Gymnastics is a demanding sport, especially for children who have not fully developed physically and emotionally. If your child has suffered an injury while taking part in gymnastics due to somebody else’s negligence, they might be eligible to claim compensation. Our guide on gymnastics injury claims explains the claims process in detail and reviews how much compensation might be paid.

You can get free legal advice about starting a gymnastics injury claim as part of our initial no-obligation consultation. After your call, if one of our personal injury solicitors believes the case is strong enough, they might offer to manage the claim on a No Win No Fee basis. Therefore, there won’t be any legal fees payable upfront and you won’t pay them unless compensation is awarded.

For more details on making a claim, please read on. If you’re ready to speak to a specialist right away, call us on 0800 6524 881 today.

Am I Eligible To Make A Gymnastics Injury Claim?

Generally, to be eligible to make a gymnastics injury claim, you’ll need to prove:

• Your child was owed a duty of care by the defendant; and
• The defendant’s negligence during gymnastics caused an accident or incident; and
• Your child was injured as a result.

Negligence is the key criterion that must be proven if your child is to be compensated. Essentially, if an accident or incident was foreseeable but nothing was done to prevent it, your child could receive compensation for any subsequent suffering.

Who Might Be Liable For A Gymnastics Injury?

The liability for a gymnastics injury can vary depending on the specific circumstances of what happened. However, some examples are:

• The owner or occupier of the gymnastics club or facility if a gymnast was injured due to inadequate supervision, faulty equipment, or unsafe training conditions.
• Gymnastics coaches or instructors if the injury resulted from their negligence. For example, if they failed to provide proper instructions, pushed a gymnast beyond their capabilities, or ignored safety regulations.
• Event organisers if the injury happened during a gymnastics event or competition. For example, if they failed to provide a safe environment, adequate supervision, or allowed dangerous conditions to exist.
• If the injury was the result of the actions or inactions of another gymnast or individual, such as reckless behaviour or intentional harm, the responsible individual might be held liable.

If you or your child’s been injured in a gymnastics-related incident, please contact us to see if you’re eligible to make a claim.

Examples Of Negligence Leading To Gymnastics Injury Claims

As we’ve shown above, gymnastic injury claims will only proceed if the injuries were caused by some form of negligence by the defendant. Therefore, if you or your child has suffered an unavoidable gymnastics injury and nobody else was at fault, a claim probably wouldn’t be possible. However, you may be eligible to file a claim in the following scenarios:

• Your child was injured because of poor coaching advice i.e. being told to train or compete whilst injured.
• If an accident occurred because of a poorly maintained gymnasium i.e. trips and falls caused by damaged flooring in the performance area.
• Your child was injured by damaged equipment i.e. falling off a pommel horse, rings or parallel bars because of a fault or poor maintenance.

If you believe your child has suffered a gymnastics injury because of somebody else’s negligence, please get in touch. As part of your free consultation, we’ll assess who the claim should be made against if that is not immediately clear.

Common Injuries In Gymnastics

Gymnastics can certainly take its toll on the body. Some of the most common injuries linked to gymnastics include:

If any of these gymnastic injuries have been caused by another party’s negligence, please call 0800 6524 881 to see if you could claim compensation.

Gymnastics Abuse Compensation Claims

In June 2022 the Whyte Review into allegations of mistreatment in gymnastics. Unfortunately, the report found instances that British Gymnastics had failed to stop or limit abusive behaviours in the sport. From 400 submissions, over 40 per cent of respondents reported physical abuse and more than half reported emotional abuse.

If your child has suffered any form of abuse whilst training or competing in gymnastics, they could be eligible to claim compensation for any physical or psychological injuries. Examples of gymnastics abuse that could lead to a compensation claim include:

• Anxiety caused by body shaming.
• Illnesses and eating disorders caused by excessive weight management.
• Physical injuries caused by overtraining or training whilst injured.

