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Ankle Injury Compensation – When You Can Claim & How Much

By Ian Morris | Updated June 12th, 2024

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If have injured your ankle as a result of a slipping accident on a wet floor surface, rolled it on a broken pavement, or fallen whilst at work, there is a good possibility you can succeed with an ankle injury claim.

The ankle is a complex joint that plays a vital part in allowing us to maintain mobility, independence and live life to the full. Unsurprisingly, ankle injuries are common and form many of the claims we at Direct2Compensation assist with. Most such claims arise as a result of a fall, trip or slip, and also road traffic accidents.

When can you claim compensation for an ankle injury?

Anyone who suffers an ankle injury as the result of the negligent actions of someone else, a business or organisation, could seek to pursue a claim for compensation. To succeed, the injured person must be able to identify a hazard or act of negligence that has caused their ankle injury.

Slipping Accidents

If you have sustained an ankle injury as a result of a slipping accident, a claim will succeed if it can be demonstrated that the area which caused you to slip was not marked with a hazard warning sign. The hazard must have been in situ for a sufficient period of time that the business or organisation responsible for the area should have erected a warning sign and removed the hazard.

Tripping Accidents

Ankle injury claims often arise as a result of a tripping accident in a public place. If you have injured your ankle as a result of a uneven pavement surface, a broken kerb or step, you could succeed with a claim if it can be demonstrated that the landowner or local authority responsible for maintenance has failed to carry out adequate routine inspections and acted on repairing any dangerous hazards found.

As a general rule of thumb, to succeed with a claim for ankle injury compensation as a result of a tripping accident, it must be shown that the defect that caused the ankle injury is 25mm or more in height/depth and that the landowner failed to identify and repair the defect in a reasonable time.

Ankle injuries at work

A work accident claim will succeed if you sustain an ankle injury that can be directly linked to a lack of training or employer negligence. For example, slipping on a wet floor at work where there is no hazard warning sign, or a fall from height at work due to the provision of the wrong ladder or a lack of access platforms.

Road Traffic accidents

If your ankle injury was caused in a road traffic accident that was not your fault, whether you were a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist, you can seek to claim ankle injury compensation from the insurers of the person responsible for the accident.

At Direct2Compensation we can assist you whether the negligent party was insured or not.

Different types of ankle injury

Common types of ankle injuries at the heart of a successful claim include:

Fractures
Dislocations
Soft tissue injuries including ligament tears and sprains
Severe bruising
Lacerations

The most common injury that leads to a claim for ankle injury compensation is one of a soft tissue nature involving ligament damage. Such injuries can be more serious than a simple fracture and can lead to a long recovery period.

Any person who suffers a soft tissue ligament injury to the ankle, and has symptoms that last for 2 weeks or more, can seek to make a claim. Most soft tissue injuries take up to 6-8 weeks to recover, but in cases where surgical intervention is required, recovery periods will be far longer.

Check out the NHS website for information on how to ease your ankle pain.

Compensation amounts for ankle injuries

The value of a compensation settlement for an ankle injury will vary depending on its severity. The amounts below are for the injury itself, but you can also claim for special damages which would include your expenses, lost income and rehabilitation therapies, for example.

The rarest and most severe injuries may involve fractures and soft tissue damage resulting in deformity, and potentially amputation. Such cases may reach settlement values in excess of £50,000.

Severe injuries that leave a person with significant disability and reduction in mobility, necessitate an extensive period of treatment in plaster and/or where pins and plates have been inserted, can usually expect compensation of between £20,000 and £40,000.

Moderate ankle injuries would include fractures and ligament tears that give rise to occasional difficulties in walking or standing. Here the value of a settlement would fall around £10,000 to £20,000.

Minor ankle injuries see values of up to about £10,000 depending on whether a complete recovery has been made.

The following table displays The Judicial College’s guidelines on compensation amounts for ankle injuries of different severity.

Severity of injury	Compensation amount
Very severe with future risk of lower leg amputation and permanent consequences	£47k - £65k
Severe, requiring lengthy treatment and significant residual disability	£29k - £47k
Moderate, e.g fractures, ligament tears, with ongoing discomfort in certain activities	£13k - £25k
Modest, with varying levels of recovery	Up to £13k

Once your specialist solicitor has obtained your medical report they will be able to give you an idea of how much compensation to expect for your injury.

