Hip injury compensation claims

The hip is the body's largest weight-bearing joint, and a serious hip injury can affect everything from walking and sitting to sleeping and living independently. Hip injuries range from soft-tissue damage that settles within weeks to a fractured neck of femur or a dislocation that needs major surgery. This guide explains, in plain English, how a hip injury claim works in England & Wales, how compensation is valued and the evidence that makes a claim strong. We are an independent information service, not a law firm — nothing here is legal advice about your own injury.

Common hip injuries that lead to claims

Hip injuries vary widely in severity, and so do the claims that follow them. Frequent patterns include:

• Fractured neck of femur — a break at the top of the thigh bone, often needing surgery such as fixation or a partial/total hip replacement.
• Pelvic fractures — sometimes serious and slow to heal, and capable of affecting bladder, bowel or sexual function.
• Hip dislocations — where the ball of the joint comes out of the socket, sometimes with bone or cartilage damage.
• Labral tears and soft-tissue injuries — damage to the cartilage rim or surrounding tissues.
• Accelerated arthritis — where an injury brings on or worsens wear in the joint, sometimes leading to replacement.

Because outcomes range from a full recovery to lasting disability, the prognosis — the medical view of your long-term future — does most of the work in valuing a hip claim.

How a hip injury claim is valued

There is no government tariff for hip injuries (unlike the whiplash tariff for road-traffic neck injuries). The compensation for the injury itself — the pain, suffering and loss of amenity — is assessed by reference to the Judicial College Guidelines, the bracket-based reference courts and solicitors use across England and Wales. The Guidelines group hip and pelvis injuries by severity, taking account of surgery, hip replacement and likely revision, continuing pain, any limp, the effect on mobility and independence, and the impact on work.

On top of that, you can claim your financial losses (special damages): lost earnings, treatment and physiotherapy, travel to appointments, care and help at home, mobility aids and any adaptations such as rails or a stair-lift. Our guide to what compensation covers explains how the two halves fit together. The clearest way to understand your own likely range is an independent medical report setting out your diagnosis and prognosis.

Hip injuries at work

Many hip claims arise at work. Falls from height or on the level, slips and trips, being struck by vehicles or heavy objects, and machinery accidents can all damage the hip or pelvis. Your employer owes you a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and supporting regulations to provide a safe system of work and suitable equipment, and to control fall and vehicle risks.

If a breach of those duties caused or contributed to your injury, you may have an accident at work claim. Employers are legally required to carry employers' liability insurance, so a successful claim is met by the insurer rather than a colleague or the business, and it is unlawful to dismiss you for making a genuine, reasonable claim. Report the accident in the workplace accident book and seek medical attention promptly. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) may investigate serious falls.

Evidence that strengthens a hip claim

Hip injuries are well suited to objective evidence, which helps both liability (who was at fault) and value (how serious it is). Useful evidence includes:

• Medical records and imaging — GP and hospital notes plus any X-ray, CT or MRI showing the fracture, dislocation or joint damage.
• An independent medical report — usually from an orthopaedic specialist, setting out your diagnosis, any surgery and your long-term prognosis.
• How the accident happened — photographs of the hazard or scene, and details of any witnesses.
• Your financial losses and care needs — payslips, treatment and travel records, and evidence of help you need at home.

Because hip injuries strike at mobility and independence, evidence of care needs and home adaptations can be a significant part of the claim. Our guide to evidence for a personal injury claim goes into more detail.

Time limits

Like other personal injury claims, you normally have three years to bring a hip injury claim.

Hip injury claims are about independence as much as pain. The difference between a fracture that heals and one that leaves a permanent limp, the need for care, or a replacement joint is what shapes the value — and only good medical evidence can show it.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides: back injury claims, knee injury claims, spinal injury claims and what compensation covers.