Knee Injury Claims

Have You Injured Your Knee In An Accident That Wasn’t Your Fault? You May Be Entitled To Make A Knee Injury Claim.

The knee is one of the most crucial and most vulnerable parts of the body. Knee injuries can be unbearable and can greatly reduce your capacity to work, to play sports and enjoy hobbies. Knee injuries can even affect an individual’s ability to perform basic tasks such as walking, bending, climbing stairs or lifting objects.

If you have suffered a knee injury as a result of another person’s negligence, and have taken time off work, incurred medical fees and have lost quality of life because of the knee injury, you may be eligible to claim compensation for your losses. Whether your knee injury happened in a car accident, at work or in a public place, you may be entitled to financial compensation in a knee injury claim.

Free Legal Justice has an entire panel of specialised personal injury claim solicitors who resolve thousands of No Win No Fee personal injury claims every year. The dedicated Free Legal Justice team works around the clock – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help our clients get justice for the harm they have suffered, and receive the maximum compensation that they deserve.

Should I Go To A Doctor If I Have Suffered A Knee Injury?

In cases of blunt force or trauma, a doctor should be seen immediately after a knee injury has happened. You could be seriously injured, and you need to seek medical assistance immediately to limit the damage to your knee.  If your knee pain becomes prolonged, is severe, and persistent, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. It is important to receive medical attention as soon as possible if you experience a reduced range of motion in the joint, or if bending the knee becomes a bit difficult.

A general doctor will be able to diagnose your knee injury relatively easily. Knee injuries are fairly easy to diagnose, and the full extent of the knee injury can be assessed through a normal medical examination or through x-rays, if required. In knee injury claims, as with all other personal injury claims, your level and severity of knee injury will determine the compensation that you will receive for a successful claim. Once your doctor has assessed and diagnosed your knee injury, he or she will draw up an independent medical report, including an estimate on the recovery and treatment period, as well as any rehabilitation that may be required.  These are all factors to consider when calculating compensation in knee injury claims.

Where And How Can I Sustain A Knee Injury?

If your knee injury has been caused as the result of another person’s actions or breach of a duty of care, you may have a valid claim for compensation against the person who wronged you.

Knee injury compensation claims can arise as a result of a workplace accident, an incident in a public place or a car accident. Free Legal Justice has dealt with each of these types of personal injury claims before, and we are well placed to advise you on your potential knee injury compensation claim.

Work-Related Knee Injury Claims

A work accident is something that happens during the course of work, which leads to some form of physical or mental work-related injury. Accidents that happen at work are usually caused by a combination of unsafe behaviour and unsafe working conditions; alternatively they are caused by the negligence of an employee. When accidents happen, it is crucial that an employer has adequate safety processes and policies in place to deal with the accident and limit harm caused to employees.

Foot and knee injuries can occur as a result of a single incident, from extreme wear and tear or severe strain. Some common causes include:

• Slip and Fall Accidents
• Overexertion
• Falling from height
• Being caught in heavy machinery
• Making contact with a heavy object or a heavy object falling on the knee
• Vehicle accidents in the workplace
• Walking or standing for longs periods of time
• Repetitive motions

While any worker is at risk when of suffering an occupational knee injury, some employees are more likely to suffer these injuries than others. This includes people working in hospitals or other care workers, those working in manufacturing and construction industries, as well as those in the retail industry including waiters, cashiers, chefs, shop assistants and bar staff.

It is not always obvious who caused the accident at work, or who is responsible for the accident that resulted in the knee injury. In most cases an employer will ultimately liable for the injuries an employee has suffered at work, and will have beached the duty of care that they have towards the employee. This is because the employer is deemed to have failed to ensure the injured employee’s health and safety at work. As a result of the failure to comply with their duty of care, an accident has occurred an employee has been injured in the workplace. If this is the case, there will be sufficient grounds for the employee to make a knee injury claim against the employer.

If your knee injury was caused by the negligent acts of another employee, you should not worry that this person will be held personally liable for your knee injury compensation. Because of an important principle known as vicarious liability, your employer will be responsible for all the actions of their employees, whether negligent or otherwise. This means that your employer will be responsible for the knee injury that you have suffered at work, no matter who caused it, as long as you incurred the injury during the normal course of work. You need not worry that your employer will be out of pocket either- employers are required by law to take out liability insurance to cover claims by employees that have suffered injuries at work.

If another person is to blame an accident at work that has caused your knee injury, it is likely that you are entitled to make a knee injury compensation claim against your employer.

Contact Free Legal Justice at any time of day, on any day of the week, by filling out the short online form and waiting for us to call you back for free, or by calling one of our friendly claims handlers on 0800 567 7074 or 0121 565 4317. If you would like to discuss your case from the comfort of your own home, please request a complimentary home visit from one of our friendly accident claims handlers now, so that we can start your knee injury claim without delay.

