By Stephen Anderson. Last Updated 10th December 2024. This figurative case study looks at a £70,000 compensation payout for a broken ankle.
The guide will focus on both general damages and special damages, what evidence you would need to launch a claim for broken ankle compensation and how a personal injury solicitor could ensure you get the right level of compensation.
We provide all the relevant links and information for you throughout this article to help you make a decision on whether your accident which lead to your fractured ankle would entitle you to make a compensation claim. If at any time you have a question, just contact us on 0800 408 7825 and speak to our friendly team.
If you’ve been injured as a result of someone else’s carelessness, let us take the apprehension and confusion out of launching a public injury claim today.
Select a Section
- Case Study: £70,000 Payouts Broken Ankle
- Could I Claim A Compensation Payout For A Broken Ankle?
- Time Limit For Claiming A Compensation Payout For A Broken Ankle
- What Evidence Can Support A Broken Ankle Claim?
- Common Ankle Break Accidents
- What Makes Up Ankle Injury Settlement Amounts In The UK?
- Claiming Broken Ankle Compensation With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Additional Materials
Case Study: £70,000 Payouts Broken Ankle
Danny one early morning in October was travelling to work. His daily commute took around 45 minutes. Danny worked as a store manager in a local supermarket.
As the lights changed to green Danny moved off from the crossroad junction however a driver failed to stop at the red lights facing and plough head-on into Danny’s car. Danny was trapped inside his car as his foot was jammed due to the front of the car taking the majority of the impact. Emergency services and firefighters freed him. He was taken straight to the hospital. It was confirmed through x-rays that Danny had suffered a severe fracture to the ankle and extensive soft tissue damage.
This accident drastically impacted Danny’s life and he was unable to work at his job as the store manager for several months after the accident.
After making the decision to consult with a No Win No Fee solicitor, Danny discovered that the driver has acted negligently. The third-party insurance admitted liability and Danny was awarded £70,000 in general damage and special damages.
This is merely an example case study to demonstrate the kind of cases our panel of solicitors conducts for people all over the country. It has been provided to illustrate how claims are valued.
A breakdown of Danny’s damages looks something like this:
| General damages | Special damages |
|---|---|
| Severe ankle injury £46,500 | Danny’s loss of earnings for 4 months totalled – £ 14,000 |
| Costs of a professional carer – house keeper – Gardener £6,000 | |
| Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy costs – £2,000 | |
| Travel, prescription costs and adaptations at home – £2,000 |
Could I Claim A Compensation Payout For A Broken Ankle?
A broken ankle is the type of injury that makes itself immediately known by making walking very painful. It’s a fairly common injury that can be caused by numerous different things such as tripping, twisting or slipping, but occasionally a broken ankle is the result of something far more serious, such as a crushed foot. To read in detail about the symptoms and possible causation of a broken ankle, the NHS website is a good place to start.
If you suffered a broken ankle in the workplace, on the roads in a road traffic accident (RTA) or out in public, it’s important to consider three when evaluating if you have a valid compensation claim.
- Did anyone owe you a duty of care?
- Did they breach their duty due to negligent actions/inactions?
- Were you injured from this?
The three main areas covered by the law that guard your safety are as follows, and can be read in detail by clicking on the highlighted links. Any questions and our friendly team are on hand to explain.
- The Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974 outlines the responsibility of your employer to take reasonable steps to ensure that your workplace is safe.
- The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 outlines that anyone in control of an open and accessible space to the public has a responsibility to take steps to make sure that the public is reasonable safe.
- The Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988 contain rules that all road users must follow to adhere to their duty of care. All road users have a responsibility to keep one another safe on the road.
Time Limit For Claiming A Compensation Payout For A Broken Ankle
In addition to proving that your ankle injury was caused by a breach of a duty of care owed to you, your claim must be started within the relevant time limit. Under the Limitation Act 1980, you generally have three years from the date of the accident that caused your injury to start your claim for broken ankle compensation.
However, for certain types of claims, there are exceptions to this time limit. These include:
- Those who do not have the mental capacity to make their own claim. In this instance, the limitation period is indefinitely paused. During this time, a litigation friend could be appointed by the court to start a claim for them. However, if their mental capacity is regained, they will have three years to start the claiming process from the recovery date if a litigation friend hasn’t started a claim already.
- Those under the age of 18. The time limit is paused until they turn 18. During this time, a litigation friend could begin a claim for them. From their 18th birthday, they will have 3 years to start a claim if one has not been made on their behalf.
To discuss ankle injury compensation amounts, get in touch with our advisors using the details at the top of the page. They can assess your case and tell you whether you are within the time limit to start a claim.
What Evidence Can Support A Broken Ankle Claim?