How to report or record the details of your accident

As with any claim for compensation, a claimant will need supporting evidence to demonstrate that their ankle injury was caused by someone else’s negligence. Alongside important evidence such as medical reports, having the details of the accident properly reported and recorded will give your specialist solicitor the best chance of succeeding with a claim.

In most cases, anyone who suffers an ankle injury should make sure that the details of their ankle injury are recorded within the accident book of the business or organisation responsible for the accident site.

Commonly, in a supermarket or shop, the accident book will be held within the store and you should report your injury to a member of staff.

When out in public, it is most likely that the responsible landowner will be a local authority. In such cases, you should contact your local highways department responsible for the maintenance of the footpath (or area where you injured your ankle) and advise them of what happened and where.

In any record of an ankle injury it is important that the cause of the ankle injury is noted – such as slipping on a spillage with no hazard warning sign, or due to a large pothole or broken curb.

If you are unsure as to how to report the details of your ankle injury to the right people, contact us for help.

How Direct2Compensation can help you

At Direct2Compensation, our expertly trained and knowledgeable staff can easily identify whether or not the cause of your ankle injury will enable you to make a claim for compensation. We speak in simple terms so that you will understand your rights and how our No Win No Fee claims service can benefit you.

We’ll advise you as to how to report your ankle injury properly, what photographs you may need of the accident site, and link you with some of the best ankle injury compensation solicitors available.

Our specialist solicitors will seek to maximise any settlement for you, with expert medical reports obtained to support your claim, and we’ll also make sure that any lost income and costs incurred are fully recovered in your special damages claim.

We have a genuine expertise in ankle injury compensation claims and invite you to start your claim online today, or call us on 01225 430285.

62 questions have been answered on this subject - ask us your question

Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus ankle injury claim examples...

Hello
I received an avulsion fraction on my ankle at work in Oct 2019 after rolling my ankle on an unmarked step in the kitchen at work on my 3rd day working there. Needless to say they dismissed me and the owner was fuming that i have put in a claim. This was over 3 years ago. It still hasn’t been settled mainly due to Covid and my current solicitor being handed over my case after the original solicitor decided not to undertake personnal injury cases.
My solicitor wants me to settle for around £12,000 i am disappointed as my injury is still giving me pain especially during the night when my foot is extended. The ATFL ligament is stretched and I have been advised that the only other solution would be surgery. Can my solicitor force me to accept a claim or should I wait until after surgery. Although that could be months away or indeed a year going by the current state of the NHS. This will also involve being in a cast for another 6 weeks. Please can you give me any advice, i just dont know who to turn to. Thank you Wendy

Your Solicitor cannot force you to do anything. They can however provide advice based on their expertise and the evidence available (that should always be in your best interests) regarding your claim. Have you asked why the Solicitor is advising you to accept the offer to settle now rather than wait for further medical treatment or experts reports?

My son has badly broken his ankle and is awaiting surgery after breaking it in a roller skate rink facility. Would he be entitled to compensation?

Although important, the severity of the injury is not the key consideration when evaluating whether or not your Son can pursue a claim for personal injury compensation. In this case, your Son has been injured whilst rollerskating. Such an activity does pose an inherent risk of injury, therefore if the injury happened simply whilst skating, there is unlikely to be any negligence at play by any party and therefore no claim to proceed.

However, if the injury can be attributed to negligence on the part of the skating rink – that could be an issue with the rink surface, faults with a pair of hired skates or some other issue such ass or hazards on the rink and skating area, then it would be possible to a claim.

A person I support dropped a bowling bowl on my foot, whilst ten pin bowling. I hopped around initially then slipped on the bowling alley. Fracturing and tearing the ligaments in my ankle.

Although your injury sounds very painful and problematic, we need to consider whether your employer has been negligent and in doing so, failed to prevent this incident from happening. As your injury was caused through the client you support dropping a bowling ball by accident, it is hard to see what the employer could have done to prevent the incident from happening.

I broke my ankle at work by stepping out of my van and rolling it on a curb. I was making a delivery and was made to feel rushed that day as we were short on drivers. I’m told I’m going to be off at least 4 to 6 weeks, don’t know if can claim on this? thanks.

