By Danielle Newton. Last Updated 4th October 2022. Leg injury claim payouts can vary from case to case and every claim has unique aspects and no two are ever the same.
Personal injury solicitors have been helping people all across the country win damages like this in cases against their employer, private business occupiers, negligent drivers, and other defendants. If you were injured in an accident at work, or were the victim of a breach in duty of care in a public place, speak to us today to discuss your possible compensation.
Crushed leg injury and PTSD compensation
This article will explain who may be responsible, how you could have your claim accurately valued, what evidence you will need to support it and where to find the best suited personal injury lawyers handling leg injury claim payouts. We will use an example case study to describe the process step by step and provide links throughout the article to help you in your decision to launch a claim.
If you were left seriously injured by an accident that was not your fault, our friendly team are on hand 24/7 to discuss your case. With access to free, no-obligation legal advice, we can answer any questions or queries you may have. Please feel free to contact us on 0800 408 7825 or also drop us a line at publicinterestlawyers.co.uk where we would be happy to help.
Select A Section
- A Guide To Calculate Crushed Leg And PTSD Compensation
- Can A Crushed Leg Cause PTSD?
- PTSD Financial Issues With Crushed Legs
- Main Causes Of PTSD And Crushed Legs
- You Could Receive Care Claims
- Compensation Estimates For Crushed Leg Injuries And PTSD
- Case Study: £45,000 Crushed Leg PTSD Amounts
- Specialist Compensation Calculation Estimates
- Leg Injuries From Car Accidents – How Much Could I Receive?
- Benefit From No Win No Fee Agreements
- Where Are Top Quality Personal Injury Solicitors?
- Speak With Us
- Extra Guides
A Guide To Calculate Crushed Leg And PTSD Compensation
Throughout this guide, we will cover a wide range of different aspects of making a personal injury claim for an accident that was not your fault. If at any point you have a question or require further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We will look at the example case of Mr. Owen who suffered a crushed leg and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in a workplace accident and was successfully awarded £45,000.
Each situation is different, but we examine the process that has helped many receive substantial leg injury claim payouts. We concentrate on accidents that happened in the workplace, in a public setting, or on the roads in a road traffic accident (RTA’s). We show you how to:
- Record your accident properly
- Establish who had ‘duty of care’ to protect your safety
- Confirm that care was breached
- Confirm through a medical examination a diagnosis of your injuries
- Retain proof of costs to you as a consequence of your injuries
- Accurately value your claim
Can A Crushed Leg Cause PTSD?
An injury as severe as a crushed leg is likely to be a day you will never forget and as research into PTSD by the NHS shows, it can affect anyone.
In the workplace, there are laws to protect you such as The Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974 which clearly states employers have responsibilities to protect employees’ health in as much as reasonably possible. It’s very thorough and worth taking the time to read. It may clarify details about your accident. If you have an accident at work it is very important you have it logged in the accident book.
If your accident happened in a public setting, by which we mean an area controlled by a private company or local authority, there is another law that seeks to protect your safety in similar ways. The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 obliges all private operators to ensure anywhere open to the public is as safe as possible. This includes parks, open spaces, even beaches. Again, worth a read as it may surprise you just how strict the laws are.
The third area we cover are accidents on the roads. Once again, the roads and highways are all covered under The Highway Code which specifically requests all road users to demonstrate a duty of care to each other, irrespective of age or driving experience. This law even goes so far as to request that road users must assume some drivers will not show due care and diligence, and to be mindful of that risk.
Most of normal day life takes place in one of these three environments. If your injury happened here and you feel that it could have been avoidable, you may have grounds to make a claim. Contact us today to see how we might be able to help you.
PTSD Financial Issues With Crushed Legs
After the initial trauma of a serious accident, you may feel that with time, you can heal and move past the event. With PTSD this is not always the case. The recollection of what happened to you can worsen over time rather than improve and you may find every area of your life impacted by the mental anguish it creates. It’s important to note that PTSD can make you feel afraid, depressed or angry after an accident.
The most profound problem could be your ability to work. If we refer to the NHS site above, you can see that the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are often severe anxiety, the result of actual changes in brain function caused by what you lived through. To the outside world you may seem perfectly able to return to work and function normally, but inside you fight a daily battle with overwhelming fear.
There are leg injury claim payouts that can award general damages in their own right as well as reflecting the impact of PTSD, which we’ll come on to in more detail in a moment. A skilled No Win No Fee lawyer would be able to recognise the many different ways that both crushed legs and PTSD have radically disrupted your life and how that translates into money difficulties.
Special damages can defray out-of-pocket costs for therapy and counseling, lost earnings due to your inability to face work yet, and numerous other miscellaneous expenses that you have incurred due to your injuries, and PTSD is most definitely recognised as an injury.
Main Causes Of PTSD And Crushed Legs
Any accident that results in an impact on your legs has the potential to crush them, depending on the nature of the event. Road traffic accidents and serious car collision, a falling object, you personally falling from a height, being the victim an assault – they can all carry the risk of serious, life-altering damage to the legs.
