While hockey is a fairly safe game there is a risk of injury due to the hard ball, hockey sticks and the pace the game is played at. While many injuries can be part and parcel of the game, if your hockey injury was caused by some form of negligence by somebody else, you may be eligible to make a hockey injury claim for compensation.

Our specially trained advisors can help if you’ve any questions about a hockey injury. Firstly, they’ll review what happened during a no-obligation consultation. After that, they’ll explain your chances of being compensated and give you free advice. If one of our personal injury solicitors offers to represent you, they’ll provide a No Win No Fee service. As a result, legal fees will only need to be paid if the claim is successful.

Please call us today on 0800 6524 881 to discuss your claim or read on to learn more about the hockey injury claims process.

Am I Eligible To Make A Hockey Injury Claim?

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

• You were owed a duty of care by the defendant in your claim; and
• As a result of the defendant’s negligence, an incident or accident occurred whilst playing hockey; and
• You sustained injuries due to that incident.

If your claim meets the criteria above, one of our personal injury solicitors may agree to represent you. To find out more about how we could help, please call today.

Who Might Be Liable For Hockey-Related Injuries?

If you’re eligible to make a hockey-related injury claim, compensation will usually be paid for by an insurance policy. This could be held by your own hockey team if the accident happened during a training session, a local authority or the owner of the hockey venue.

To try and ensure your claim is handled as quickly as possible, your solicitor will try to determine who is liable as early as possible in the claims process.

Common Types Of Hockey

Hockey means different things to different people, however, the most common types of hockey are:

• Field hockey is generally played on grass or astroturf pitches with wooden sticks and a hard ball.
• Uni hock is often played in schools with plastic sticks and balls.
• Ice hockey is played on an ice rink with a hard puck and carbon fibre sticks.
• Inline roller hockey is the same as ice hockey but is played in a hall on roller skates.

Whatever form of hockey you play, you could be compensated if you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence.

Common Injuries In Hockey

In essence, compensation could be claimed for almost any hockey-related injury caused by somebody else’s negligence. In our experience, though, some common hockey injuries that could lead to a claim include:

• Ligament, tendon or muscle injuries.
• Fractured bones or dislocated joints.
• Concussions and minor head injuries.
• Back injuries.
• Rotator cuff injuries and other shoulder injuries.
• Groin strains.
• Hip injuries.
• Eye injuries.
• Facial injuries eg a fractured jaw or broken nose.
• Teeth damage.

Whatever type of hockey injury you’ve suffered, if you believe the incident that caused it was avoidable and caused by somebody else, please let us know so that we can review your options for free.

Examples Of Negligence In A Hockey Match

Whatever form of a hockey game or match you’re involved in, there will almost always be a chance of injury simply because of the types of equipment involved. As described above though, hockey injury claims must be based on some form of negligence by a third party. For example, you might be able to claim for hockey injuries caused by:

• Poor umpiring/refereeing or supervision.
• Faulty, damaged or badly maintained hockey equipment.
• Torn astroturf, raised boards or damaged ice rink.
• Poor coaching advice.
• Negligent treatment by your team’s first aider or physio.
• Violence from another player.
• Violence from a spectator.
• Being allowed to play without a helmet (ice or roller hockey) or face protection (when facing short corners in field hockey).

These forms of negligence (and others) could all lead to a hockey injury claim if they resulted in your injuries. Please call our team to find out more.

Hockey Injuries Caused By Violence

In ice and inline hockey, fights involving umpires, players and even spectators have been known to take place. If you were injured in an assault because of negligent refereeing or another form of negligence, you might be able to claim compensation against the league or match organiser.

If there was nothing that could’ve been done to prevent the assault, you may still be eligible to make a criminal injury claim. This is possible through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Bear in mind, though, that the incident must have been reported to the police and there is a shorter 2-year time limit for claiming.

We can help with CICA claims on a No Win No Fee basis so please call to discuss whether your claim could be taken on.

How Much Compensation For A Hockey Injury Could I Claim?

Hockey injuries can affect players in different ways, therefore it’s important to assess how you have suffered before filing a hockey injury claim. To help assess how you’ve been affected, you’ll generally need a medical assessment (arranged by your solicitor) of your hockey-related injury to be carried out by an independent specialist. Their report about how your injuries have affected you will form the basis of any compensation your solicitor will claim for your physical pain and suffering.

You can, however, use our compensation calculator for general damages to get some idea of how much compensation for various injuries could be awarded:

In addition to your physical injuries, your claim could include damages where applicable to cover:

• Lost income if your injuries prevented you from working.
• Psychological trauma (anxiety, distress etc).
• Loss of enjoyment of hockey or of your other normal activities prevented by your injuries.
• Physiotherapy and other medical/medication expenses.
• Care costs.
• Future lost earnings for longer-term hockey injuries.
• Travel expenses.
• The cost of making your home or car more accessible if you’ve sustained catastrophic injuries.

Assessing how you’ve suffered is an important part of the claims process. Therefore, your solicitor will discuss this with you in detail so that everything is included in your hockey injury claim and that you are compensated fairly.

Evidence To Support Hockey Injury Claims

To prove how you’ve suffered from your hockey injury and who was to blame, you will need to supply as much supporting evidence as possible. This evidence could include:

• Video footage. If the hockey game was being recorded, you should ask for a copy of any footage of your accident.
• Medical evidence. It’s always a good idea to visit a hospital or GP surgery to have any hockey injury properly diagnosed. If you then go on to make a hockey injury claim, there will be medical notes available that could be used to prove your injuries.
• Witness statements. Your solicitor might want witness statements that help verify your version of what happened. Therefore, supply details of as many witnesses as you can when you start your claim.
• Accident reports. Hockey clubs should keep records of any accidents and subsequent injuries. A copy of your accident report could help to prove where and when your accident occurred.
• Photographs. Any visible hockey injuries should be photographed regularly as you recover. These can help to prove the amount of suffering you’ve endured. Also, you should take pictures of any defects or faults that caused your accident.

You won’t need all of the evidence listed here just to start a hockey injury claim with us. Simply call our team, explain what happened and, if your claim is taken on, your solicitor will work hard to obtain any further information that’s needed.

Hockey Injury Claim Time Limits

Generally, a hockey injury claim in the UK must be started within 3 years of your accident or the date your injury was diagnosed by a medical professional. If you leave things too late, your claim could become statute-barred which means you could miss out on being compensated.

If your child has been injured playing hockey, their 3-year time limit begins on their 18^th birthday. That will usually allow a lot more time for the claim to be started as guardians or parents can act on the child’s behalf as a litigation friend before they become an adult.

Starting The Hockey Injury Claims Process

We’re ready to help if you’d like to claim compensation for a hockey-related injury. There’s no obligation to take legal action if you call us on 0800 6524 881 but it will make your options clearer. During your initial consultation, a specialist will offer free advice and answer any queries you might have.

If you decide to make a claim with one of our personal injury solicitors representing you, they’ll manage the whole process on a No Win No Fee basis. By doing so, they’ll take on any financial risks as you’ll only pay their fees if you are paid compensation.

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