What Should I Do If I Have Been Injured In A Work Accident?

In the trauma of a work accident, it can be difficult to remember which health and safety reporting and management procedures to follow, and what to do to make sure the incident is dealt with properly. Sometimes the injury sustained is so serious that the first and most important thing to do is to seek emergency medical attention. In the rush and hysteria of an accident, it may be rather difficult for a victim of the accident to collect evidence and details about the incident, for use in a compensation claim at a later stage.

If you are ever involved in a work accident, you should try, to whatever extent possible, to take the following steps to deal with the situation:

1. Fill in the work accident report book

After a work accident occurs, you should record the details of your injury (e.g. time, place, your contact details and a description) in the official work accident book in your own words as far as possible. We recommend that you get a copy of the relevant page with your accident report recorded on it, as it will be used in your knee injury claim.

2. Obtain CCTV footage of the work accident

Depending on where the work accident happened, your employer may have CCTV camera footage available that was recording at the time that you were injured. It is a good idea to request a copy of any footage of the work accident, as this will be helpful in proving how and why the incident happened, as well as who caused the accident.

3. Collect witness accounts

Unless you work remotely, it’s likely that one of your co-workers will have seen your accident at work happening. It may be useful to your knee injury claim if you can obtain witness statements from these individuals as proof of what happened in the work accident.

4. Take photos

If possible, it is a good idea to take photographs of whatever caused your work accident, as well of the injuries you have suffered because of the accident. You can also make notes about your accident as soon as possible – you can even include drawings if they’ll help show what happened.

What Will Happen To My Job If I Make An Accident At Work Claim?

Many employees feel anxious about instituting a compensation claim against their employer. You might have a strong sense of devotion or loyalty towards your manager, or you might be worried that if you institute a compensation claim against your company you will be treated differently and your employment relationship might change.

These fears are understandable, but they should not concern you. Making a knee injury claim against your employer can be daunting, but there are employment laws in place to protect you from being unfairly dismissed or treated differently, such as the Employment Rights Act 1996. In any event, all employers in England and Wales are required by law to have employer’s liability insurance in place. This means that if you make a work accident claim against your employer, the insurance company takes over the claim and deals with the case, paying any costs involved such as legal fees and your compensation settlement. On another note, by making your rightful claim against your employer for the injuries you have sustained in a work accident, you might reduce the chance of another employee being injured in the same way, as your employer will likely make health and safety upgrades and reviews to avoid the same thing happening again.

Car Accident Knee Injury Claims

It isn’t just drivers who can claim for injuries sustained on the road. All kinds of people can be injured in car accidents, including passengers, cyclists,  drivers, and innocent bystanders. All of these people may be affected by a car accident in some way, and if they have suffered losses because of the car accident that was not their fault, they may have a potential compensation claim.

If you have been involved in a car accident, there are many possible knee injuries that you could suffer as a result. Knee and foot injuries are both extremely common in car accidents, as these incidents can be hard-hitting on the lower part of the body, especially for the driver of the vehicle. There are countless bones in the feet, knees, and knees that could be injured as a result of a car accident. It is not just the bones that you have to worry about though – the knee and lower leg contain many types of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues that could be damaged in a car accident. These tissues are there to provide support and hold the rest of your lower body together, giving you your flexibility and mobility. A knee injury involving these tissues could result in severe damage for the victim of a car accident.

If you are the driver of a vehicle, your knees are probably close to the steering wheel, the dashboard and the pedals. If a car accident happens, the legs of the driver or a front seat passenger could easily crash into, or buckle under the dashboard upon impact, leading to an array of lower leg and knee injuries. Even if the crash happens slowly, a car accident can still exert a huge amount of force on those inside the car. Even a low impact can be enough to seriously injure knees and feet.

Another way that you can be injured in a car accident is through banging your feet on the floor as you brace for impact. This is a natural reaction, and we find that the majority of people will bang their feet on the floor at the moment of impact in a car accident. This is just a reflex action as people brace themselves for the impact. However, this reflex action increases the potential and likelihood of a foot or knee injury, as the pressure makes it easier to be able to tear or stretch the soft tissues or even fracture the bones in the knee.

If you have been in a car accident and have experienced a knee injury, you should consider getting in touch with a friendly Free Legal Justice claims handler today, to find out more about your knee injury claim. At the end of the day, if the car accident was not your fault, then you should not have to pay for your physical injuries or for the financial consequences of such injury.

Public Place Knee Injury Claims

Free Legal Justice is highly experienced in handling personal injury compensation claims which have happened in a wide range of public places, including theme parks, shopping centres, bars and restaurants, parks, schools, theatres, carnivals and music concerts.

