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By Stephen Kane. Last Updated 5th June 2025. If you’ve suffered a broken leg in an accident, and it occurred because duty of care was breached, then you could be eligible to claim compensation.
Within this guide, we’ll discuss the criteria you must meet to be eligible to make a personal injury claim and the duty of care you are owed in various situations. We’ll also look at a case study featuring a leg injury compensation payout worth £60,000.
For more information about how to make a claim for compensation for a leg injury, you can contact our team of friendly advisors. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to answer any questions you may have and offer free advice.
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Select a Section
- Case Study: £60,000 Compensation Payout For A Broken Leg
- Broken Leg Compensation Payouts
- What Are The Criteria For Making A Leg Injury Claim?
- Evidence To Support Leg Injury Claims
- Time limits For Broken Leg Compensation Claims
- How No Win No Fee Claims Work
- More Resources And Guides On Claiming A Compensation Payout For A Broken Leg
Case Study: £60,000 Compensation Payout For A Broken Leg
When Mr. Jones started out for work on the morning of his accident, he could never imagine that later that day he would be having stainless steel pins put in his leg to hold the bones together.
The accident was so quick. Another motorist tried to jump a set of lights at a junction at high speed and as a consequence collided with Mr. Jones’s stationary car. The side impact or ‘t-bone’ collision resulted in Mr. Jones needing to be cut from the wreckage. He suffered a commuted fractured femur. He needed emergency surgery.
As he set out on the long road to recovery he was beset with problems. Unable to work, his income dropped dramatically. At the same time, he needed to pay for incidental and serious expenses such as a caregiver to come into his home and help him attend to basic tasks.
As a result of his injuries, he also needed physiotherapy as he learned how to walk again. All of these costs were sudden and fell directly to him. The costs really mounted up.
After seeing an advert for No Win No Fee solicitors, Mr. Jones decided to give them a call. He explained what happened in a no-obligation, friendly chat and he discovered he had a case for compensation.
The driver admitted liability for the road traffic accident. Mr Jones was awarded £60,000 in general and special damages.
Broken Leg Compensation Payouts
If you’re successful in claiming compensation for a broken leg, you could possibly be compensated under two heads of loss – general and special damages.
General damages are paid in all successful personal injury claims and can compensate you for the mental and physical effects of your broken leg injury. As such, these factors are some that are looked at:
- Loss of amenity.
- Pain severity.
- Extent and length of the recovery period.
During the claims process, you could be asked to have an independent medical assessment. The reports from this can be used by legal professionals alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them calculate your general damages.
The JCG publishes guideline compensation payouts for different mental and physical injuries/illnesses.
Guideline Compensation
Below you will find some leg injuries and their guideline compensation payouts taken from the JCG. Please bear in mind however when looking at these payouts that the top figure is not from the JCG, and no set broken leg settlement can be guaranteed. This is due to all claims being unique:
- Up to £500,000+ – multiple severe leg injuries with special damages.
- £127,930 to £167,760 – leg amputation of one leg above the knee (a)(iii).
- £119,570 to £162,290 – leg amputation of one leg below the knee (a)(iv).
- £117,460 to £165,860 – severe leg injuries that are just short of amputation, such as extensive bone grafting is necessary due to fractures not uniting (b)(i).
- £66,920 to £109,290 – severe leg injuries that are very serious, such as where multiple fractures take years to heal and lead to serious deformity and limited movement (b)(ii).
- £47,840 to £66,920 – severe leg injuries that are serious, such as where compound fractures lead to prolonged treatment and instability (b)(iii).
- £33,880 to £47,840 – severe leg injuries that are moderate, such as when there are multiple fractures to a single limb (b)(iv).
- £21,920 to £33,880 – less serious leg injuries, where there is an incomplete recovery from fractures (c)(i).
- £11,120 to £17,180 – less serious leg injuries, where there is a simple femur fracture with no articular surface damage (c)(ii).
What Else Can A Compensation Payout For A Broken Leg Include?
Special damages are paid in a handful of successful personal injury claims and can compensate you for the financial losses that have incurred due to your broken leg injury. For example:
- Reduced or lost earnings if you’ve been left unable to work.
- Money towards medicine or your treatment, such as prescription costs.
