No Win, No FeeOver recent years, gyms have become more and more popular as people look for ways to keep fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle. While there are many positives that come from using a gym regularly, there are also some risks involved. If you are injured in a gym, you could claim compensation from the gym owner or operator if their negligence caused your accident. For example, gym injury claims might be based on damaged equipment or poor instructions from a personal trainer.
We’re here to help if you’ve been injured at the gym and are contemplating claiming compensation. To start, one of our advisors will review your claim with you for free. During your initial consultation, they’ll discuss how you’ve been affected and provide free legal advice. If they believe that you could be compensated, they’ll refer you to one of our personal injury solicitors.
Any gym injury compensation claims our solicitors take on are processed on a No Win, No Fee basis. That means you won’t pay solicitor’s fees if your claim fails and you won’t pay for their work upfront either.
Are you ready to claim for an injury in a gym? If so, call us on 0800 652 1345. If you’d rather learn more about your rights following an accident in a gym before calling us, please continue reading.
Am I Entitled to Compensation for a Gym Injury?
All gym operators have a duty of care to try and ensure any customers, staff and visitors are safe whilst using their facilities. That means they must keep the premises as safe as possible, ensure customers use the equipment correctly and that is properly maintained. If the gym breaks that duty of care, you could sue for compensation if:
- You have an accident because of the gym operator’s negligence; and
- You are injured as a direct result of that accident.
When you call to discuss your claim, a solicitor may agree to represent you if they’re happy that both of the above criteria have been met. To find out whether you can start a claim, please call today.
Common Examples of Gym Injury Claims
Most modern gyms are relatively safe places. While there will always be some risks involved when using gym equipment, it should be managed by the owners to try and keep everyone safe while at the gym. Some examples of incidents that could entitle you to claim following an accident in a gym include:
- Faulty equipment injuries: If you are injured while using a piece of gym equipment that was poorly maintained or defective.
- Trips and falls over equipment: For instance, free weights or other items were left scattered on the floor causing you to trip and fall.
- Slipping on wet floors: Injuries caused by slipping in areas like changing rooms, especially if the floor was recently cleaned and no warning signs were displayed.
- Injuries from poor training advice: If a personal trainer provides incorrect or unsafe guidance on using gym equipment or performing exercises.
- Inadequate supervision: Accidents resulting from a lack of staff presence or supervision, particularly in gyms that allow heavy lifting or advanced training.
- Faulty safety equipment: For instance, if a treadmill’s emergency stop button doesn’t work, leading to an avoidable injury.
In addition to the above, we could also help gym employees who’ve been injured at work if they suffered because their employer was negligent.
We are ready to help if you decide to take action. For free advice on gym injury claims, why not call our team today?
What Types of Gym Injuries Can I Claim For?
Our solicitors could help you to claim for a variety of injuries sustained in a gym because of negligence. They might include:
- Muscle tears or strains.
- Ligament damage.
- Arm injuries.
- Broken bones or fractures.
- Soft tissue injuries.
- Crush injuries.
- Cuts, bruises or lacerations.
- Spinal injuries.
If your gym injury compensation claim is successful, the settlement amount will be based on the extent of your injuries. For instance, if a slipped disc in your back means you’re in pain for a year, you’d be compensated more than someone who’d suffered a minor cut from a damaged bench in the changing room.
If your case is accepted, your solicitor will use their experience and knowledge to try and ensure you’re paid the maximum amount of compensation possible.
What Evidence Do I Need for a Gym Injury Compensation Claim?
Establishing how you were injured is vital if you’re to be properly compensated for your injury at the gym. You’ll also need to prove who you believe is to blame and the severity of your injuries. To do this you’ll need to provide as much evidence as possible. For a gym injury compensation claim, you could use:
- Photographic evidence: If you’ve cut your leg on a damaged exercise bike, for instance, pictures of the bike clearly showing the could help to prove what caused your injuries.
- Accident reports: A gym, like other businesses, must record any accidents on its premises. You are entitled to ask for a copy of the report and should do so. It will help to confirm the date and location of your accident.
- Medical proof: You should always have your injuries assessed by a medical professional. Following a trip to A&E, your GP surgery or a minor injuries unit, you could ask for a copy of any x-rays and medical records to show what injuries you were treated for.
- Camera footage: If your gym is covered by CCTV cameras, you could ask for a copy of the footage. This won’t be retained forever so you should act quickly.
- Witness information: Did anyone else see you get injured at the gym? If so, ask them for their details. If necessary, your solicitor could ask them to provide a statement to help clarify events later on.
- Financial records: As part of your claim, you might be compensated for any costs or expenses you’ve incurred because of your injuries. Therefore, try to keep any receipts, bank statements or invoices that are relevant.
When your solicitor reviews your gym injury claim, the more they know about how you’ve suffered, the better. As such, it might be a good idea to diarise everything during your recovery. For instance, you could keep a note of when you had medical appointments to attend. Similarly, you could record when you couldn’t work and when you had to miss family or social events because of your injuries. By taking this approach, you’ll find it much easier to recall how you’ve been affected by your injuries when discussing your claim.
Ready for us to review your evidence for free? If so, please call today on 0800 652 1345 to discuss your gym injury claim right away.
What Is the Time Limit to Make a Gym Injury Claim?
The Limitation Act 1980 sets out that personal injury claims are bound by a 3-year time limit. That means you must file your gym injury claim with the defendant within that timeframe. The time limit will usually begin on the date you were injured. However, it may start later if your injuries weren’t obvious right away.