Accidents in the workplace are remarkably common and you can read this government statistic website for further information about types and prevalence. Our example case study accident happened at work and includes an additional dimension to the pain and suffering of a mutilated limb in the form of mental suffering, diagnosed as PTSD.
As a sufferer of PTSD, it would be crucial to get the right counseling and support to help you overcome your accident, accept it in a healthy way, and put your life back together.
You Could Receive Care Claims
Fighting a battle on two fronts, you will need to attend to the physical demands of healing from your leg injury as a priority. During this difficult time, you might need assistance with basic domestic tasks and may not have family or friends that you can rely upon to help. You may be forced to pay for professional care. The NHS state that needing a carer who lives with you can cost between £650 – £1,600 per week.
This is where a personal injury lawyer with the expertise to calculate special damages can really make a difference. With the right guidance and advice about retaining receipts and bills, all of these costs are potentially refundable. Without proof, the defendant may not pay and the money is lost to you.
Compensation Estimates For Crushed Leg Injuries And PTSD
A medical assessment is vital to underpin the success of your case, but don’t be alarmed. This is simply an opportunity for a medical professional to confirm that your injuries were sustained as a result of what happened to you, and to confirm it wasn’t a pre-existing condition. For PTSD. an appointment with a psychiatric counsellor can also provide proof of your condition and bolster your claim. It can also be a much welcome opportunity to discuss your condition and learn about your prognosis.
We touched briefly on general and special damages above, but in more detail, the two heads of claim that your No Win No Fee lawyer look at are as follows:
- General damages. There is a body called the Judicial College who produce guidelines every year or so in which they value potential compensation amounts for a head to toe group of injuries. These amounts have parameters that reflect the severity of the injury and its discretional award.
- Special damages seek to address all the financial implications of injuries. Armed with a medical evaluation, your personal injury solicitor will be able to accurately calculate damages that take into account loss of earnings, loss of bonuses, medical modifications to home or lifestyle, travel costs to and from the hospital, and crucially, in this case, counseling and psychiatric fees.
Using general and special damages, solicitors are able to boost compensation amounts to take into account all the effects of what happened, to alleviate anguish about money, and restore finances. If you feel that you were the victim of an accident caused by negligence, contact us today to see how a No Win No Fee lawyer could help you.
Case Study: £45,000 Crushed Leg PTSD Amounts
Used to operating the mechanical lift, Mr. Owen went about his daily job at the plant as second nature after 30 years. Well aware how the machines worked, on the day of his accident he had been moving some heavy materials when the fork-lift malfunctioned. He reported this to his line manager who brushed it off as a technical glitch and told him to carry on.
Later that day the malfunction happened again, this time dropping several hundred kilos of material into the cabin of the truck, most of which landed in Mr. Owen’s leg. It was a nasty accident resulting in a fractured femur. It was Mr. Owen’s reaction to his accident that proved to be the most long-lasting effect.
At first, he was in deep shock. He had never injured himself before and was horrified at the experience. To make matters worse he was trapped for several hours in the forklift as the machine had to be cut away to get him out. As he was removed by emergency responders from the machine and taken to the hospital, the true panic and distress set in. Mr Owen had to have emergency surgery to save his leg and his mobility, he needed 2 more operations after the first. He was in hospital for several weeks. His mental state quickly deteriorated and he no longer could function on a normal level.
He suffered greatly with nightmares and flashbacks, he hardly slept and ate very little. He tried to return a couple of times to work but an overwhelming panic stopped him from entering the plant and he would return home, distressed and angry with himself.
After consulting with his doctor and chatting to a mental health counsellor, he was diagnosed as suffering from PTSD as a result of the accident at work. With financial worries beginning to edge him closer into a state of despair, he decided to consult with a No Win No Fee solicitor about what had happened. He knew that his company should not have asked him to operate a faulty machine and all his suffering might have been avoided. The solicitor agreed.
Mr Owen’s case was settled in his favour and he was awarded £45,000 in recognition of the accident, the pain and suffering it caused, the PTSD it triggered and financial losses.
Whilst this case is purely an example, it illustrates how a claim can be valued. If something like this has happened to you, contact us today to see how you might benefit from free, no-obligation legal advice.
Specialist Compensation Calculation Estimates
Your case is so much more than figures in a calculator. Everyone’s circumstances vary and it’s only after speaking to a No Win No Fee solicitor that all the relevant facts can be established. Mr. Owen’s case would have a break down of damages similar to this:
| General damages | Special damages |
|---|---|
| Less Severe Leg Injury 30,000 | Lost earnings and future lost earnings 4,400 |
| Moderate PTSD 10,000 | Counselling for PTSD – £500 |
| Travel costs to these appointments – £100 |
As you can see, special damages almost doubled his initial expectations and gave him the freedom and time to truly recover from his ordeal.
