By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 3rd August 2023. Welcome to our guide about leg amputation claims. Whether you have suffered a traumatic amputation of your leg due to an accident at work or a road traffic accident that was someone else’s fault or lost a leg due to medical negligence, you may be wondering whether you could claim compensation and how much you be awarded if you lose a limb at work, on the road, or in a medical establishment. We’ll provide information on leg amputation injury claims as we continue.
Losing a leg could cost you more than just the limb itself. You may be unable to enjoy the same lifestyle that you did beforehand. If the leg amputation injury was someone else’s fault, then you may be able to be compensated for the pain and suffering you endured, any costs you incurred because of your injury, as well as any help/care you need in the long term.
Accident Claims UK produced this guide to illustrate the different situations that could lead to you being able to make a personal injury claim for amputated leg compensation. The guide covers some of the causes of a limb amputation and how we could help you claim compensation for your pain, suffering and losses incurred if your experience was as a result of third-party negligence. Call 0800 073 8801 if you have any questions or are ready to begin leg amputation claims.
Select A Section
- Leg Amputation Injury Claims – What Are The Eligibility Requirements?
- What Steps Should You Take If You Suffer A Leg Amputation Injury?
- Leg Amputation Injury Claims Payouts
- No Win No Fee Leg Amputation Injury Claims
- Essential Resources
Leg Amputation Injury Claims – What Are The Eligibility Requirements?
Leg amputations could happen in many different ways, which includes a medical condition or because of a traumatic injury caused by the following:
If someone else was at fault for your leg amputation injury, and you could prove this, they may be held liable. This may lead to you receiving compensation from leg amputation claims. You would need to prove that the responsible party had some duty of care towards you and failed in that duty, which led to you suffering a leg amputation.
Claiming compensation would never bring back the limb you lost, but it could help pay for the best prosthetics, other medical costs, losses of income and future wages. It could also highlight health and safety failings which could save someone else experiencing the same trauma you went through.
What Steps Should You Take If You Suffer A Leg Amputation Injury?
Whether you suffered the loss of a limb because of trauma or via medical negligence, there are certain steps you may wish to take, especially if you are looking into making a leg amputation injury claim. The evidence you would need to gather would include the following:
- Witness details – if anyone witnessed an accident that led to your leg amputation, gathering their details and witness details would help strengthen a claim
- Photographs – whether it is photographs of the scene or photographs of your injuries, both could serve as evidence when filing a leg amputation injury claim
- Your notes – writing down everything you remember as soon as you can after it happened, could help keep everything clear in your mind as you progress through a claim
Another step that you could take would be to get free advice and guidance from Accident Claims UK. We could give you information on how much compensation you could get from leg amputation claims and put you in touch with a solicitor who could handle your claim on a No Win No Fee basis.
Time Limit For Making A Leg Amputation Claim
If you are eligible to make a leg amputation claim, you would need to ensure your claim is filed within the correct limitation period. Under the Limitation Act 1980, you will usually have three years from the date of the accident to launch a claim.
However, there are some exceptions to this time limit. For example, if a child suffers an amputation, the limitation period would pause until they turn 18. During this period, an appropriate adult could apply to be a litigation friend and make a claim on their behalf. Should no claim be made during the pause, the injured party will have three years to start a claim from their 18th birthday.
To learn more about the other exceptions that may apply to the time limit for leg amputation compensation claims, you can contact our advisors.
Leg Amputation Injury Claim Payouts
You may be wondering how much is an amputated leg worth. Having suffered such a traumatic injury, you would be well within your rights to want to know how much compensation you may be awarded so that you could plan for your future. You might have sought out a personal injury claims calculator. Still, we have chosen to supply approximate settlement amounts for specific injuries in a slightly different way based on the Judicial College’s Guidelines for certain injuries.
If your injury is not listed, or you’re not sure what bracket your injury could fall in, do not hesitate to speak to one of our advisers, and we’d be able to go through this with you to see what loss of limb compensation for the UK you could be looking at.
| Injury | Bracket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of both of the legs | £240,790 to £282,010 | If both legs are taken or lost above the knee area, or one leg has been taken or was lost at a high level above the knee and the other was taken or lost below the knee area. Compensation would be awarded based on whether prosthetics were of any help, the associated psychological damage, the presence of any pains (phantom), side effects and potential degeneration of the spine or hips. |
| Amputation of both of the legs below the knee area | £201,490 to £270,100 | If both legs are amputated just below the knee area this could attract the highest payouts in the bracket. The presence of phantom pains, degenerative risks, the usefulness of prosthetics and mental effects would be assessed. |
| Amputation of one leg above the knee | £104,830 to £137,470 | The height of the amputation would be taken into account as well as phantom pains, degenerative risks, psychological problems and the potential usefulness of prosthetics. |
| Amputation of one leg below the knee | £97,980 to £132,990 | Nearer the top of the range would be injuries such as traumatic amputations where the person was fully conscious at the time, or where multiple attempts to save the limb failed. Injuries would also be assessed on the level of phantom pains, psychological effects and more. |
| Severe Leg Injuries | £96,250 to £135,920 | Although these injuries are not actual amputations, they are so severe that they could be considered on the same level. Degloving injuries that were extensive, fractures that have not been united, and gross shortenings of the leg could fall into this category. |
| Moderate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | £8,180 to £23,150 | No grossly disabling trauma remaining. |
| Less Severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | £3,950 to £8,180 | Virtual full recovery made within 2 years. |
Please note that all amounts are only approximations of how much leg amputation claims could yield. Ultimately, value can only be placed on a claim once all the evidence had been reviewed. We should also mention that report of your injuries provided by an independent medical professional would be required when filing a claim.
No Win No Fee Leg Amputation Injury Claims
When you think about making a leg amputation injury claim, it could be wise to consider employing the services of a personal injury solicitor. An experienced lawyer could not only help to take on the stress of claiming for the traumatic loss of a limb, but they may also be able to help put together a stronger argument, based on their knowledge and experience of the law, than you could do on your own.
The benefits of using a personal injury solicitor are many, but you may not wish to pay upfront for a claim you were not 100% sure could lead to compensation. This is where No Win No Fee solicitors really come into their own. Under a Conditional Fee Agreement, you would agree to sign over a percentage of your compensation settlement. If the solicitor is not successful, you would not be required to pay them this percentage as long as you had a valid claim.
If you would like to speak to us in more depth about No Win No Fee leg amputation claims, we would be only too happy to discuss this with you. We pride ourselves on being completely transparent about such matters, and we like claimants to have all the facts to hand before deciding on what to do.
Here are some options on how you can get in touch with our team:
- By phone: 0800 073 8801
- By email: office@accidentclaims.co.uk
- Via the live chat on this page
- Through filling out one of our contact forms
Essential Resources
Medical Negligence – Have you lost a leg through medical negligence? If so, our guide on medical negligence may be of interest.
Road Traffic Accident – Was your leg traumatically amputated in a car accident? This informative guide could help you.
Workplace Injury – Did you suffer a leg amputation injury in a workplace accident? This guidance could be of interest.
Medical References And Support
Amputation – NHS – The NHS offers information on amputation injuries. You may find some of this information useful.
The Limbless Association – This association provides support to those who have lost a limb.
Find A Support Group – You could find an amputee support group by following this link.
Thank you for reading our guide about leg amputation injury claims.