If a child has been injured in the gym, the time limit is different. A child’s 3-year time limit does not begin until their 18th birthday, meaning they have until they turn 21 to start a claim. Alternatively, a parent or guardian (acting as a litigation friend) can start a claim on the child’s behalf before they reach 18.
Our advice is to get in touch to begin your claim as soon as possible. If you do, you might:
- Find it easier to recall how you were injured and what impact your injuries have caused.
- Give your solicitor plenty of time to collect evidence to support your claim.
- Be able to benefit from private medical treatment paid for by the defendant to help you recover sooner, where liability for your suffering is agreed early enough.
To discuss your options or to check how long you’ve got left to start your claim, please call today.
How Much Compensation for a Gym Injury Can I Claim?
If you’ve been injured in an accident at the gym and you’re eligible to claim compensation, you could claim for (general & special damages):
- Pain and suffering caused by the injury.
- Psychiatric injuries.
- Travel and care costs.
- Private medical treatment costs and prescription fees.
- The impact your injuries have had on your personal life.
- Modifications in your home that might improve your quality of life (if you’ve been disabled by your injuries).
- The cost of replacing any of your belongings damaged during your accident (clothing for example).
You should think carefully about what you want to include in your claim. That’s because you can only make one claim and, after you’ve settled, you can’t claim for something that you’d not thought about. Our solicitors understand how important this is and we’ll review your gym injury compensation claim thoroughly before filing it if you decide to work with us.
Can I Claim for Loss of Earnings Due to My Injury?
If you’ve had to take time off work because of a gym injury, you can usually claim for loss of earnings as part of the compensation claims process. This includes any wages or income you’ve missed out on due to your recovery.
Additionally, if your injury has resulted in life-changing consequences that affect your ability to work in the future, compensation for future loss of earnings could also be included in your claim. This may involve calculating the financial impact of your reduced earning capacity over your lifetime.
Will I Need a Solicitor to Claim Gym Injury Compensation?
While you are free to go it alone, you will likely find things easier if you’re represented by a specialist solicitor from our panel. You can find out whether a solicitor is a good match for you by asking for a free initial consultation. This is something we offer so that you can find out a) whether you have a strong enough claim and b) how the solicitor plans to manage your case.
Crucially, our personal injury solicitors provide a No Win, No Fee service. As a result, you don’t need to pay for their work in advance. Also, you won’t pay them at all unless you are paid compensation.
So that your solicitor can begin working on your case without being paid upfront, you’ll both sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) if your case is accepted. This will show you what you can expect from your solicitor and what they’ll need to do before you must pay them.
Essentially, if your gym injury claim is won, your solicitor will take a success fee from your compensation payment. The success fee is listed in your CFA as a percentage of any settlement that’s paid to you. The maximum level of success fee that can be deducted is 25% when using a CFA. If your claim doesn’t work out in your favour, you don’t pay this fee.
To see if you can use a No Win, No Fee solicitor for your case, please call today.
Gym Injury Claims Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Claim for Emotional Distress Caused by the Gym Accident?
Any emotional distress and psychological suffering caused by a gym accident could be considered as part of a personal injury claim.
Long-term injuries may also lead to conditions like depression or anxiety, particularly if your injuries prevent you from returning to the gym or participating in other activities you once enjoyed.
So long as your suffering can be confirmed by a medical professional, it could be factored into any compensation you are awarded.
How Will My Solicitor Determine the Extent of My Injuries?
The claims process for gym injuries dictates that you will need a medical assessment to help clarify the extent of your injuries and how you’ve suffered. This isn’t something to be concerned about though. It’s a straightforward process involving a meeting with an independent medical specialist.
During your appointment, the specialist will review your medical records and discuss your injuries with you. Following their examination, they’ll produce a report for everyone involved in the claim that will show what injuries you had to deal with. It will also set out your prognosis.
If you decide to make a gym injury claim with us, your solicitor will usually try to book your appointment locally so that you don’t need to travel too far.
How Long Will a Gym Injury Claim Typically Take?
Gym injury claims can vary in length depending on the nature of the injuries claimed for, recovery times and the defendant’s willingness to accept liability.
For instance, minor sprains where a full recovery has been made could be compensated for in 4 or 5 months if the defendant accepts they were to blame.
However, claims can take longer. For instance, if your spine was seriously affected or severe brain damage was sustained, the claim could take well beyond a year. In these cases, interim payments might be awarded so long as the defendant’s liability has been proven or accepted.
Start a Gym Injury Compensation Claim Today
If you would like to benefit from the experience of one of our personal injury solicitors to make your gym injury claim, you can arrange a free claims consultation here. We believe specialist legal representation could improve your chances of successfully claiming compensation and being paid a fair amount.
If your gym injury claim is accepted, your solicitor will:
- Take on all aspects of communication so you don’t need to deal with the gym or their insurers.
- Collect any evidence that could help with your claim.
- Arrange for your injuries to be assessed by a medical expert.
- Try to fight your corner if any objections are raised regarding liability.
- Update you regularly and answer any questions you might have during the claims process.
- Negotiate on your behalf if a compensation offer appears to be too low.
- Aim to make sure you are fully compensated for your injuries.
All of this work is carried out on a No Win, No Fee basis if your claim is accepted.
If you are interested in asking a claims advisor to review your options, please call today on 0800 652 1345. Whether you decide to claim or not, you’ll get free legal advice from one of our specialist advisors.
Thank you for visiting today to read about gym injury claims, and if you’ve got any questions that haven’t been answered, please get in touch with our team via live chat.
