A dislocated knee injury can be very uncomfortable and have a massive impact on your normal activities. The pain caused simply by walking or climbing the stairs can make everyday tasks impossible. A knee dislocation may even stop you from driving or working. Importantly, if your knee was dislocated in an accident caused by somebody else, you might be eligible to claim compensation. Therefore, this guide will look at how much compensation for a dislocated knee might be awarded.

So that you can understand your legal options, we offer a free initial consultation. There’s no obligation to claim with us but we will offer free advice after reviewing the merits of your claim with you. If your case is strong enough, you could be partnered with one of our personal injury solicitors. They’ll provide No Win No Fee representation if they take you on as a client so you’ll only pay legal fees if you receive compensation.

Please read on to find out more about claiming compensation for a dislocated knee or call us on 0800 6524 881 to have your case reviewed right away.

What Is A Dislocated Knee?

Your knee is the largest joint in your body. It is a hinge-like joint where the upper and lower leg bones meet. The knee is responsible for leg movement that allows you to walk, squat, sit or jump. The three bones that meet at the knee are the thigh bone (femur), shin bone (tibia) and the kneecap (patella).

Various ligaments, tendons and muscles are also involved in helping the leg to move and bear weight.

A dislocated knee occurs when the bones that make up the knee joint are forced out of their normal position. Importantly a dislocated knee is different to a dislocated kneecap and can be a serious and potentially life-threatening injury.

Common Symptoms Of A Dislocated Knee

The severity of the symptoms associated with a dislocated knee injury can vary but typically they can include:

• Severe pain in the knee which may be sudden and intense.
• The knee joint may become swollen and also feel stiff.
• It may be difficult or impossible to move the leg or put weight on the knee.
• The knee may appear visibly deformed, with the lower leg looking twisted or bent.

As mentioned above, a dislocated knee is a serious injury and is considered a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment to reduce the risk of complications.

Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For A Dislocated Kneecap?

A dislocated knee can cause a lot of disruption to your life so it’s worth finding out if you are eligible to claim compensation for your suffering. If you speak to one of our personal injury solicitors, they’ll check whether:

• Legally, you were owed a duty of care by the defendant; and
• A mistake (negligent act) by the defendant caused an accident; and
• You dislocated your knee in that accident.

If all of the above is true in your case, the solicitor may agree to take it on to try and secure the compensation for a dislocated knee you deserve.

Common Causes Of Dislocated Knee Compensation Claims

Based on the criteria in the previous section, any type of accident in which you dislocate your knee could lead to a compensation claim (if it was somebody else’s fault). We’re not going to list every potential scenario here but some common examples include:

• Sporting incidents. Some sporting injuries simply can’t be avoided and wouldn’t lead to a personal injury claim. However, if you dislocated your knee because of an unsafe playing surface, poor coaching or training advice or damaged equipment, a claim might be possible.
• Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs). Any direct trauma to the knee in a collision could result in a knee dislocation. If the RTA was caused by the other driver’s negligence, it might allow you to claim for any subsequent suffering.
• Workplace accidents. As your employer has a duty of care to try and keep the workplace as safe as possible, it might be possible to claim for knee injuries at work caused by their negligence. For example, you could claim if you dislocated your knee after you fell from a damaged ladder.
• Slips, trips and falls. While hand and arm injuries are fairly common during a fall, it is possible to dislocate your kneecap if you land on your knee or if your leg is twisted during a fall. If the incident was caused by negligence such as a wet floor without warning signs, a damaged carpet or an unrepaired pothole, a claim might be possible.

To find out if you could claim for a dislocated knee sustained in an accident (even if it’s not listed above), please call our team today.

How Much Compensation Will I Get For A Dislocated Knee?

When making a personal injury claim, you can use two heads of loss to calculate how much compensation for a dislocated knee should be awarded.

We’ve provided more details below.

General Damages For A Dislocated Knee

The general damages element of your claim is based on how much pain and discomfort your dislocated knee has caused. You can see some example compensation amounts for a dislocated knee below:

• £14,840 – £26,190 compensation for a dislocated knee considered as a moderate injury.
• Up to £13,740 where the injury is less serious than above.

General damages can also include damages to cover any psychological suffering and loss of amenity. This covers the impact your injuries have on your normal hobbies or activities.

Special Damages For A Dislocated Knee

Special damages cover out-of-pocket expenses caused by your dislocated knee. For example, you could claim for any:

• Travel expenses.
• Lost income (with future losses possible if your ability to work is affected for the long term).
• Care costs.
• Medical expenses including physiotherapy costs.
• Modifications to your car or home to make it easier to deal with your dislocated knee.
• Mobility aids or devices.

It is important to review all of the above carefully as you can only make one claim per injury. Therefore, your solicitor will go through everything with you in detail.

Evidence To Support A Dislocated Knee Compensation Claim

One of your solicitor’s key roles is to try and convince the defendant’s legal team or insurers about how you dislocated your knee and who was to blame. To do this, they’ll need to provide as much evidence for a dislocated knee compensation claim as possible. This can include:

• Medical reports. Proving that your knee dislocation was diagnosed by a medical professional is important. Therefore, your solicitor will request copies of your hospital notes.
• Accident report forms. If you reported your accident, it should’ve been listed in the defendant’s accident report book. A copy of the accident report will help to prove the date, time and location of your accident.
• Witness statements. These may be necessary to help prove how the accident or incident that caused your dislocated knee happened.
• Video recordings. Footage of your accident recorded on a dashcam, CCTV camera or mobile phone can be really helpful so you should try to secure any such footage as soon as possible.
• Photographs. Similarly, you could take photos of the accident scene to make it easier to understand how your kneecap was dislocated.

We’ll review any evidence you’ve got during your free consultation and your solicitor will help to secure any further information needed to support your claim.

Time Limits For Claiming Dislocated Knee Compensation

There are strict time limits in the UK for all personal injury claims. Generally, you’ll have 3 years to claim compensation for a dislocated knee from the date of your accident. Importantly, there’s no limitation period for child injury claims until their 18^th birthday. Therefore, we could help you to claim on behalf of your child before then.

While 3 years is a fair amount of time, you should try to avoid leaving things too late as there are a few tasks your solicitor will need to complete before filing your claim. Specifically, they’ll need to collect enough evidence and medical records to prove how you’ve suffered.

Claiming compensation for a dislocated knee can take as little as 6 to 9 months if an amicable agreement is reached. However, cases can take longer if more evidence is needed or further information about your injury is required.

Starting The Dislocated Knee Compensation Claims Process

If you’ve suffered because of a dislocated knee and somebody else was to blame, call us on 0800 6524 881 to speak to a specialist. We won’t pressure you and there’s no obligation to proceed with a claim but we will give you free advice after hearing about your case.

If you do wish to seek damages for your dislocated knee a personal injury solicitor on our team takes the claim on, you won’t need to pay any legal fees upfront as you’ll be represented on a No Win No Fee basis.

Please use our live chat feature if you’ve got any more questions about how much compensation for a dislocated knee you could potentially claim.