If one or both of your legs have been injured as the result of an accident that wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to leg injury compensation.
This article is aimed at giving you an indication of the amount of leg injury compensation you may be entitled to. It is worth knowing that compensation claims for leg injuries, much like any personal injury claim, vary according to the victim’s circumstances. A specialist Blackwater Law personal injury solicitor will be able to give you further guidance as to your exact case when you call us for free initial advice on 0800 083 5500.
Leg injury compensation amounts are largely determined according to which one of four major categories of severity the affliction in question falls within, and these are discussed below.
Less Serious Leg Injuries
Leg Injury Compensation amounts of £13,200 – £20,400
Less serious leg injury compensation claims may be commenced on behalf of victims who have sustained fracture injuries and subsequently made substantial recoveries, but with some lasting effects. These can include metal implants and / or a defective gait, persistent limp, impaired mobility, sensory loss, discomfort or an exacerbation of a pre-existing disabilities as well as lasting soft tissue or nerve damage to the lower limbs.
Typically in these instances victims can expect leg injury compensation amounts of around £13,200 to £20,400.
Moderate Leg Injuries
Leg Injury Compensation amounts of £20,300 – £28,800
Moderate leg injuries typically consist of complicated or multiple fractures to the bones in the leg, or severe crushing injuries, generally restricted to a single limb. The amount of leg injury compensation awarded under these circumstances can vary according to impact on the victim’s employment / employability, presence or risk of degeneration in the condition of the leg, increased risk as regards future surgery and improper healing of the bones. Additional factors can include the likelihood or presence of muscle wasting, limitation on joint movements, instability within the knee, unsightly scarring or permanently increased vulnerability to future injury.
Those with leg injuries that place them within this tier might expect leg injury compensation amounts of between £20,400 and £28,800.
Severe Leg Injuries
Leg Injury Compensation amounts of £28,800 – £100,000
This category accounts for a broad spectrum of potential leg injuries, and as such different compensation categories have been established to cater for them.
To fall into the severe leg injuries category, the individual’s prognosis will include a combination of afflictions such as instability in movement, prolonged treatment requirements, inability to support their weight for a sustained period, near certainty of arthritis or extensive scarring. Should this be the case, leg injury compensation levels at this lower end of the severe injuries spectrum can stand at £28,800 to £40,300.
More serious leg injuries which necessitate the need for crutches or other mobility aids for the remainder of the victim’s life can warrant higher compensation sums. In these instances, the victim is likely to have suffered multiple fractures that require several years to heal, prolonged treatment courses and that may have caused permanent deformity or restriction of movement. Arthritis may also have already developed, increasing the likelihood that further surgery must be performed. In these instances leg injury compensation can reach £40,300 to £62,150.
Very serious leg injuries; those just short of those requiring amputation of all or part of the limb, warrant still higher leg injury compensation values. These leg injuries normally consist of significant degloving and / or shortening of the limb such that extensive bone grafting must be undertaken. Courts have been known to award leg injury compensation amounts of between £70,750 and £100,000 in such cases.
Leg Injuries Necessitating Amputation
Compensation amounts of £72,000 – £207,250
Understandably, these leg injuries are usually awarded the largest compensation payments, but the circumstances surrounding amputation again come into play in determining exactly how much victims receive. More traumatic accidents where the victim remains fully conscious throughout, or where unsuccessful attempts are made to save the leg, prompting subsequent amputation generally gain higher compensation sums. Other important factors include whether or not the victim experiences phantom pains, the success of any prosthetics they are fitted with, associated psychological problems and whether or not they are more likely to develop osteoarthritis in the remaining joints of both limbs.
Broadly speaking however, before any of the above factors are considered, one might assign leg injury compensation amounts thusly:
- Below the knee amputation of one leg; £72,000 to £97,750
- Above the knee amputation of one leg; £77,000 to £101,000
- Below the knee amputation of both legs; £148,000 to £198,500
- Total loss of both legs; £177,000 to £207,250
If you or a loved one have suffered a leg injury and you would like to enquire about the level of compensation you may be entitled to, call Blackwater Law personal injury solicitors on 0800 083 5500 and get free initial advice from a specialist personal injury lawyer. They will quickly be able to give you an indication of whether you may be entitled to compensation.
Blackwater Law has a team of personal injury solicitors that is recognised as one of the best in the UK by the Legal 500 – an independent directory of the country’s leading law firms.
