Sports injuries

Basic principles

The basic principles for pursuing a personal injury claim apply equally to sports and leisure accident claims. The defendant must:

1. •

   owe the claimant a duty of care

2. •

   the defendant must be in breach of that duty, and

3. •

   the claimant must suffer damage which is causally connected with the breach

When dealing with a sports injury claim, it is important to recognise that participants in sport accept, to some degree, an element of risk by participating in the sport. The risk they accept depends on the sport involved and in particular whether it is a low risk non-contact sport (such as running) or a high risk contact sport (such as boxing).

For further guidance, see Practice Notes: Assumption of risk in sports and leisure claims and Personal injury—sports injury claims.

Different types of sports and leisure accidents

Claims can arise in a variety of contexts, for example:

1. •

   diving accidents

2. •

   cycling accidents

3. •

   team building events

4. •

   climbing