Sport Injury Compensation

Here are some examples of sport injuries that can be blamed on somebody else:-

• Violence – When a player or competitor lashes out at somebody else.
• Injuries caused by defective or poorly maintained sports equipment.
• A bad tackle – A bad tackle in a football or rugby match.
• An injury caused by a trainer advising a sportsperson to do something dangerous.
• Injury caused by a trainer, teacher or coach not being suitably qualified.
• A school pupil suffering injury during a PE lesson or sports day because of inadequate supervision.
• An injury caused by a defective or poorly maintained playing surface or sports field.

All of these examples can cause serious injury and even lead to you having to give up your favourite sport or being unable to work. One example of such a case is an 18 year old footballer who was awarded £4.3 million in personal injury compensation after a bad tackle led to a broken leg which dashed his hopes of playing for Manchester United. His compensation amount was so high because he was so talented and could have expected to earn around £13,000 a week as a professional footballer.

Sports Spectator Injuries

Although people participating in sports have a higher risk of injury than spectators, sometimes spectators can suffer injuries too. Think of the times when motor rally cars have ploughed into the crowd, cricket balls have landed in the crowd or stands collapse.

The Hillsborough Disaster of 1989 is the disaster that many people think of in regards to spectator injuries and it was a huge disaster that took the lives of 96 people and seriously injured many hundreds more. The disaster was blamed on insufficient police control and many personal injury claims were brought against the police.

Making a Compensation Claim for a Sport Injury

If you or a loved one suffers a sport injury or spectator injury as a result of somebody else’s negligence, then you should be entitled to personal injury compensation to compensate you for your pain and suffering, and for any expenses you have incurred.

As soon after the accident as possible, you should:-

• Seek medical advice – Both to get treatment for your injury and so that there are medical records of the extent of your injury and what treatment was required.
• Record the contact details of all involved and of any witnesses.
• Seek legal advice from a no win no fee specialist injury solicitor – Look for a personal injury lawyer who has experience in your type of claim.
• Keep receipts of any expenses that you have incurred as a result of the accident – Medical bills, prescription charges, travel expenses for transport to hospital etc.
• Collect together payslips and other evidence of earnings if your injury has led to a loss of earnings, or lost future earnings if you have had to give up your job.

You may not be a potential professional footballer, like in the story above, but you are still entitled to compensation if you have suffered through no fault of your own.