You won’t be able to make a claim on the basis of being rushed or feeling pressured by your employer. Whilst that may well have been the case, the courts would not deem that your employer directly caused you to slip on a curb and roll your ankle. However, if there was a fault with the curb where you were injured such as disrepair or damage to the curb or if it was covered in excessive slime or a substance that should have been removed, you may have grounds to pursue a claim against the local authority responsible for the highways at the accident site.

On 21st of August I was supporting a vulnerable adult with learning disabilities out into the community. Although the individual is listed as not having capacity he does understand the green cross code. However on the day there were lots of people were at the crossing when waiting for it to become safe to cross. The other pedestrians started to proceed in crossing and I along with the person I was working with then followed suit and stepped out into the road. It was then I saw cars fast approaching. Due to this situation I immediately leant out to reach him to pull him to safety but somehow lost my balance and ended up on the floor in a very awkward position. I ensured he was safe first as I have a duty of care of which is to be followed but then I went to the hospital for an X-ray where it was confirmed I had indeed fractured my ankle. Due to the swelling of my ankle I was asked to go back to the hospital after a week and they provided me with a walking boot. Arriving at the 2nd appointment approx 4-5 days later it was then confirmed surgery would be needed and this was arranged to go ahead after a further few days to ensure swelling could ease and for more rest. My Surgery has since been undertaken but I am now not allowed to weight bare for 3 weeks until my next appointment.

My job is very physical and demanding. This whole recovery can take up to one year and even they have explained the risks of the severity of the fracture I’ve had metal plates, and wiring as-well as screw placed within my ankle

Am I entitled to any compensation for loss of earnings, emotional stress, deterioration in my health and well-being and for being physically disabled at the moment?

Although you were injured whilst working, your employer bears no responsibility for your injury or any loss as they have not been negligent in this matter. Unfortunately, there would not appear to be any party against whom you could pursue a claim for negligence so it would not seem that there is a route to seeking compensation.

I was doing an activity with children in the garden. Small Logs were placed on ground for sitting walking on counting etc – used for many purposes. The children and I were holding hands when my foot slipped whilst still standing & I severely broke my ankle in 3 places. I have had surgery twice with plates & screws inserted to the ankle. It has been nearly six months since the injury now and I am still off work and I can’t walk properly yet. I have only just started bearing weight. I am in a boot for outdoors with a soft shoe to sit in and some crutches. Do you think I could claim or is it my own fault?

We would need to understand a little bit more about your work and the accident site for us to be able to advise further as to whether or not you can pursue a claim. If the surface where you slipped is uneven, sloping and slippery, there is a potential to pursue a claim, but of course, we need to consider the nature of the work and the environment you were in to be able to ascertain whether or not your employer has been negligent.

Clearly, you have sustained a very nasty injury with long term serious consequences, so it is certainly worthwhile further investigating this matter to see whether or not you can pursue a claim.

I have went over on my ankle on part of a uneven pathway at a customers site, thinking this was only a sprain my boss took me home, couple hours later the pain got worse so got took to hospital only to find ankle is actually broken, off work for 4 weeks if not longer as in a cast. What are my rights?

You have a right to make a claim against the owners/insurers of the land in question. It is therefore important that you make sure that a written record of the accident is made and passed to the property owners.

To pursue a claim, you’ll need evidence to support the claim – in this case, it will be photographs showing the uneven pathway and the cause of your ankle injury.

I fell at work and sprained my ankle but still working, can I claim?

What caused you to fall at work? Please describe your accident and we can then advise you on any potential claim. Also, if you haven’t already done so, please make sure that a detailed report of the accident is recorded within your employers accident book.

I went to work two weeks ago (I work for a private landscape company) and I was on the work premises about to unload my truck when I got out the pick-up and as I got out, my foot went into a pothole. My foot went to the side I heard the crunch as it did. My boss took me to A&E where I had an X-ray and was told that I had a lateral malleolar fracture to the ankle. This is a none-weight bearing injury, so I can’t work for up to 8 weeks. I am getting statutory sick pay witch does not cover much.

Do I have a valid claim as I’m pretty sure my boss should have to provided a save place to work?

Your accident at work and the ankle injury you have sustained is certainly worth making a claim against the employer for. Do you know if the pothole is still present as photographs of the pothole showing the depth will be needed. If the pothole is repaired, did you obtain any photographs at the time? Here you’ll see examples of the way to take photographs of potholes to give a claim the best chance of success.

