Footballer scores injury claim payout
It has been revealed that a 29-year-old university student has won his personal injury claim.
The student whose leg was shattered in a football tackle has been awarded a £25,000 insurance compensation pay-out.
The victim was studying for a doctorate in educational psychology at the time of the accident at the University of Nottingham, when his injuries occurred in October 2006.
He was playing for team Boots Wednesday in the EMPAL Sunday League when a player from the opposing side came in for a tackle.
However, the attack went seriously wrong and the victim was transported by ambulance to the Queen’s Medical Centre, where he underwent an emergency operation on his left leg. It was broken in three places.
He stated: “I intercepted the ball and was running towards the goal, next thing I was taken out from the side and my leg had been snapped in half. I was just lying on the ground and my bone had come out of my leg.”
Things were about to get a lot worse for the patient. He stayed in hospital for five days before being sent home to stay with his family, so he could recover from his injuries. During that time his leg became infected and he had to be readmitted to hospital.
He decided to contact an injury lawyer firm after he missed three months of his course, postponing any chances of a career that year.
“I missed about three months of my course and had to defer for a year, meaning my career would be delayed. The bones have now fused in my leg but I cannot run as fast as I used to and have pains from the injury,” he said.
The firm looked into their claimant’s case and successfully won him a compensation award of £25,000 from the opposing team's insurers.
James Reilly, personal injury associate at said: “This type of case is notorious due to the lack of insurance cover for players and teams. In Jonny's case, the insurers were prepared to pay as the policy was unclear.
“Sports players must be aware when they play amateur contact sports, they could be leaving themselves exposed to legal action should a tackle go wrong.”
The victim is now continuing his doctorate and will finish next summer. He added: “It's never really been about the money, but I was gobsmacked as I didn't think it would be so much.”
Rugby player wins payout
In similar news it has been revealed that a non-professional rugby player has been awarded a compensation amount, after he alleged his injuries were due to a negligent amateur referee.
The Welsh rugby player became the first non-professional sportsman to win his claim for damages against a referee who failed to protect him during a match.
The 29-year-old player, a front-row forward, was paralysed for life by an injury in the final seconds of a derby between Llanharan and Tondu in January 1998 when the scrum collapsed. The High Court in London found the
Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) was to blame for the accident because it was vicariously liable for the referee's negligence.
The decision builds on a growing trend in professional sport in which players resort to the courts to win compensation for their injuries.
The victim stated: “I am just glad to get it out of the way. This is going to make a big difference to my life. This ruling is going to make the game safer for everybody else.”
His lawyer, Phillip Griffith said: “While money can never compensate for the tragic injuries he suffered at such a young age, it will make life a little easier for him.
“The decision is also very significant for the game of rugby generally ... [it] extends the principle that referees owe a duty of care to players in a rugby match to adults, whether amateur or professional.”
Updated on 12/22/2009