Have you been injured in an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence? Did you suffer a ruptured foot ligament as a result? If so, you could be entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering you’ve experienced.
Ruptured foot ligament injury compensation
When you rupture a ligament in your foot, it can cause problems with walking. And when your mobility is affected, this can have a real impact on your quality of life. If your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, the recovery process could be frustrating. A compensation settlement aims to get you back to the position you were in before the accident as much as possible.
Our claims team are able to offer you free legal advice regarding a compensation claim. They can take details of your case and estimate how much you could be entitled to. Then, if they feel your claim has a good chance of success, they could pass your claim on to a lawyer from a panel, who may be able to represent you on a No Win No Fee basis.
Generally, there is a three-year time limit on making a personal injury claim for compensation. But there’s no need to delay the start of the claims process. You can contact us today by:
- Calling us on 0161 696 9685
- Writing or emailing us at Advice.co.uk
- Speaking to a member of our team at our ‘live support’ option at the bottom right of this screen
Select a Section
- A Guide To Claiming Compensation Payouts For A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury
- What Is A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury?
- How Can You Suffer A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury At Work?
- Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury In A Public Place
- How Can You Suffer A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury In A Road Traffic Accident?
- Info On Personal Injury Compensation Calculations
- What Are Special Damages?
- Case Study: £12,500 For A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury
- Free Legal Advice To Evaluate Your Payout
- No Win No Fee Policies For Negligence Cases
- Our Advisors Can Offer You Free Legal Advice
- More Resources And Guides On Ruptured Foot Ligament Injuries
- Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury FAQs
A Guide To Claiming Compensation Payouts For A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury
This guide aims to offer you advice and guidance about starting the process of claiming for a ruptured foot ligament injury that wasn’t your fault. To begin, we will look at what a ruptured foot injury is, along with the kinds of symptoms you might experience and the recovery times associated with an injury of this type.
In order to pursue compensation, you need to be able to prove that your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence. In turn, you need to show that the negligent party had a duty of care to ensure your safety. We will look at the duty of care owed to you in work, on the road and in public and how this can be breached.
You may be wondering, “how much compensation will I be paid for my injury, and how is this calculated?”. To answer this, we will look at the different heads of claim that may make up a typical claim for compensation and how they are worked out.
We will go on to look at a case study in which an injured person is awarded £12,500 for an injury to their foot ligament. This case study will look at the circumstances of the accident and the process of collecting evidence for the basis of a claim.
Finally, we will look at No Win No Fee agreements and how they may be beneficial to you. We will conclude by offering some resources that you may find useful and answering some commonly asked questions about injuries of this type.
If you still have any questions after reading this guide, our helpful advisors are on hand to offer free legal advice. Simply get in touch to speak with our team today.
What Is A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury?
A sudden pull or twist in the foot, ankle, heel or lower calf can cause damage to ligaments. Ligaments are pieces of connective tissue that attach bones together, provide support to the joints and limit their range of motion. Because of the important role that they play in the body, damage to your ligaments can have a big impact on your quality of life.
The main symptoms of a ligament injury include:
- A feeling of tenderness or weakness in the injured area
- Swelling or bruising
- An inability to put weight on the injured foot
- Cramping or muscle spasms
A twisted or torn ligament is referred to as a sprain. You may assume that a sprain is always a relatively minor injury, but this isn’t the case. Sprains can cause severe pain and discomfort; in some cases, this can be permanent.
To find out more about how to claim for a ruptured foot injury at work, please read on.
How Can You Suffer A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury At Work?
A ruptured foot ligament could result from a number of different workplace accidents. For instance, a slip, trip or fall may cause the foot to be forced into an unnatural position, causing damage to the ligament. Slips, trips, and falls on the same level were the single most common kind of non-fatal workplace accident in 2019/20 as reported by RIDDOR, accounting for 29% of accidents.
Similarly, you may suffer a ruptured ligament following a fall from a height if you fell and landed on your foot in a way that caused it to twist. Not all accidents of this kind would be grounds for a claim; however, if your accident was caused by the negligence of your employer, you may be entitled to compensation.
What Is An Employers Duty Of Care?
Under the Health And Safety At Work etc. Act 1974, employers are expected to take all reasonably practicable steps to safeguard their employees while in the workplace. They should do this by:
- Conducting regular written risk assessments and act upon the findings
- Providing proper training to all employees
- Ensuring that all machinery and equipment is safe and well-maintained
- Maintaining good housekeeping.
If your employer failed to uphold the duty of care owed to you and you were injured as a result, then you may be able to make a claim.
How Might My Employer Breach Their Duty Of Care?
There are a number of different ways that an employer could neglect the duty of care owed to you, resulting in a ruptured foot ligament injury.
For instance, you may trip over an obstruction in a walkway that your employer has been aware of through risk assessments but has failed to address. If your fall causes your foot ligament to be ruptured, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.
