Regardless of how careful you are, there are always risks involved in taking part in sports. Even those at the top their game sometimes find themselves on the receiving end of a bad tackle or unfortunate slip which ends in a trip to the hospital or weeks on the bench.
However, for an unfortunate few the injuries they sustain while playing sports are not because of the game itself, but rather due to faulty equipment or poor facilities.
If this happens to you, you could be in a position to make a sporting accident compensation claim.
The types of injuries sustained from poorly-maintained equipment or facilities range in severity from something as simple as getting a graze from slipping on an uneven surface to more serious incidents caused by falls or broken equipment.
All sporting facilities in the UK must take out insurance in case anyone sustains an avoidable injury on their premises, which may have been caused by their negligence.
In the event that your injury is more severe, then using a no win, no fee personal injury lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve while you work at getting back on your feet and back in the game.
How do I claim for a sporting accident?
As with any personal injury claim, those looking to make a sporting accident compensation claim must be able to prove that the incident was not their fault.
In addition to this, it must be shown that the sporting accident did not occur following a legal tackle during a combat sport, for example when playing rugby or ice hockey.
Claims can be made regardless of where the injury happened, whether it was at the local leisure centre, at a school, on private property or on land owned by the government or local authority.
To ensure that your sporting accident compensation claim is successful, as much information as possible should be collected about the incident and the accident should be recorded at the time in a logbook by a member of staff.
Photographs of the area in which the accident occurred and the names and contact details of any witnesses may also help.
Remember, the vast majority of sports injuries which occur in the UK each year are not the fault of a third party and are simply due to the nature of the game.
To avoid receiving this type of injury certain steps can be taken which are detailed on the NHS website
These types of injuries, which can be split into acute and chronic, can be caused by not warming up correctly and pushing yourself beyond your limits. In the event that a person receives a sporting injury under these circumstances they are not entitled to make a compensation claim.
Sporting accidents among spectators
Occasionally, sports pose some risks to the people who are watching them, as well as those who are playing. While it is very rare, some spectators find that an innocent trip to a sporting event ends in personal injury.
If this injury was not their fault then the spectator may be able to claim accident compensation from a no win, no fee personal injury lawyer.
This type of claim can be made if it is shown that a fault in the facilities, possibly due negligence, caused the accident, rather than if it were simply a risk which was to be expected because of the nature of the event.
Those looking to make a claim as a spectator should follow the same guidelines as those making sporting accident claims, by recording as much information as possible and ensuring the incident is noted in the facility’s logbook.
