Hip injury compensation

The hips are essential for balance and for supporting your upper-body, and an injury to any part of the hip or pelvis can leave you unable to walk or get on with your day-to-day life.

Although it can’t take away what you’ve been through, compensation can help you pay for the treatment and support you need to get back on your feet, as well as covering your out-of-pocket expenses.

It’s likely you could make a hip injury claim if:

• Your injury happened in the last three years
• It was somebody else’s fault

We realise it can be difficult to tell whether your injury was somebody else’s fault – you can speak to a trained legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438, and they’ll be able to let you know whether they think you could make a claim or not. They’ll also be happy to run through the claims process in a more detail, and can answer any questions.

You might decide you don’t want to go ahead with your claim just yet, and that’s fine – the adviser will never pressure you into claiming. But if you do choose to take the next steps, they’ll find a suitable solicitor for your case and can put you in touch with them on the same call.

The hips are complicated parts of the body: they’re made up of the hip joint and hip bone, and are held together by muscles, tendons and ligaments. Damage to any of these components – or the pelvis – can cause long-lasting injuries.

Below, we’ve given some examples of some of the types of hip injuries you can seek help to make a compensation claim for:

A fractured pelvis is a break in any of the bone structure of the pelvis – this includes the sacrum, tail bone or hip bones. This can be a very serious type of injury, so it’s likely you’ve had to undergo physical therapy and perhaps even surgery.

In the most severe cases, pelvic injuries can cause internal injuries such as internal bleeding and damage to the internal organs.

Hip strain, also known as a muscle or ligament tear, is usually caused by a sudden blow to the hip or over-stretching of the joint. Muscle and ligament damage can cause pain, swelling, stiffness and difficulty walking.

The bursa is a sack of liquid which sits between the pelvis and the leg to allow the leg to move without friction. If damaged, the bursa can become inflamed, which causes pain when moving the leg.

This type of injury usually heals by itself within a few weeks. But during your recovery, it can restrict your mobility and can be very uncomfortable.

A dislocated hip usually happens due to a sudden jolt or impact, for example when two vehicles collide in a road traffic accident.

The force can cause the joint to come out of its socket – and you’ll usually need to undergo hospital treatment to put it back in place. Unfortunately, once a joint has been dislocated, it’s more likely to happen again in the future.

When you decide to undergo hip replacement surgery, you expect the procedure to make your life easier in the long-term. But if you’ve had a faulty hip replacement fitted, then you might be faced with another surgery to remove the defective implant. We can help you make a claim for the inconvenience and expenses this is likely to have caused you.

In 2010, DePuy Orthopaedics recalled two hip replacement units:

• The ASR XL Acetabular System
• The ASR Hip Resurfacing System

There have been cases where these have suddenly failed, which can cause broken bones or dislocation. In some cases, the metal from the implant can also be released into the bloodstream which can have repercussions on your health.

Hip injuries are usually caused by a ‘blunt trauma’ – an impact or blow to the hip area. This means hip injuries can often happen as a result of a slip or trip if you fell on your side. They can also be caused by road traffic accidents as a result of debris in the vehicle, or the force of the collision.

At work, if your job role involves heavy lifting or repeated strenuous movements, then you might be at risk of long-term hip injuries such as Osteoarthritis. Your employer should give you the correct training and equipment for you to be able to do your job safely – if they’ve failed to do so, then we may be able to help you make a compensation claim.

When you’re thinking about making a hip injury claim, you might be feeling eager to know how much compensation you’ll receive. Because no two cases are the same, we’re not able tell you exactly how much your compensation amount will be before starting your claim, but you can use our online compensation calculator to get a guideline figure.

An expert injury solicitor will take all the financial, physical and emotional effects of your injury into consideration when negotiating your compensation, and they’ll work hard to make sure you receive the money you need.

For example, your compensation could help to cover:

• Any private medical treatment you’ve needed, or might need in the future – such as surgery to remove a faulty hip replacement
• The cost of lost earnings if you’ve had to take time off work during your recovery
• Any impact that your injury might have on your career and finances in the future

If you’re looking for advice or are interested in starting a claim, you can speak to a trained legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438, or fill your details into the online form to request a call back.