Foot Injury Compensation Claims

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Foot Injuries At Work

The foot is made up of ligaments and tendons binding together 26 bones; 7 tarsals, 5 metatarsals and 14 phalanges. The feet play a crucial role in human movement, and serious injuries in this area may require protracted immobility and considerable time off work. Injuries to the feet normally result from sudden heavy trauma, causing fractures and breaks to one of more of the 26 bones. Ligaments and tendons are also susceptible to damage however, and the severity of foot injuries and compensation awards varies accordingly.

Types Of Foot Injury

The most common type of accident in the workplace resulting in foot injuries is when a heavy object is dropped or falls onto the feet. Such injuries often occur in factories, warehouses, kitchens and construction sites, where manual handling of heavy objects is a central part of the job. Depending on the size and weight of the falling object, injuries to the feet range from minor bruising to crush injuries which in their most severe form involve multiple fractures and may require amputation of one or both feet. Employers have a statutory duty to provide workers with appropriate protective footwear such as steel capped boots in this context, as well as to ensure that working practices minimize the prospect of such accidents occurring in the first place.

Typical Causes Of Foot Injuries

Foot injuries may also be caused by slips, trips and falls which over-stretch or twist the ligaments and tendons in the feet. Such strains, sprains and tears normally resolve themselves within a few weeks. Another form of foot injury affects those who regularly work at height. Prolonged periods spent on a ladder or scaffold balancing heavy loads may lead to stress fractures in the feet, or painful conditions such as Metatarsalgia developing, where the ball of the foot swells up. Ligaments and tendons in the shins may also become strained, ruptured or torn through similar work practices. Again the employer has a duty to ensure that workers are not subject to excessive physical stresses, observe safety procedures, and take adequate breaks.

Treatment Of Foot Injuries

Medical treatment for fractures to the feet will be determined by a doctor's examination of x-rays. Essentially a broken bone needs to be put back in place and supported until it heals. In less serious cases this may involve specialist footwear, or a limited period of immobility in plaster cast. In more extreme cases, such as severe crush injuries and spiral fractures, surgery may be required, along with the insertion of metal plates and pins. The most serious cases may require full or partial amputation of toes or feet. In most foot fracture cases injured persons are likely to experience intermittent pain, sensitivity and discomfort even after the injury has fully healed.

Foot Injury Compensation Awards

Foot injuries requiring amputation involve the highest compensation awards, between £108,000 and £128,500 for amputation of both feet, and between £53,500 and £70,000 for the amputation of one foot. Very severe foot injuries will attract a similar level of compensation, where ongoing, severe pain or a serious, permanent disability and restriction of movement are the result. Injuries involving fractures to both feet with a substantial restriction of mobility and ongoing pain will result in compensation awards between £29,250 and £43,000. Where injuries are less severe, but treatment and pain are prolonged with a future risk of osteoarthritis developing, foot injury compensation will range between £16,000 and £25,000. A moderate foot injury involving metatarsal fractures, permanent deformity and ongoing symptoms will result in awards between £8,750 and £16,000. Simple fractures or ruptured ligaments will lead to foot injury compensation awards of up to £8,750, depending on the presence of ongoing symptoms and recovery time. It is important to remember that these compensation award estimates reflect compensation for the actual injury itself, and do not include other factors for which an injured person may be compensated, including loss of earnings and the cost of medical treatment.

Bartletts Solicitors are specialists in the field of foot injury compensation claims. We work on a no win no fee basis meaning if you win your case you keep 100% of damages awarded, and if you lose you do not pay a penny.

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