Sports injuries

Many people participate in sports on a regular basis and do so for a wide variety of reasons such as health and fitness, teamwork, improved self-confidence and personal achievement.

Every week there a numerous sports activities being held around the UK which include triathlons, rugby, 5-a side football, running and cycling to name but a few.

Whilst anyone who plays sports understands and accepts the risks involved in doing so there are situations in which an accident occurs due to the actions of someone else.

A mild injury may mean resting for a week before returning to your chosen sport but in some cases it can involve a long layoff or even force you to give up that sport altogether.

If you become injured playing sport due to no fault of your own then you may be able to claim compensation. This equally applies if you have become injured whilst watching sport.

Types of sports injuries claims

This section of this guide discusses the following sports injury claims:

• Faulty equipment claims
• Inadequate supervision claims
• Incorrect instructions/coaching claims
• Reckless conduct claims
• Unsafe surface or sporting facility claims

These are all situations in which it is reasonable to expect that there would be health and safety guidelines in place. If this fails or they are inadequate then there may be grounds for compensation.

But injuries which occur due to a momentary lack of judgment or because the sport in question is a contact sport are viewed as an acceptable risk and therefore are not liable for compensation.

If you take part in any sporting activity then you expect that injuries will happen. This is part and parcel of the game.

But if you sustain an injury due to poor refereeing, faulty equipment or a lack of supervision then this may be viewed as negligence and as such is liable to compensation.

Sports centres, competition venues and clubs should have liability insurance to cover them in case of accident claims. They would be held liable if someone is injured whilst engaged in sport on their premises. But this insurance protects them against these and other similar claims such as those for cancellation of an organised event.

Sports coaches, fitness instructors and personal trainers usually have some form of sports insurance to safeguard themselves against negligence claims.

This means that any claim made by a participant for a sports injury is complex and time consuming. It requires the services of a skilled and experienced personal injury lawyer who has handled many of these types of cases.

They will assess your claim before discussing the claims process with you. This also includes examining any evidence you have to support your claim and the effect your injury has had upon your quality of life.

The claims process is discussed in full within this guide. Find out more in our making a claim for compensation section.

Find out more about sports injuries claims in this section.