Similarly, you may have been working on a ladder when one of the rungs snapped, causing your foot to be forced upwards, which could rupture your ligament. If you can show that the injuries you sustained were a result of your employer neglecting their duty of care to you, you may be able to claim.
Speak to us today to see how we can calculate compensation if you were harmed in an accident at work. Our helpful and friendly advisors are waiting to offer you free legal advice.
Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury In A Public Place
Anyone who is in control of a public space has a duty of care towards those who use the space for the purpose intended. This is outlined in The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA). The kinds of places where this duty of care applies include:
- Leisure centres and sports facilities
- Streets, pavements, and roads
- Retail and shopping outlets
- Bars, clubs, and restaurants
- Parks, beaches, and woodland
The Act doesn’t specify who the occupier of a public place is. However, it does say that the occupier should be someone who can be reasonably expected to predict that a hazard may cause an accident and who has sufficient control over the space to prevent it from happening.
The Duty Of Care Of Those In Control Of A Public Space
The OLA asks those in control of a public space to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of those who visit the space. The occupier of a public space is expected to extend this duty of care to all visitors.
In addition, part of the duty of care outlined in the OLA is that an occupier should consider that a greater level of care may be required to stop children from coming to harm. This is because children will be less likely to be careful of their own accord.
How Can This Duty Be Breached?
In the same way that workplace safety can be compromised by a breach in duty of care, any breach of duty by those in control of public spaces can expose visitors to injury. When in public, we often trust that those in control are considering our safety. But this isn’t always the case.
You may suffer a ruptured ligament in a public place because a spill on a shop floor causes you to fall, twisting your foot. If this spill wasn’t cleaned up or signposted in a timely manner by the staff in the shop, this could demonstrate a breach of duty of care. As a result, you may be able to claim.
Furthermore, it’s the responsibility of the occupier of a public place to make sure that any equipment available for use (for example, gym or playground equipment) is safe for the public to use. If you were injured on an exercise machine that was faulty or poorly maintained, you might be able to make a claim.
No one plans to get injured while in a public place. The repercussions of a breach of duty of care can severely impact your life. If you can prove that your accident was caused by the negligence of someone who had a duty of care towards you, speak to our team about starting a personal injury claim.
How Can You Suffer A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury In A Road Traffic Accident?
When you’re on the road, there are many ways that you could suffer a ruptured foot ligament injury. For instance, if you’re the driver of a car, you may be involved in a head-on collision in which the front of your car is damaged, causing your foot to be crushed in the footwell.
However, drivers are not the only kind of road user that can suffer a ruptured ligament in a road traffic accident. Cyclists, motorcyclists, and even pedestrians are at risk of rupturing a ligament in their foot as the result of a road traffic accident. Any of these kinds of road users (referred to as vulnerable road users) could be hit by a car, causing them to be thrown onto the road and suffer injury to their foot ligament.
Duty Of Care Of Road Users
The Highway Code outlines the applied duty of care that motorists should show to each other to avoid injury. All road users are expected to adhere to the standards of care and skill of the average motorist. No allowances will be made if you cause an accident because you’re inexperienced or unskilled; the duty of care is the same for all road users.
Some of the expectations on road users include:
- Paying proper attention to the road at all times
- Not undertaking dangerous manoeuvres
- Abiding by the speed limit
- Following instructions provided by road signs
How Can A Road User Breach Their Duty Of Care?
There are a variety of ways that a road user could act negligently, breaching their duty of care and causing an accident. For instance, a road user may not be paying proper care and attention to the road because they’re on their mobile phone. This could cause swerve and collide with another car or hit a cyclist or pedestrian.
Furthermore, a driver could fail to notice a “give way” sign at a junction, causing them to pull out and collide with another vehicle. If this caused an accident that resulted in injury to you, then you may be able to claim compensation.
Info On Personal Injury Compensation Calculations
When you use a solicitor to handle your case, they will arrange for evidence to be collected about the circumstances of your accident and your injuries. Firstly, your lawyer may arrange for you to sit for a medical assessment at a location convenient to you.
Here, an independent medical expert will examine your injuries and determine their severity and the length of time they may affect you. The report from this assessment will be sent to the person handling your claim. They will then refer to this report and the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to value your claim.
The JCG is a list of guideline compensation brackets for a number of different injuries. The effect that an injury can have on someone can differ from person to person. The JCG aims to provide guideline compensation amounts based on what previous cases like yours were awarded.
What Are Special Damages?
Special damages form the second head of your compensation settlement. It covers you for the costs that you’ve incurred as a result of being injured.
Special damages offer a wide range of possible expenses. A No Win No Fee lawyer can advise on how to collect evidence to prove these costs with receipts and bills so they can be included as part of your claim for compensation.
Special damages can include things like:
- Loss of earnings
- Care costs
- Public transport costs
- The cost of medication or treatment that isn’t available on the NHS
The list of special damages we have included above is by no means complete. If you’ve been left having to pay out for something that you wouldn’t have had to if your injuries had not happened, then you may be able to include it in your claim. Get in touch with our team today to find out more.