Leg Injuries From Car Accidents – How Much Could I Receive?
This section will provide more information about the potential leg injury and PTSD compensation amounts you could receive from a successful claim. Your potential general damages compensation figure is partly based on the severity of the injury. For instance, you may receive more compensation if you’re claiming for crushed legs leading to permanent damage than if you’re claiming for a minor leg fracture that heals quickly.
You may want to know more about potential PTSD compensation payouts in the UK. The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can give you a better idea of what you could receive. Legal professionals use these guidelines to give clients a clearer picture of how much their injury could be worth.
The figures have been taken from the 2022 guidelines and are based on previous successful court payouts in England and Wales. Please remember that this information is only supposed to give you an idea of what you could receive.
| Type of Injury | Description | Category | Bracket of Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg | Loss of Both Legs – both legs would be lost above the knee or one has been lost below and one above the knee. | Amputations – (a)(i) | £240,790 to £282,010 |
| Leg | Amputation of Both Legs, Below the Knee. | Amputations – (a)(ii) | £201,490 to £270,100 |
| Leg | Amputation of One Leg, Above the Knee. | Amputations – (a)(iii) | £104,830 to £137,470 |
| Leg | Amputation of One Leg, Below the Knee. | Amputations – (a)(iv) | £97,980 to £132,990 |
| Leg | This bracket relates to the most serious leg injuries that fall short of amputation. | Severe – (b)(i) | £96,250 to £135,920 |
| Leg | Very serious leg injuries that can lead to permanent mobility issues. | Severe – (b)(ii) | £54,830 to £87,890 |
| Leg | Serious leg injuries in this bracket include ligament or joint damage causing prolonged treatment and instability. | Severe – (b)(iii) | £39,200 to £54,830 |
| PTSD | Permanent effects are caused that create an inability for the injured person to work at all. | Severe – (a) | £59,860 to £100,670 |
| PTSD | A better prognosis than the PTSD injury results from professional help. | Moderately Severe – (b) | £23,150 to £59,860 |
| PTSD | A large degree of recovery will be made by the injured person. | Moderate – (c) | £8,180 to £23,150 |
If you would like a quotation for your potential compensation relating to your injury, please contact us using the above details for legal advice that is completely free.
Compensation Payouts For PTSD
As you can see in the table above, PTSD compensation amounts vary. In addition to compensation payouts for PTSD, if you have PTSD as the result of a crushed leg injury, you would be claiming for multiple injuries.
Additionally, compensation payouts for PTSD may include a second head of claim. This is called special damages. It is under this head that you could claim for the costs incurred because of your injuries, both mental and physical. However, to claim special damages, you must be able to supply proof of your costs. This could mean presenting receipts, invoices or even your payslips.
Special damages could include:
- Therapy costs if these aren’t covered by the NHS.
- Mobility aids.
- Car and home adaptations.
- Transport costs to your medical appointments.
- Prescription costs.
- Loss of earnings.
You may have incurred other expenses due to your injuries that you would like to recover. If you can prove them, you could claim for them.
Call our advisors to discuss what you could claim under special damages as well as what evidence you could use to support this part of your claim.
Benefit From No Win No Fee Agreements
You may be worried about the practicalities of using a solicitor to handle your case. Is it expensive? Will the court case be a long and painful experience? We might be able to assure you of some of these points straight away. There are many advantages to using a No Win No Fee or CFA (Conditional Fee Agreement) solicitor. Such as:
- There are no fees to pay upfront
- There are no fees to pay while your case is ongoing
- There is absolutely nothing to pay your solicitor should your case lose
- If your case is successful, you pay a ‘success fee’ only after you have received your compensation
- That fee is capped by law, so that you receive the bulk of the payout
- You receive advice and support throughout your case
Where Are Top Quality Personal Injury Solicitors?
Searches on the internet may provide useful reviews, but they can also generate a huge amount of search results, leaving you more confused than ever. When looking for a good No Win No Fee solicitor, ask yourself the following questions;
- How successful are they getting leg injury claim payouts?
- Will they value my claim correctly?
- Are they good at client communication?
- Have they been trading for a long time?
These questions can help narrow the search. Alternatively, we can help. Contact us today and we can introduce you to personal injury solicitors who all work to a No Win No Fee structure. It’s not important where you live as they can handle your case remotely and you benefit from top-quality service.
Speak With Us
We hope you have found this guide useful and informative. If you’re happy to proceed with a claim or would like more information on any of the topics we’ve discussed, there are three ways you can get in touch:
- Call us 24/7 on 0800 408 7825
- Write to us about your claim online
- Use our ‘Live Chat’ dropbox bottom right
Extra Guides
For more information about PTSD, please click here.
For further details about accident hot-spots, please read here.
The Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974 in full, here.
For information about claims against the Council, please read here.
More information about NHS self-care costs.
For more information about accidents whilst out shopping and public places.
Article by EA
Publisher EC.