If you have suffered a knee injury whilst in a public place and you believe it was due to negligence of another individual or body, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries. Councils, shop owners, businesses and other public bodies all have a duty to take reasonable measures to prevent the public from being injured on the premises under their control. You will however need to be able to ascribe the cause of the injury to a specific individual, and this can be tricky to prove. Make sure you seek help from a legal professional when making a claim of this nature.

If your accident was on a council owned property, such as a public walkway or a council house rented out to a member of the public, then you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim against the local authority if the accident was due to their negligence. When we look at injuries occurring in public spaces, the accident generally involves a slip or a trip on a road or a pavement, which means that the local council will be responsible.

When instituting a claim against a Local Authority for not maintaining a road or sidewalk, you will need to be able to prove that the local council was negligent in their duty to the public, by failing to keep and maintain the safety of the pavement. This involves proving that, based on the circumstances of the case, it was not reasonable for the local council to let  the public space to fall into a state of disrepair. By doing so, you sustained your knee injury.

Compensation Amounts In Knee Injury Claims

Knee injury compensation pay-outs typically comprise of amounts awarded for general and special damages. General damages refer to compensation for personal injuries suffered by the innocent person, while special damages refer to compensation awarded as a reimbursement of additional expenses incurred as a result of the knee injury. One of our personal injury claim experts at Free Legal Justice will explain in detail what will form part of your general and special damages claim, once you provide us with the details of your knee injury claim.

The general damages part of your knee injury claim is calculated by comparing your independent medical report with the official Judicial Board Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases. This guideline estimates how much general damages can be claimed for different types of injuries. The Court will consider aspects such as how serious your injury was, complicating factors surrounding the injury, as well as the length of the recovery period.

What Types Of Knee Injuries Can I Sustain?

The knee is made up of four components: the bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. Any of these components can be injured in an accident. If the accident causing your injury was not your fault, and you have suffered loss as a result, you will most likely have a valid knee injury claim.  Free Legal Justice is extremely experienced in all kinds of personal injury claims. Some of the knee injury claims that we deal with on a daily basis are based on the following knee injuries:

1. Fractured Knee

Any of the bones in or around the knee can be fractured in an accident. The patella, or the kneecap, is the most commonly broken bone in the knee. This type of injury can be caused by high impact trauma, such as a fall from a height, a slip and trip in a public place, or the force exerted in a car accident.

2. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries

The ACL runs diagonally down the front of your knee, and provides critical stability to the knee joint. Injuries to the ACL can be very serious and often require surgery to fix.

3. Dislocation Of The Knee

Dislocation of the knee happens when one or more bones of the knee slip out of their proper placement and alignment. Structural abnormalities or traumas, including car accidents, falls, and contact sports, can cause a knee dislocation.

4. Torn Cartilage

If you hear or feel a pop in your knee, it could be a meniscus tear. The symptoms of this injury increase gradually, with the pain, swelling, and tightness increasing over the ensuing few days.

5. Bursitis

Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs that cushion the knee joints and allow the tendons and ligaments to slide easily over the joint. If you exert a lot of pressure on an area, these sacs can swell and become inflamed with overuse. Most cases of bursitis are not serious and can be treated by self-care. However, some instances may require antibiotic treatment or aspiration, which is a procedure that uses a needle to withdraw excess fluid.

6. Tendon Tears In the Knee

Tendons are soft tissues that connect the muscles to the bones. In the knee, a common tendon to be injured is the patellar.  It is not uncommon for a middle-aged person involved in physical activities to tear or overstretch their tendon. Direct impact from a fall or hit, such as a fall at work or an impact in a car accident, could also cause a tear in the tendon.

7. Collateral Ligament Injuries In The Knee

Collateral ligaments connect the thighbone to the shinbone. These tears often happen as a result of a direct impact or collision with another person or object.

8. Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries In The Knee

The posterior cruciate ligament is located at the back of the knee, and connects the thighbone to the shinbone. To injure this ligament, a powerful force must be exerted on the knee while it is in a bent position. This level of force typically happens when someone falls hard onto a bent knee or is in an accident that impacts the knee while it is bent.

Treatment In Knee Injury Cases

The treatment that you receive for your knee injury will depend on the cause of the knee pain, and the specifics of your injury. In cases of strain or overuse injuries, rest and ice will typically allow the knee to heal over time. Treatment of knee injuries also involves managing pain and inflammation with medication.

Where you have suffered a tear or a trauma-related knee injury, your knee may need a brace to heal. In other cases, a medical professional may need to ‘pop’ the knee back into position, and in extreme cases you may need surgery. If you need surgery, it is likely that you will not be able to use your knee after the operation and you may need to remain in crutches or a wheelchair while you recover. In some cases, physiotherapy will be required to help the injured person regain movement and strength in their knee and leg. All in all, no matter how serious someone’s knee injury is, a person will likely need to rest for a period of time as their knee recovers, leading to loss of income, loss of quality of life, and additional expenses incurred due to the injury.

