Your hips are so important that any type of injury can have a massive impact on your daily life. As well as causing significant pain, a broken hip can stop you from walking, driving and working. Therefore, it’s important to point out that if your hip was broken in an accident that was not your fault, you could be eligible to claim compensation. In this guide, we’ll answer the question, “How much compensation for a broken hip?” and look at the types of accidents that could mean you’re eligible to claim compensation.

Our team offers a free initial telephone assessment to review your options. Your advisor will find out more about what happened and answer your questions. If they believe a claim is viable, they’ll connect you with one of our personal injury solicitors. The good news is that all accepted broken hip compensation claims are handled on a No Win No Fee basis. Therefore, there’s nothing to pay if you don’t receive compensation.

Please call us on 0800 6524 881 to discuss your case or read on to learn more about claiming compensation for a broken hip.

What Is A Broken Hip?

A broken hip refers to a fracture in the upper part of the femur (thigh bone), near the hip joint. The injury can also be described as a Fractured Neck of Femur (NOF) or simply a broken hip. Trochanteric hip fractures affect the widest part of the neck while subcapital hip fractures occur near the femoral head.

According to the NHS, the symptoms of a broken hip include:

• Pain in the upper leg or hip.
• Bruising or swelling in the affected area.
• Difficulty standing or bearing weight on the affected leg.
• Difficulty moving the leg.
• The leg appears to be at an odd angle (or it is shorter than the other leg).

The severity of your broken hip will determine what treatment will be needed. This can include fixing the bones with pins, plates and screws, partial hip replacement or complete hip replacement. These types of hip surgery can cause ongoing pain and discomfort, so this will need to be taken into account when claiming compensation for a broken hip.

Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For A Broken Hip?

When reviewing a potential compensation claim for a broken hip, our personal injury solicitors will assess whether:

• The defendant owed you a legal duty of care; and
• An accident occurred because the defendant was negligent; and
• You sustained a broken hip in that accident.

If all three criteria are met in your case, one of our solicitors may agree to take your broken hip claim on. Don’t worry if you’re not sure if you’re eligible to claim as this is what we’ll check during your free consultation.

Common Accidents Causing Broken Hips

As stated in the previous section, any type of accident caused by somebody else’s negligence could mean you’re eligible to claim compensation for a broken hip. We won’t provide information of every type of accident but some common examples include:

• Slips, trips and falls. For example, you could claim compensation for a broken hip after tripping on a large pothole.
• Care home accidents. Broken hips can occur if a care home resident is dropped while the wrong lifting technique was being used or if the safety rail on their bed failed.
• Car accidents. Serious car accidents caused by careless driving can cause significant trauma to the hip region, leading to a broken hip.
• Bicycle accidents. It is more common for vulnerable road users like a cyclist hit by a car to suffer a fractured hip in an RTA.
• Pedestrian accidents. Being struck by a work van as a pedestrian can cause severe injuries, including hip fractures.
• Horse riding accidents. Falling from a horse or being kicked, trampled or crushed by a horse can potentially result in hip fractures.
• Accidents at work. You could claim for a broken hip at work if your employer’s negligence was to blame. For example, you could claim if a pile of crates fell on you in a forklift truck accident and crushed your hip because they’d been stacked unsafely.

Whether we’ve listed your accident here or not, please get in touch and we’ll review your claim for free to see how much compensation for a broken hip you could claim.

How Much Compensation Will I Get For A Broken Hip?

If you’ve broken your hip, you’ll no doubt know how serious an injury it can be. Compensation that covers both physical and mental suffering caused by a broken hip is called general damages. In addition, you could claim special damages for any costs linked to your hip injury.

Broken Hip Compensation Amounts For General Damages

Below are some examples of how much compensation a broken hip might be worth. However, these are simply a selection of guideline figures for general damages. A more personalised estimate will be provided by your solicitor once they’ve assessed your claim in full (including obtaining a medical report from an independent specialist).

• £39,170 – £52,500 compensation for a broken hip that is considered severe.
• £12, 590 – £39,170 compensation for a  broken hip considered as a moderate injury.
• £3,950 – £12,590 compensation for a  broken hip is considered a lesser injury.

Special Damages Compensation

If you win compensation for a broken hip, it could also include damages to cover applicable factors such as:

• The cost of private hospital treatment.
• Care costs to cover a private carer or the support of a loved one.
• Travel costs.
• Lost income. Additionally, future losses could be covered too.
• The cost of replacing personal items damaged in the accident.
• To make it easier for you to cope with the impact of a broken hip, the cost of adapting your vehicle or home could also be covered.

To try and ensure that you receive the correct settlement for a broken hip, your solicitor will go through everything with you in detail before the claim is submitted to the defendant.

Evidence To Support A Broken Hip Compensation Claim

If you’re to receive compensation for a broken hip, evidence will need to be supplied to show how the accident occurred and who caused it. You’ll also need to demonstrate how your broken hip has affected you. The types of evidence that might help you to do so include:

• Photographs taken at the accident scene to prove what caused it.
• Copies of your hip x-rays, doctor’s notes and medical records from the hospital that treated you.
• Copies of the accident report form if you broke your hip in an accident at a public place or at work.
• Witness statements from anybody who saw you get injured. Your family and friends might also be asked about how you’ve been affected by your broken hip.
• Video footage from dashcams, CCTV cameras or body-worn security cameras if your accident was recorded.

In addition, you could provide copies of any financial records that show expenses you’ve incurred as a result of your broken hip.

Don’t worry if you don’t have everything we’ve listed. You can still call for a free consultation and your solicitor will try to find any further information needed if your claim is taken on.

Time Limits For Claiming Broken Hip Compensation

As you might be aware, in the UK, there is a 3-year time limit for personal injury claims. If you try to claim outside of the limitation period, there’s a chance your claim will be refused and you’d not be paid the compensation for a broken hip you might be entitled to. For most broken hip compensation claims, the time limit will usually begin on the date of the accident.

There are some good reasons to start your claim promptly. The main one is that if the defendant accepts liability quickly, they may agree to make interim payments so that you can get private hospital treatment for your injuries. Also, an early start should mean there’s ample time to collect evidence and medical records.

If you’re claiming on behalf of a child injured in a car accident, for example, the time limit doesn’t start until their 18^th birthday so claims are possible at any point before then. Also, if you’re representing a loved one without the mental capacity to manage their own claim as a litigation friend, there is no time limit for claiming until their mental capacity is regained.

Starting The Broken Hip Compensation Claims Process

Thanks for reading this guide on broken hip compensation claims. To speak to us about your options, please feel free to call our team on 0800 6524 881 today. You’ll receive free legal advice but you’re under no obligation to make a claim. If that’s what you decide to do so though, we’ll connect you with one of our personal injury solicitors.

If your claim is accepted, your solicitor will manage the whole process on your behalf. They won’t need to be paid upfront though as they’ll work for you on a No Win No Fee basis. As a result, legal fees only need to be paid if you’re compensated.

Please feel free to call or connect to our live chat service if you’d like to find out how much compensation for a broken hip you could receive.