Many physical and psychological injuries sustained because of abusive training practices can have a long-term effect on your child’s well-being. Therefore, it is only right that this should be factored into any compensation claim.

If you decide to work with one of our solicitors, they’ll work tirelessly to try and ensure that your child receives a fair settlement to help them both now and in the future.

How Much Compensation For A Gymnastics Injury?

In reality, it’s difficult to provide an exact compensation estimate here as each gymnastics injury claim will be unique. However, you can use the compensation calculator below to see how much might be awarded for various injuries:

An independent medical specialist will meet you and your child during the gymnastics injury claims process to get a better understanding of your child’s prognosis. This will allow your solicitor to provide a more personalised compensation estimate.

In addition to their physical suffering, your child’s claim could include damages where applicable to cover:

• Any form of psychological suffering.
• Medical treatment costs to pay for physiotherapy or private surgery.
• Your time if you’ve cared for your child while they were injured.
• Future loss of earnings if your child’s injuries will reduce their capacity to earn.
• Travel expenses.
• Loss of amenity if any of your child’s usual hobbies have been affected.
• The cost of adapting your home if your child is left with permanent mobility issues.

To ensure a fair amount of compensation is paid, your solicitor will review the case in detail before it is filed.

How To Claim Compensation On Behalf Of Your Child

Legally, your child is not able to take legal action until they turn 18 years old. However, you could take action on their behalf so that they receive compensation when it is needed if their claim is successful.

All you need to do is to be approved as your child’s litigation friend so that you can manage the claims process for them. Our solicitors can help with the application process.

If the claim proceeds and a settlement offer is made, a court will need to check that it covers all of your child’s suffering. Any compensation paid will be placed into a court trust account until your child’s 18^th birthday.

Before then, the child’s litigation friend can ask for money to be released from the trust account so long as it will benefit the child i.e. to pay for care or treatment costs or to buy items to support your child.

Time Limits For Claiming Gymnastics Injury Compensation

Although there is a 3-year time limit for personal injury compensation claims in the UK, it does not apply to children. Therefore, if your child has been injured whilst training or competing in gymnastics due to negligence, you can claim on their behalf at any time before their 18^th birthday.

If you don’t act on your child’s behalf, their 3-year limitation period will begin on the date they turn 18 years old.

To help your child receive any compensation they’re due when they need it, we’d suggest that you start the claim as soon as you can. This will usually make the whole process easier as evidence and medical records should be easier to obtain.

Evidence To Support A Gymnastics Injury Claim

You could improve the chances of your child being compensated for their injuries by supplying supporting evidence. For gymnastics injury claims, this could include:

• Video footage. If you or anybody else recorded the gymnastics meet, you could supply any relevant footage to help prove how your child was injured.
• Medical evidence. To help prove the extent of your child’s injuries, your solicitor will request a copy of any medical notes, scans and X-rays.
• Witness statements. Others who saw the accident occur might be contacted by your solicitor to ask for a statement of what they saw.
• Accident reports. The gymnastics club or event organiser should keep a record of any accidents that have occurred. Your solicitor will request a copy to help prove the date, time and location of your child’s accident.
• Photographs. If gymnastic injuries were caused by faulty or damaged equipment, you should take photographs before the item is repaired or removed. Also, photographs of any visible injuries should be taken regularly.

Although it would be good to have all of this evidence already, don’t worry if you haven’t secured everything yet. You can still call for a free consultation and your solicitor will try to gather any further evidence that’s needed if your claim is taken on.

Starting The Gymnastics Injury Claims Process

We are ready to guide you through the claims process so please call us on 0800 6524 881 today. Whether you decide to take legal action or not, we’ll explain your options and answer all of your questions.

If it looks like your child should be compensated, a personal injury solicitor on our team may agree to represent them. If that’s the case, you’ll benefit from expert legal representation on a No Win No Fee basis. Knowing that you won’t pay legal fees in the event that your claim fails will usually make the whole process much less stressful.

If you have any further questions about gymnastic injury claims, our live chat team are ready to help.