Case Study: £12,500 For A Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury
Mr Giles was a museum tour guide. He had decided to join a gym to improve his physical fitness. One day, whilst using the exercise bikes, the pedal strap broke. As a result, his foot was twisted into an uncomfortable and unnatural position.
Mr Giles was immediately in a great deal of pain. He wasn’t able to put any weight at all on his injured foot. Despite this, he had the presence of mind to take photographs of the broken exercise bike that had caused his injuries.
Mr Giles then called his wife to take him to the hospital, as he was unable to drive himself due to his injured foot. Here, it was confirmed that a ligament in his foot had been ruptured.
Mr Giles was advised to take 6 weeks off work as he recovered. This was because his job required him to be on his feet for most of the day. Furthermore, he was left unable to walk his dog as he recovered, meaning he had to pay a dog walker to do this for him.
Mr Giles was offered some physiotherapy on the NHS, and after the 5 free sessions decided to pay for more as he had noticed some improvement. Because of this, he also had to pay for transport costs to and from the appointments.
Because of the photographs that he had taken and CCTV, which showed the accident taking place, the gym admitted liability and Mr Giles was awarded £12,500 in damages. We’ve included a table below which breaks down the general and special damages awarded to Mr Giles.
| general damages | how much? | special damages | how much? |
|---|---|---|---|
| For simple metatarsal fractures, ruptured ligaments and puncture wounds the JCG compensation bracket is up to £12,900 | £8,820 | Loss of earnings | £1,900 |
| Physiotherapy | £500 | ||
| Travel costs to and from hospital and physiotherapy appointments | £280 | ||
| Dog walking | £500 | ||
| TOTAL | £12,500 |
Note: The above case study is not based on a real-life claim. Instead, it’s an example based on our past experience of assessing and valuing claims.
Free Legal Advice To Evaluate Your Payout
Many law firms and websites offer personal injury compensation calculators. These online tools take details about your ruptured foot ligament injury and value your claim. These amounts can give you an estimated ballpark figure and can be useful in that sense. However, they often fail to take into account every important detail. As a result, the estimate that they give may not be totally accurate.
When you speak to our personal injury claims team, they can assess your eligibility to start a compensation claim in a no-obligation chat. The more information you can give us, the better an idea we get of your circumstances and how we could connect you with a No Win No Fee lawyer to handle your case.
To find out more about claiming with a No Win No Fee agreement and the benefits that this can offer, please read on to our next section. You can also contact our team to find out more.
No Win No Fee Policies For Negligence Cases
A No Win No Fee agreement is an agreement between you and your solicitor that says what they need to do before they receive payment. Sometimes called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), a No Win No Fee agreement means that:
- There are no fees to pay your lawyers before the start of your claim
- As the case progresses, there are no fees to pay your solicitor
- Nothing at all needs to be paid to the lawyers if your case is unsuccessful
- Successful cases will result in your solicitor receiving payment in the form of a “success fee”. This is a legally capped percentage of your settlement award that is deducted to cover your solicitor’s fees.
If you feel like you could benefit from a No Win No Fee agreement with a solicitor, get in touch with our team today. If our advisors feel your claim has a good chance of success, you may be able to make a personal injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis with a lawyer from our panel.
Our Advisors Can Offer You Free Legal Advice
In summary, thank you for reading our guide on calculating compensation. If you still have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Getting in touch is very easy. You can:
- Call us on 0161 696 9685
- Write or email us at Advice.co.uk
- Speak to an advisor at our ‘live support’ option to the bottom right of this screen
More Resources And Guides On Ruptured Foot Ligament Injuries
In addition to the highlighted text in this article, and along with the free legal advice offered, the links below offer more information, such as how to get in touch and start a claim. Because of this, we hope you have all you need to begin your claim with us. In addition, we are on hand to take your call 24/7.
For more free legal advice about starting an accident at work claim, please read our guide.
If you’d like to know more about car accident claims, this article may help.
For more information on foot injury claims in general, read our helpful guide.
This NHS guide provides information on finding a physiotherapist in your area.
Slips and trips can cause ruptured foot ligament injuries in the workplace. This information from the Health and Safety Executive shows how they can be prevented.
Think.gov.uk delivers road safety campaigns with the view of lowering the number of accidents that occur on UK roads.
Ruptured Foot Ligament Injury FAQs
What does a torn ligament feel like?
A torn ligament will usually cause you some pain. You may be unable to stand, and you could notice some swelling and bruising in the affected area.
What treatments are available for a ruptured ligament?
This depends on the severity of the injury. For instance, surgery may be required in some instances. In others, you may just be offered physiotherapy sessions to help you heal.
Can you walk on with a ruptured foot ligament injury?
You should seek advice from a medical professional about what kinds of activities you can undertake with a ruptured ligament in your foot.
Guide by FS
Published by NS