An injured elbow can be sustained in a range of ways, including acute trauma such as falls on an outstretched hand, direct blows or awkward movements. 

Below, we discuss some ways that elbow injury claims can arise, and how you could have the grounds to make a compensation claim with our solicitors at JF Law:

Workplace Elbow Injuries

An accident at work could result in an elbow injury if:

• Your employer failed to provide adequate manual handling training, which meant that you overloaded boxes of stock when carrying them. This led to you suffering a severe elbow strain and back injury as a result. 
• You have complained multiple times to your employer about a defective ladder, yet they order you to use it anyway. This failure to properly maintain the equipment meant the ladder gave way as you climbed, causing you to fall from a height. The impact of landing on your arm results in a severe blow to your elbow, leaving you with severe fractures and long-term reduced motion.

Elbow Injuries In Road Traffic Accidents

Elbow injuries resulting from road traffic accidents often arise from direct impact or bracing for a collision. This frequently causes fractures, ligament tears, or dislocations.

Some examples can include if:

• Another driver was speeding as they approached a zebra crossing and could not stop in time to avoid striking you with their car. This causes a fractured leg, together with severe arm and elbow injuries.
• On the motorway, another driver was looking at their phone, which caused them to swerve into your lane. This results in a side-on collision with your vehicle that severely crushes your arm, resulting in multiple fractures, including your elbow.

Public Liability Elbow Injuries

Public liability accidents could lead to elbow injury claims if:

• You’re in a local supermarket when you approach the fresh fruit aisle. A fridge in this area has been poorly maintained, causing a leak to puddle on the floor. Multiple staff members have noticed this puddle, but have failed to clean it or place wet floor signage to warn customers. As a result, you slip and fall on this spillage, causing a severe elbow fracture. 
• When walking on a public footpath, your foot becomes jammed in a cracked pavement stone which had been previously reported to the local council. You trip and fall on this cracked pavement, which results in lacerations, soft tissue injuries and a dislocated elbow.

Elbow Injury Caused By Medical Negligence

Medical negligence might result in avoidable or unnecessary harm to the elbow if, for example:

• Your GP fails to order X-rays after a serious fall, which means that your fractured elbow remains undiagnosed and untreated. As a result of this, you suffer long-term chronic pain after your condition is exacerbated.
• During surgery, your surgeon improperly performs orthopaedic procedures, which leads to ulnar nerve damage. This causes ongoing numbness and a reduction in hand function.

The examples we’ve provided are only a few of the ways that you could have grounds to make elbow injury claims. 

So, if you’d like to discuss the circumstances of your own injuries, please get in touch with our solicitors today. They’re available to listen to your experience, assess the facts of your case and advise whether you may be eligible to claim with JF Law.