When claiming compensation for a broken ankle injury, you’ll need to provide evidence that shows your injuries were directly caused by a relevant third party breaching their duty of care.
Evidence that could help support a broken ankle claim include:
- The contact information of any witnesses to your accident who can provide a statement at a later date.
- Medical evidence, i.e. a copy of your medical records stating your injury.
- Photographs of your injury and the scene of the accident.
- Any CCTV footage of the accident happening.
- Proof of any financial losses you have suffered due to your injury, i.e. a wage slip could prove a loss of earnings.
Get in touch with our advisors at any time for free advice on collecting evidence for your broken ankle claim. They may also be able to connect you with one of the solicitors on our panel, provided you have a valid case.
Common Ankle Break Accidents
As mentioned above, ankle fractures are a relatively common injury, particularly affecting people in physical roles, but any unfortunate misstep or trip can result in you twisting or falling badly on the joint and breaking it. When considering injury claims, there are specific scenarios of causation to look out for:
- Tripping or slipping on a hazard that had no warning signs
- Untreated ice or bad weather conditions
- Cables or objects obstructing walkways
- Unclearly marked surfaces of differing height, stairs, kerbs etc
- Collision with heavy objects that can trap or crush the ankle
- Faulty escalators or overly thick rugs
- Reckless driving
What Makes Up Ankle Injury Settlement Amounts In The UK?
While we cannot give you an average payout for a broken ankle injury, we can tell you how a broken ankle settlement for a successful claim would be calculated.
When a personal injury claim is successful, there are two heads of claim that could potentially make up the compensation payout for a broken ankle. These heads of claim are known as general and special damages.
General damages are awarded in all successful personal injury claims and compensates you for the physical and mental effects of your broken ankle injury. This head of claim takes into account factors such as:
- Loss of amenity.
- Pain severity.
- The prognosis.
You may have an independent medical assessment at some point during the personal injury claims process. The reports made from this assessment, along with the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), can help legal professionals while they are valuing your general damages.
The JCG publishes guideline compensation payouts for a variety of physical and mental injuries/illnesses.
Guideline Compensation Table
Apart from the top figure, all of the guideline compensation payouts for different ankle injuries in the table below have been taken from the JCG.
However, no set figure can be guaranteed for your potential broken ankle compensation payout, because all personal injury claims are unique. As such, this table should only be used as guidance.
| Injury Type | Severity | Compensation Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries with substantial special damages | Serious | Up to £250,000+ |
| Foot | Severe (d) | £51,220 to £85,460 |
| Serious (e) | £30,500 to £47,840 | |
| Ankle | Very Severe (a) | £61,090 to £85,070 |
| Severe (b) | £38,210 to £61,090 | |
| Moderate (c) | £16,770 to £32,450 | |
| Modest (d) | Up to £16,770 | |
| Achilles Tendon | Most Serious (a) | In the region of £46,900 |
| Serious (b) | £30,500 to £36,720 |
Special Damages
Special damages are awarded in some successful personal injury claims and compensates you for the financial effects of your broken ankle injury. This head of claim can reimburse financial losses such as:
- Lost earnings if time off work has been required to recover from your ankle injury.
- Prescription costs.
- Travel expenses to attend hospital appointments.
However, if you want to claim special damages, you must show evidence of your financial losses. So, please keep all receipts, bank statements, payslips, and invoices that support your claim.
To find out more about how a compensation payout for a broken ankle would be calculated, please contact us today.
Claiming Broken Ankle Compensation With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you are eligible to claim compensation for a broken ankle, then you could seek support from a solicitor. If you contact our advisors for help, they may connect you with one of the No Win No Fee solicitors on our panel.
A No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel may offer to support your broken ankle compensation claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). If a solicitor supports you under this type of agreement, you won’t have to pay upfront or ongoing fees for their services. Also, you don’t need to pay your solicitor for their work if your claim is unsuccessful.
If your claim is a success, then the No Win No Fee solicitor who supported your claim can take a small percentage, which is legally capped, from the compensation awarded to you. This is known as a success fee.
For more advice on claiming a broken ankle compensation payout with a solicitor from our panel, please get in touch with our advisors for free. You can contact them by:
- Calling our team on 0800 408 7825
- Messaging us through our 24/7 live chat service
- Using our online call back form
Additional Materials
Our guide on accidents in public parks.
Our guide on public hot spot accidents.
HSE workplace statistics.
Article by EA
Publisher EC.
If you still have any questions about seeking compensation for a broken ankle, or you seek support for a valid claim you can make, then please get in touch with us today. You can contact Public Interest Lawyers online or on the phone by using the contact details found within this guide.