You have a serious injury with potentially long term consequences. Even if the employer were to pay you for the time that you cannot work, you need to consider whether this injury will prevent you from being able to work in your chosen profession and whether you will be able to earn as much as you are used to – or even if you’ll be able to work as much as normal in the future. With that in mind, making a claim for compensation is the only fair outcome given the cause of the accident and the nasty injury.

I tore ligaments in my ankle on a job site. I have permanent damage and no longer can work in construction which its all I’ve done for 20 plus years. Can i get a settlement?

If your accident happened within the past 3 years and was due to negligence or a hazardous/dangerous area at the worksite, you can make a claim for compensation.

I received a broken ankle and bones in my leg when was out drinking but I just can’t remember how it occurred and now have had surgery, would I be able to claim at all?

You cannot make a claim as you have no evidence of any negligence (because you can’t remember what happened), so cannot therefore prove that any person or organisation was responsible for your injuries.

I slipped and broke my ankle at work 3months ago and had to have pins and plates , I am still recovering. The brewery I work for are saying they are not liable and that the landlord of the pub is , as it was house keeping (wet cardboard in the cellar ) and it should of been maintained by him. So who would be at fault ? Will they have to argue it out in court ? Thanks Alison

It would appear that the liable party is the landlord as they allowed a slippery and loose surface (wet cardboard) to be present in their area of responsibility.

Have you already instructed a Solicitor to act for you? If not, we would be happy to get involved in assisting you place your claim.

Thank you . And yes but both parties have asked for more time to gather evidence and I havent heard anything off my solicitor since. They have until the 18th march . Thank you for your help . Regards Alison

You’re welcome! Good luck with your claim and recovery.

I am self employed & was working at an exhibition. A guy I was working for put a bag underneath the desk & advised me it was there. When I got up my foot got stuck in the strap & I fell causing me to break a bone in my ankle, can I claim?

To be able to make a claim you need to be able to establish negligence at play. Whilst in hindsight you could argue that it wasn’t suitable to place the bag underneath the desk, the fact that you had been made aware it was present is likely to render any claim redundant.

I wasn’t told how to safely lock up and people normally use a children’s stool to do so. The first and only time I had to, i use the tool and fell off twisting my ankle and hurting my back. There were cameras there. I filled out an incident report and went to the gp, came back to work right after limping and no one checked on me or seemed to care. Im still in pain and don’t know what i can do, Thanks

If the employer has not provided with training to work at height and a step ladder to use that would enable you to work safely, you may pursue a claim against them.

I was reaching for a box head level which had packaging inside for my pastries, the box slipped out of my hands (steel toe cap boots are worn) but the box hit my ankle, and is now swollen and very bruised. Reported to manager who then helped me phone the accident at work line to report it there. Have not been to doctors yet as doesn’t feel broken but sore to touch. As I dropped the box by accident would this be my fault? The box was slightly creased which caused the box to squeeze slightly in and lost all grip and fell onto my foot.

Although you dropped the box, it may not necessarily be seen as your fault. Perhaps the box is not fit for purpose and perhaps the place where the box is kept (at head height) is a risk to safety?

The best bet at this stage would be to make further contact with us so that we can investigate this for you as a possible claim.

I am a certified nursing assistant. Back in 2014 I suffered a Taylar dome break in my joint and tore all cartridges and tendons, I also developed Arthritis from multiple injuries at work due to clutter, I twisted my right ankle back in 2017 and it required surgery. I had to have two graphs taken from my leg and on the outside towards that foot with two permanent screws on the same right leg. I had to have my Achilles tendon stretched, now the pain is getting worse and I am having trouble walking and I am permanently disabled with my ankles and I cannot walk very long before my feet try to give out on me.

The injury that you suffered in 2014 would not be something that you could now pursue a claim for. UK personal injury law only allows an injured person a maximum period of 3 years from the date of an accident to make a claim. As such, the 2014 injury would now be statute barred and you cannot take action.

You may however, be able to claim compensation for the ankle injury suffered at work in 2017 as that would still be within personal injury claim limitation.

I had an injury at work some steam water and grease coming out from the oven door for about one month, but I didn’t use my safe shoes, because they are very hard, rigid and hurt my ankles. They don’t want pay me the 2 days that I didn’t go to work. Can I claim?

As you did not wear the specific ‘safe’ shoes that your employer requires you to wear in the workplace, it could be that you may have to accept an element of contributory negligence if you go on to make a claim for compensation. This is because you will be seen to have contributed to your injury in some way. However, it would not stop you from being able to make a claim.

