Faulty Fitness Equipment Injury – How Much Compensation Can You Claim?

Fitness equipment is meant to help you get healthier, not leave you injured. Unfortunately, defective or poorly maintained machines can cause serious accidents at home or in gyms. Importantly, if you’ve been hurt because a piece of fitness equipment was faulty, you may be eligible to make a faulty fitness equipment claim for compensation.

In this guide, we’ll explain when you may be eligible to claim, the types of injuries compensation could cover, and how our solicitors can help.

Our claims team offer a no-obligation review of what happened, along with free advice. If it looks like you should be compensated, a personal injury solicitor on our team could provide legal representation on a No Win No Fee basis.

To learn more about when a faulty fitness equipment claim might be possible, please continue reading. Alternatively, feel free to contact us on 0800 6524 881 right away.

Am I Eligible To Make A Faulty Fitness Equipment Injury Claim?

Anybody injured because of faulty fitness equipment may be able to claim compensation if negligence can be proven. This could include gym members, staff, or even those injured by defective home exercise equipment bought from a retailer.

Generally, for a faulty fitness equipment claim to succeed, you’ll need evidence to prove that:

• The manufacturer, supplier, or gym owed you a duty of care.
• That duty was breached because the equipment was defective or poorly maintained.
• You suffered an injury as a result.

For home equipment, the Consumer Protection Act 1987 allows claims against manufacturers or retailers if a product is defective. For accidents in the gym, operators have a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 to keep equipment safe for members and visitors.

If you’ve been hurt in an accident at the gym, we’d recommend reading our guide on gym injury compensation claims.

Common Causes Of Faulty Fitness Equipment Claims

In this section, we’ve listed a few of the most common reasons why you might be eligible to claim compensation for injuries from faulty/defective fitness equipment. They include:

• Design flaws. For example, if the frame of a weight-lifting machine was not strong enough to support the amount of weight supplied and buckled as a result.
• Manufacturing errors. In this example, you could claim if you’ve been injured by fitness equipment that was designed well but was not built correctly during manufacturing, e.g., a gear or safety bolt was missing.
• Poor instructions. Inadequate safety labels or usage instructions could also lead to a fitness equipment compensation claim if the omission caused you to become injured.
• Lack of maintenance. Gym operators must regularly check their fitness equipment as per the manufacturer’s guidelines and carry out regular maintenance (tightening screws and belts, oiling gears etc,).
• Damaged fitness equipment. In a gym, any damaged equipment should be repaired quickly or taken out of service. Failure to do so could lead to a compensation claim if you’re injured by the damaged fitness equipment.

We haven’t listed every single reason why you could claim for injuries caused by faulty fitness equipment, so if you would like us to clarify your options, please get in touch.

Common Injuries Caused By Faulty Fitness Equipment

You could be compensated for any injury caused by a faulty piece of fitness equipment. Some of the most common injuries that lead to claims include:

If you’d like us to check whether you might be eligible to claim for a gym or fitness equipment-related injury, please contact us today.

How Much Compensation For A Faulty Fitness Equipment Injury?

The amount of compensation for a faulty fitness equipment claim will typically depend on the severity of your injuries and their impact on your life. For example:

• A minor wrist fracture might be worth around £4,310 – £5,790.
• A more serious injury, like a fractured humerus affecting movement in the shoulder, could attract £15,580 to £23,430.

Importantly, the defendant’s insurers may try to settle the claim early. While this might seem appealing, you should check any settlement offer carefully to ensure it covers any suffering you’ve already endured and any problems that might occur in the future.

The following list includes some of the things you should consider if you do go on to make a faulty fitness equipment claim:

• Your physical injuries and the suffering they’ve caused.
• Any psychological harm, such as distress, PTSD or anxiety.
• The time invested in caring for you by someone else during your injury.
• Any income you’ve lost.
• Loss of amenity, e.g. any negative impact on your everyday hobbies and activities.
• The cost of replacing damaged personal property.
• Travel expenses.
• Medical expenses, such as the cost of physiotherapy.
• Future reductions in earnings for longer-term injuries.
• Home and vehicle modifications to help you deal with any ongoing injury or disability.

If you work with one of our personal injury solicitors, they’ll review everything in detail with you before the claim is filed to try and secure the correct level of compensation.

Compensation Calculator

Every personal injury claim is unique, so it is not possible to say exactly what settlement you could get until your claim has been assessed properly. However, our compensation calculator can give you an indication of how much compensation could be paid for certain injuries:

If you have been injured by faulty fitness equipment and would like to discuss with a personal injury solicitor potential compensation payouts, please contact us today.

Evidence To Support A Faulty Fitness Equipment Compensation Claim

To improve your chances of being compensated for your injuries, you’ll need evidence to show what caused your injuries, who was to blame and the impact your injuries have had on your life.

Therefore, your solicitor will work with you to obtain as much of the following as possible:

• Medical records. A key part of any claim. X-rays and medical notes can be requested from your doctor or the hospital where your injuries were diagnosed.
• Photographs. If you can, take photographs of any faults or defects in the fitness equipment. CCTV footage could also be useful if you were injured in a gym.
• Product documentation and packaging. These can help establish whether any inaccurate information or advice was provided and/or whether the manufacturer of the fitness equipment failed to comply with safety legislation.
• Witness statements. If your accident was seen by others, your solicitor could contact them to request statements about what happened.
• Independent expert reports. For manufacturing or design defects, your solicitor may need to ask a third party to assess the safety of the product you were injured by.
• Accident report forms. If the accident occurred in a gym, you are entitled to a copy of the accident report form. This is useful because it will confirm the date, time and location of your accident.
• Financial records. As we’ve shown, you may be able to recoup any out-of-pocket expenses linked to your injuries. Therefore, try to remember to keep any relevant receipts, previous and current wage slips and bank statements.

For free advice on any supporting evidence you’ve already secured, please get in touch with our team.

Time Limits For Faulty Fitness Equipment Injury Claims

You typically have 3 years to make any type of personal injury claim. For fitness equipment injury claims, this usually runs from the date of the accident, although exceptions can apply in some circumstances.

For children, the three-year limit starts on their 18th birthday (unless a litigation friend claims on their behalf earlier).

It’s usually better to start the claims process early if your injuries lead to financial suffering. That’s because you may be able to claim interim payments to help reduce the impact of lost earnings or medical expenses. Also, starting the claim as early as you should make it easier to secure evidence.

Do I Need A Solicitor To File A Faulty Fitness Equipment Claim?

While it’s possible to claim without legal representation, faulty fitness equipment claims can be tricky. Proving liability against manufacturers, suppliers, or gym operators often requires expert evidence. Having a personal injury solicitor on your side means:

• They can gather the evidence needed to support your case.
• They’ll handle all communication with insurers and defendants.
• They’ll negotiate for the maximum possible settlement.

All accepted claims are handled on a No Win No Fee basis, meaning you won’t pay legal fees unless you win compensation.

Starting The Faulty Fitness Equipment Injury Claims Process

We’re ready to help if you’ve been injured by faulty fitness equipment, so call us on 0800 6524 881 to get the process started. Whatever you decide to do, we’ll review your claim and provide free advice with no obligation.

Remember, if you decide to proceed and one of our specialist solicitors agrees to represent you, there won’t be any upfront legal fees. You’ll only pay your solicitor if they manage to secure a compensation payout on your behalf.

If you’d like more information about faulty fitness equipment injury claims or have any other questions, please use our live chat service to get in touch.