General Damages calculation

Free Legal Justice has accident claim specialists in all categories of injuries, ranging from fairly minor injuries to serious and fatal injuries. One of our accident claims experts will be able to estimate the value of your knee injury claim once you have provided them with the details and extent of the injuries you have suffered. In the meantime, the figures below can be used as a broad guideline to the compensation that you could expect in a knee injury claim.

If you have a suffered serious knee injury, for example an injury that requires knee replacement surgery, this injury will have a long-term impact on your life generally. Because of the nature and severity of the injury, as well as prolonged recovery period, if any, these injuries can lead to compensation awards of between £22,300 and £82,000.

Dislocations and cartilage issues often result in long-term weakening of the knee joint and as a result, the compensation for these knee injuries can range between £12,600 and £22,300. Less severe dislocations and cartilage damage can give claimants compensation pay-outs of between £5,160 and £11,730.

If you’ve sprained your knee, compensation can be between a few hundred £’s and £5,160 for a sprain or milder damage and bruising of the knee. The expected recovery period of these injuries is typically less than 12 months.

Please note that these figures are for guidance only. For a more tailored estimate of your knee injury claim, contact the Free Legal Justice team today.

What Will It Cost Me To Make A Knee Injury Claim?

Many potential claimants worry about the cost of legal advice when considering a knee injury claim. You need worry no longer- Free Legal Justice, most of the cases we take on work on a No Win No Fee basis, so there is no financial risk to you.

Free Legal Advice On Your Knee Injury Claim

A No Win No Fee agreement with Free Legal Justice lets you continue with your knee injury claim on the condition that if the claim is not successful, you won’t owe us any money. Our highly experienced solicitors are happy to offer No Win No Fee agreements to claimants seeking lawful compensation for their injuries, because they are extremely confident in their legal abilities and have a track record of successful claims behind them.

A No Win No Fee agreement is a stress-free, financially-savvy way for you to make your knee injury claim. Put differently, it is a way for you to take the required legal steps to claim rightful compensation for your knee injury, without any financial risks weighing over you.  Once you have discussed the details of your case with the Free Legal Justice team, and have agreed for us to continue with your knee injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis, your hard work is essentially done. You can sit back, relax, and let the devoted Free Legal Justice team run the matter for you!

How Much Will I Be Charged If My Claim Is Successful?

One of the best things about a No Win No Fee agreement is that you will never need to pay us legal fees in advance. Free Legal Justice carries all of the upfront costs of running your case, and we hold the risk of your claim not being successful. A No Win No Fee agreement means that Free Legal Justice will only get paid after the case has been resolved, and if your compensation claim is successful.

Our personal injury solicitors work on an average success fee of 25% of the total compensation received for your claim. Your solicitor will make sure to discuss the success fee upfront with you, and this success fee will be agreed in writing before we start your knee injury claim. If Free Legal Justice helps you to win your case, we will receive the success fee as payment for our legal fees.

Why Should I Choose Free Legal Justice?

Free Legal Justice has successfully resolved hundreds of personal injury claims. Our skilled personal injury solicitors have comprehensive knowledge and experience in all kinds of personal injury claims, and they know exactly how to help clients receive the maximum compensation they deserve. Our claims team will protect your privacy and safety throughout the claims process, and ensure that your knee injury claim is handled diligently, efficiently and discreetly. We aim to make the whole experience as easy and stress free as possible for you. You can rest easy knowing that you have an expert solicitor working hard on your case to get you the maximum compensation you deserve.

By working with Free Legal Justice on a No Win No Fee compensation claim, we promise that:

• You will receive free legal advice from one of our expert solicitors as to how best to proceed with your claim;
• A member of the Free Legal Justice Team will be available to speak to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help you with any queries that you might have regarding your claim;
• If you are not successful in your claim, we will not charge you any legal fees;
• You won’t pay a thing from your own pocket;
• We will help you to recover the maximum amount of compensation in the shortest possible time; and
• We will manage your knee injury claim efficiently, keep you updated on its progress, and will try to make the entire compensation claim process as stress-free as possible for you.

Our team is available to give you completely free legal advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is ready answer any questions you might have about the calculation of your general and special damages. Please get in touch with us by filling out the online form, or by calling us on 0800 567 7074 or 0121 565 4317 today. If you are unable to get to one of the Free Legal Justice offices, one of our friendly personal injury solicitors will be happy to conduct a home visit, to talk over your claim from the comfort of your own home.