Im a housekeeper in a hotel. Last week I tripped carrying linen up a flight of stairs. I could not walk on my ankle. The hotel called an ambulance that took so long to arrive that my husband came and took me to the hospital in his car after members of staff helped me outside. The hospital said it wasn’t broken after x-ray and it was more than likely hurt ligaments. My next shift wasn’t for 3 days and they said to rest and take ibuprofen. I returned to work as instructed asking for lighter duties which weren’t given. I have pain in my ankle and its swollen at the end of the day. Moving the linen is a porters job but the maids end up doing it as the porters are seldom around and the supervisors don’t call them when asked. We only have 25 minutes to clean each room so have to do this to complete our duties. I have mentioned this to management but the problem is never addressed.

Make sure that a record of your accident and injuries is made with the employer, within their accident book. The issue regarding the lack of porters is important and should be noted in your accident report.

My initial view is that you have a valid claim for compensation that ought to be pursued further. We would be happy to assist you on a No Win No Fee basis.

I broke my ankle in July 2017. I wore a boot and was told to take it off, depending on how it felt 8 – 10 weeks after. During this time the local council was digging up the road to replace lamps. They continually left spoil and barriers either side of the spoil, all over the pavement right outside my gate. This was the whole time I was on crutches. I rang them to tell them how difficult it was making my life and they said they would sort it. I then removed my boot as the time was up. A few days later the spoil was still there as I got out the car. My father had also just arrived for dinner and I turned to tell him to be careful and promptly fell over twisting my ankle. It blew up like a balloon. I contacted them again through my local councillor an they said I had lied as the stuff had all been removed. The photographic evidence showed otherwise. They then rang me and said someone from H & S would be down. So they came and saw the pictures and also how swollen my ankle still was and said they would contact me. Fast forward one year (yup one year) and after chasing them again. They said me a letter said, so pleased my previously broken ankle has now healed. I replied asking them for certain information (they claimed the contractor had gone bust, that the dates were different) It is now 6 months on and I’ve heard nothing. Is there anything to be done?

It would appear that you have been caused further and worsening injury as a result of the negligence of the local authority and their contractors. Given that you seem to have a good amount of evidence to support this, it would be wise to put this matter in the hands of a specialist personal injury Solicitor with expertise in public liability tripping accident compensation claims.

We have such specialist Solicitors available and would be happy to help you. Please email us regarding this matter and attach whatever information and evidence you have to support your claim. You can send your email to us at: justice@direct2compensation.co.uk and we’ll then assist you in further investigating how we can help you. Remember, we work on a fully No Win No Fee basis and you won’t pay any costs should we not be able to help you with your claim for compensation.

Hi I was involved in an accident RTA last November and have made a PI claim. The defendant has admitted that it was their fault.

I fractured my ankle and caused damage to the ligaments in my foot and also had minor whiplash and banged my knee (that hurt for less than a week).

As a result of my injuries, I have had one surgery to my ankle (keyhole) and I’m due another keyhole surgery to fuse the ligaments together. If that fails, I may need to have pins rods/plates put in my ankle. However, when I asked my solicitors whether I would get compensated per surgery, but they have said I would only get compensated for one? I also have lost thousands and thousands from work and its affected my relationship also.

When asked what guideline bracket on the 14th edition college guidelines my claim would fall into they have informed me that it would be moderate at best!!!

How is this when the pain has been going on for over a year I have had to have surgery and continuing symptoms also my ankle gives way and hurts when does and the surgeon said it may well be I have to live with that, so should I change law firms?

In terms of how much compensation you will receive, the final agreed settlement that you will receive should account for the total extent of the injury and provide for any future care or medical costs that the injury will require. You do not receive a certain amount per surgery, but will receive a settlement that is based on an expert medical assessment of your injury, your medical records relating to treatment provided and then a detailed prognosis as to the future consequences of the injury. In cases where multiple surgeries are required, one would expect to receive a higher compensation settlement to be applied. In your case, if you do face the worst consequence and have to live with a permanent injury, the appropriate value for your claim should certainly take that in to account.

Whether or not you should change your law firm is something we cannot really comment on. However, you should make them aware of your concerns – in writing – in order that they may be able to explain their actions and comments in a way that puts your mind at rest.