- Domestic and professional care costs.
Special damages are only awarded if there is sufficient evidence of your financial losses. So, please keep hold of any bank statements, receipts, invoices, and payslips. Special damages are very important in restoring your financial position to what it was before your accident happened.
To learn more about how a compensation payout for a broken leg is calculated in successful claims, please contact us today.
What Are The Criteria For Making A Leg Injury Claim?
To be eligible to claim personal injury compensation for a leg injury, you will need to be able to prove that:
- You were owed a duty of care
- This duty of care was breached
- As a result, you were injured
Whether another party owed you a duty of care can depend on the circumstance. Some examples of when you could be owed a duty of care include:
- At work: Employers owe a duty of care to their employees to take reasonable and practicable steps to prevent them from being injured at work. This duty is outlined by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
- In public: Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the controller of a public space has a duty of care to those who visit the space for its intended purpose. This means that they must take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of visitors.
- On the roads: All road users owe each other a duty of care, meaning they have to navigate the roads in a way that minimises the risk of harm to themselves and others. To do this, they must follow the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the rules set out in the Highway Code.
If you suffered a broken leg because another party breached their duty of care, you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim. For more information on your eligibility to start a broken leg injury claim, read on or contact our advisors for free today.
Evidence To Support Leg Injury Claims
Gathering evidence is a key part of the personal injury claims process. The evidence you gather needs to confirm whether you’ve broken both legs or if just one leg has been injured and how severe your injury is. You also need evidence that shows who was liable for your injuries. Examples of potential evidence that could support your claim include the following:
- Your medical records, stating your injuries and the treatment you needed.
- Any video footage, such as CCTV footage or dashcam footage, which shows the accident that caused your leg injury.
- Photos taken of the accident scene and your injuries.
- Contact details of any witnesses who saw your accident and are available to provide a statement.
- If your leg injury occurred in work and the accident was recorded in your employer’s accident book, then a copy of this report could serve as evidence too.
If a solicitor has agreed to support your claim, then they can help you with gathering evidence. Contact our advisors for free today if you would like more advice on gathering evidence. Or you can ask them other questions you may have about other aspects of leg injury claims, such as what’s the typical leg injury compensation amount in the UK.
Time Limits For Broken Leg Compensation Claims
In this case study, the claimant had 3 years (starting from the date of injury) to claim compensation for a broken leg. This is the typical limitation period, as established by the Limitation Act 1980.
However, it is important to note that exceptions to this rule may apply in cases where the person with the broken leg is:
- Below the age of 18
- Suffering from mental incapacity
Such individuals would not be able to make decisions for a claim themselves. Therefore, the limitation period may be frozen. Once the person either recovers mental capacity or reaches their 18th birthday, the 3-year time limit can begin.
Additionally, there may be an option for a loved one or family member to represent the claim on their behalf. This role is referred to as a litigation friend. In order to act as a litigation friend, you must communicate with the solicitor who is representing the case and the affected party, where possible.
If you would like more information on how to gain a compensation payout for a broken leg, why not contact an advisor? They can explain how the legal time limit applies to your case and outline what a potential compensation payout could cover.
How No Win No Fee Claims Work
If you are eligible to make a leg injury claim, you may wish to instruct a solicitor to work on your case. Our personal injury solicitors could support your claim under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee agreement under which they offer their services.
When you work with a No Win No Fee solicitor to seek a compensation payout for a broken leg, they won’t take any upfront payments for their services. Additionally, they won’t ask you to pay any ongoing fees for their work. Furthermore, if your claim fails, you won’t have to pay for their work on your leg injuries case.
However, if your broken leg claim is successful, your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation. This amount is a capped percentage that is limited by the law.
If you have any questions about the leg injury claims process or would like to get your case started, please get in touch with a member of our advisory team. Additionally, if you meet the eligibility requirements, you could be connected to one of our personal injury solicitors.
To discuss claiming compensation for a broken leg with an advisor:
- Call us directly to discuss on 0161 509 2856
- Send us an online message using our contact form
- Speak to us through our 24/7 live chat service
More Resources And Guides On Claiming A Compensation Payout For A Broken Leg
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- For further information on workplace accident statistics, briefly covered here
- Helpful advice on road safety, please click here
