By Marlon Cooke. Last updated 23rd October 2024. In this illustrative case study, we examine a personal injury claim where a claimant was awarded £145,000 in compensation for a broken heel following an accident at work.
After looking at this case study, within this guide we explain when you could be eligible to make an accident at work claim for a broken heel. Additionally, we look at how long you have to start a claim, how to establish liability and how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your own potential claim, you can contact our advisors:
- Call 0800 073 8804
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Jump To A Section
- Compensation For A Broken Heel – Case Study
- How Much Compensation For A Broken Heel Was Awarded?
- Accident At Work Eligibility Criteria
- How Long Do I Have To Claim Compensation For A Broken Heel?
- Establishing Liability For Workplace Accident Claims
- No Win No Fee Solicitors For Broken Heel Compensation Claims
- Useful Links
Compensation For A Broken Heel – Case Study
The victim of this injury was a construction worker. When the accident happened, he was standing in the empty bucket of a JCB, using the height this gave him to be able to reach up and pour bitumen out of a barrel and into a waiting tanker. This was obviously a risky thing to be doing, but the employer was aware it was being done, and it had indeed, been done many times previously.
The victim fell out of the bucket when the JCB inadvertently moved, falling around 10 feet to the floor, and breaking his heel when he landed.
How Much Compensation For A Broken Heel Was Awarded?
The answer to the question, how much compensation will I get for a broken foot? Is far from straightforward. However, in this particular case, the compensation amount was clearly driven by the short-term trauma of the injury. Therefore the £145,000 the victim received is a fairly average settlement for foot injury. Several specialists including an orthopaedic surgeon, a pain specialist, and a psychiatrist gave expert testimony to the extent of the injuries and their effect on the life of the victim.
However, in more extreme cases foot injury compensation payouts can be much higher than £145,000.
Accident At Work Eligibility Criteria
If you are wondering whether you are eligible to claim compensation for a broken heel, you will need to show that you have suffered negligence. Negligence is when a responsible third party breaches their duty of care, and this causes an injury.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, all employers owe their employees a duty of care. To comply with this duty, employers must take reasonable steps to ensure that their employees are safe at work with minimal risk of injury.
As such, if you can prove each of the criteria below, you could begin an accident at work claim:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care.
- Your employer breached their duty of care.
- You suffered an injury, such as a broken heel, due to this breach.
To learn more about claiming compensation for a broken heel due to an accident at work, please contact us today.
How Long Do I Have To Claim Compensation For A Broken Heel?
Generally, the time limit to start a personal injury claim is three years from the date of the accident. However, as there are instances where people may only become aware of their injuries at a later date, the time limit could also start from the date of knowledge. This could potentially be the date you received an official medical diagnosis for a broken heel bone.
There are cases where the time limit is suspended. For example, if a child has suffered a broken heel injury due to negligence, they are not allowed to represent themselves in legal proceedings. During the suspension, a litigation friend can claim on their behalf.
The time limit is also suspended if the claimant has limited mental capacity. Similarly, a litigation friend can claim on their behalf until they have recovered. If this does not occur, the time limit is suspended indefinitely.
This information is taken from the Limitation Act 1980.
If you have been suffering pain from walking on a broken heel bone and would like to start your claim, then please reach out to one of our advisers.
Establishing Liability For Workplace Accident Claims
When considering accident at work claim amounts, then much depends upon a) if the employer is liable for the injury and b) whether liability can be fully proven.
In this particular case, there are two particularly definitive aspects to the accident which would deem the employer to be liable to pay compensation.
Firstly, the undertaking was clearly dangerous. Using a piece of heavy machinery for a purpose for which it was not intended. Secondly, the employer can be deemed to encourage the use of the machinery in this way, as it was aware what was happening, and had witnessed the same process being used many times before without doing anything to stop it. The employer had a legal obligation to make sure that unsafe working practices are clamped down on, to keep employees safe.
No Win No Fee Solicitors For Broken Heel Compensation Claims
If you have suffered an injury due to an accident at work and your employer is at fault, you may be in a position to claim some compensation for your injury. If you use the services of No Win No Fee solicitors then you won’t have to pay anything to begin the claims process.
No Win No Fee means you don’t pay if you don’t win your claim. Unless your solicitor wins you an amount of compensation, you don’t pay anything at all. Legal Expert can help you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). If we don’t win you don’t pay, you really have nothing to lose by letting us pursue an injury at work compensation claim on your behalf.
Contact Legal Expert Today
You could use an online accident at work compensation calculator to try and find out how much heel fracture compensation you might be able to claim following an accident at work. You are far better talking to us here at Legal Expert though, so we can take the specific details of your broken heel injury and tell you exactly how much we think you can claim.
You should contact us sooner rather than later, as there is an accident at work claim time limit. All you need to do to start claiming compensation for your accident at work is give us a quick call on 0800 073 8804. Once we have all the details of your injury we will advise you on what we think you should do next, and very likely we will offer to take on your claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement with nothing to pay unless we win some compensation for you.
Useful Links
NHS information about heel pain
Advice form the NHS on what you can do if you’re feeling pain in your heels.
NHS guide to fractured heels
An NHS PDF file on fractured heel surgical and non-surgical treatment information.
Legal Expert guide to claiming compensation for an accident at work.
Other Guides You Can Read
- New Look Personal Injury Claims Guide
- I Slipped In McDonald’s – Can I Claim Compensation?
- Murrayfield Stadium Personal Injury Claims Guide
- I Slipped In Sainsbury’s – Can I Claim Compensation?
- Newquay Airport Accident Claims Guide
- Dublin Airport Accident Claims Guide
- A Guide To NEXT Accident Claims
- Negligent Decorator Accident Claims Guide
- London Stansted Airport Accident Claims Guide
