims process with no obligation to claim with us after.
Public Place Accident Claims
Similar to an employer’s responsibility to ensure your health and well-being, the owner or controlling entity of a public place also has legal responsibility for your health. This is outlined in The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. An occupier has a duty of care to ensure the reasonable safety of all visitors to their spaces.
This could include:
- Pavements
- Gyms
- Shops
- Parks
If an occupier breaches their duty of care, and you are injured as a result, you could potentially claim compensation.
For example, if you are injured due to an uneven road or pavement, your local authority or council has a responsibility to maintain the state of such facilities and to attempt to prevent accidents from happening. This means that you could be able to make a compensation claim against said local authority if you could prove your sprained ankle was their fault.
Road Traffic Accident Claims
Road users have a duty of care to follow the guidance set in the Road Traffic Act 1988 and The Highway Code and behave in a way that reduces the risk of harm to other road users.
Due to recent changes in The Highway Code, some road users are now considered more vulnerable than others. This includes pedestrians and cyclists, and means that road users less at risk, such as motorists, should take extra care around these parties.
If you suffer a sprained ankle due to the careless actions or inaction of another road user, you could potentially claim against them for your injury.
To get more information about ankle injury compensation and the amount you could receive, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.
What to Do If You Are Involved in an Accident Causing a Sprained Ankle
We would recommend you first seek medical help if you are involved in an accident that causes a sprained ankle injury.
After you have ensured that you will not worsen your injury, you could consider if you are eligible to claim. We advise that you gather evidence to support the legitimacy of any potential claim. You will need evidence both of your injury and the breach of duty of care that caused it. This could include:
- Witness contact details for others who saw your accident
- CCTV footage if possible
- Pictures of the cause of your injury, such as a photo of an uneven paving stone
- Pictures of your injury could also be helpful
- Medical reports or scans of your ankle
You are not required to work with a solicitor, though they could help you gather the right evidence for your case. However, working with a solicitor could be beneficial as they will have the expertise and experience to guide you through the claims process.
To find out what evidence could work best for sprained ankle injury claims, or to find out how our solicitors could help you, get in touch with our personal injury advisors at a time that suits you.
How Long Do I Have To Claim Sprained Ankle Injury Compensation?
You’ll usually have three years to start a sprained ankle compensation claim, starting on the date of your accident. This time limit is set out in the Limitation Act 1980. However, this can change in some circumstances.
For example, you can’t make a sprained ankle claim if you’re under eighteen. In these cases, you’ll need to either wait until your eighteenth birthday or have a litigation friend make a claim on your behalf.
For those who lack the mental capacity to claim for themselves, the time limit is suspended. A litigation friend can make your claim for you at any time, or if you recover the needed capacity, then you’ll have three years from the date of your recovery.
Keep reading to learn more about claiming compensation for a sprained ankle, or get in touch to find out if you’re within the time limit to claim.
Sprained Ankle Injury Compensation Amounts
When you make a successful sprained ankle claim, you’ll receive general damages. This is just one of two potential heads of claim that can come together to form your final payout.
General damages cover your actual injuries, both physical and mental, as well as the effect that these injuries have on your life. For example, if you can no longer play rugby as a hobby, general damages will cover both the actual sprained ankle and the loss of amenity.
When this head of your claim is valued, the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) is often used as a reference. This is because the JCG contains guideline compensation amounts for different kinds of injuries, including ankle injuries.
Below are some examples of these guideline compensation brackets. Please keep in mind that the first entry has not been taken from the JGC and that these amounts are not guaranteed in general.
| Type/Severity of Injury | Average Compensation |
|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries And Special Damages | Up to £150,000+ |
| Very Severe Ankle Injury | £61,090 to £85,070 |
| Severe Ankle Injury | £38,210 to £61,090 |
| Moderate Ankle Injury | £16,770 to £32,450 |
| Modest Ankle Injury | Up to £16,770 |
| Most Serious Achilles Tendon Injury | In the region of £46,900 |
| Moderate Achilles Tendon Injury | £15,370 to £25,710 |
A typical sprained ankle compensation payout could also include special damages. Not everyone will be eligible for compensation under this heading because it covers the financial losses caused by your sprained ankle.
For example, special damages could help you cover the cost of:
- Lost earnings
- Mobility aids, like crutches or a cane
- Home adjustments
- Travel
- Prescriptions
- Childcare
These are just a few of the expenses that special damages could help you recoup. Contact our team today to learn more.
Sprained Ankle Injury Compensation Case Study
In this case study, the claimant suffered from a minor sprained ankle after falling through a hole in the floor of their workplace. After an investigation, it was determined that their employer had failed to repair the hole properly despite the issue having been reported. The employer’s responsibility, combined with the minor severity of the claimant’s injury, resulted in a £1,500 sprained ankle insurance claim payout.
While each ankle injury settlement amount can vary, this case still shows how your sprained ankle injury claim might follow along a similar path. In this instance, the claimant received a lower payout as the injury was minor, and no special damages were included. However, a more complicated claim could potentially be handled just as swiftly.
To learn more about how we can help you with sprained ankle injury claims or to start the process of claiming ankle injury compensation, get in touch.
Claiming For A Sprained Ankle Injury With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you have twisted your ankle or injured your ankle in another way as a result of negligence, you may be wondering how a solicitor could benefit your claim. A solicitor could help you with:
- Ensuring all bases of your claim are covered
- Organising an independent medical assessment
- Gathering evidence
- Negotiating with the faulting party, if necessary
All of our solicitors can offer their services through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This kind of No Win No Fee contract allows you to access their legal services without paying any upfront fees to your solicitor at the start of your claim or any ongoing fees as your claim progresses.
Your solicitor will take a success fee directly from your award if your claim succeeds, though the amount they take is legislatively capped. You will not be required to pay your solicitor for their work if your claim does not succeed.
Contact Our Team
Get in touch with our team today to learn more about how to claim or about how one of our solicitors could help you by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Using the contact page
- Messaging our live chat box on this page
- Filling out our claim online form and we can call you back
Helpful Links
- Slip Trip or Fall Compensation Claims
- Work Accident Compensation Claims
- Whiplash Compensation Claims
- NHS Sprains and strains
- An HSE Case Study On Protection From Ankle Injuries At Work
- An HSE Guide to Lower Limb Disorders and Injuries
- Falling On Uneven Pavements
- Fractured Kneecap Compensation Case Study
Other Useful Guides
- Read this guide to see if you can claim for an accident as a learner driver.
- Claim for a fall in a supermarket
- Compensation For a Broken Metatarsal
We hope you found this guide on sprained ankle injury claims and how to get ankle injury compensation helpful. If you have further questions, such as, “what is the average payout for a sprained ankle?” and “can I claim after I’ve sprained my ankle at work?”, contact our team for free legal advice at a time that suits you.
