Compensation for sports injuries

Compensation for sports injuries?

Compensation for sports injuries can in some cases amount to several million kroner if the injury occurs at work as a professional athlete.

What is a sports injury?

A sports injury is an injury that occurs in connection with sports, and it can happen both in connection with training and competition.

Where do sports injuries happen?

Most sports injuries occur in sports that involve physical contact, such as football, handball or ice hockey. The risk of head injuries is greatest in sports where impacts or blows are an established part of the sport, such as MMA or boxing, and the injury potential for head injuries is also high in sports such as horse riding and cycling.

What are the most common sports injuries?

Examples of sports injuries are impact damage, fracture damage, muscle injury, tendon injury, neck injury, back injury, paralyses, nerve damage, head injury, eye injury, leg injury, toe injury, foot injury, ankle injury, leg injury, knee injury, arm injury, finger injury, hand injury, wrist injury, elbow injury and shoulder injury.

Am I entitled to compensation for a sports injury?

Act on occupational injury insurance and Act on compensation for damages are the main laws that regulate sports injuries.

If you are a professional athlete and are injured at work, you may be entitled to compensation for occupational injuries. All employers are obliged to take out statutory occupational injury insurance for their employed athletes.

For a professional athlete to be entitled to compensation for a sports injury, the injury must have occurred suddenly or unexpectedly during working hours at the workplace. In practice, this means that the injury must have occurred during training or competition.

Members of sports organisations (amateurs) must be covered by a accident insurance under the auspices of the affiliated organisations Norwegian Sports Confederation. This provides modest compensation for permanent injuries that occur during the insurance period in connection with organised sports activities. In addition, the insurance covers some treatment costs.

What types of compensation am I entitled to?

You may be entitled to the following types of compensation if you are injured at work as a professional athlete:

What should I do if I suffer a sports injury?

It is important to notify the relevant insurance companies as soon as possible. If the injury happened at work, the damage must also be reported to NAV, and in severe cases also to Labour Inspection Authority and to The police.

How much can I receive in compensation?

The amount of compensation depends on the severity of the occupational injury, the consequences it has had for your ability to work and the expenses you have incurred as a result of the injury.

This will need to be assessed in more detail by a lawyer, but the compensation may amount to several million kroner.

The amount of compensation under accident insurance also depends on the insurance terms and conditions and the amount for which insurance has been taken out.

Is there a disability table for sports injuries?

Yes. Disability table is the starting point for assessing what you are entitled to in terms of compensation after a sports injury.

The disability table is a separate regulation called «Regulations on workers' compensation for occupational injuries» but is also utilised in the determination of the the degree of medical disability in compensation settlements for sports injuries.

The Disability Table sets out the medical disability percentage for a number of diagnoses and provides the framework for the assessment of your medical disability to be determined by a medical specialist.

Are sports injuries recognised as occupational injuries by NAV?

Answer. If the injury occurred at work for the employer at the workplace and is the result of an accident, you can apply to NAV for recognition of the sports injury as an occupational injury.

If you receive a decision from NAV that you have a «recognised occupational injury», you will automatically receive benefits in the NAV system.

Among other things, you can avoid paying a deductible for treatment by a doctor or physiotherapist by presenting the decision on «approved occupational injury».

As a general rule, you can also be reimbursed for dental expenses, medicines and special medical equipment. You may also be entitled to compensation from NAV.

Read also: How to apply for occupational injury compensation from NAV
Read also: How NAV assesses whether you have an occupational injury
Read also: How an occupational injury compensation case works

Do I need a lawyer?

Answer. Claiming compensation after a sports injury is a complicated process, both medically and legally. You should therefore not attempt to fight for compensation on your own.

We often see that clients who consult a lawyer achieve higher compensation than those who try to handle the compensation settlement on their own.

Read more about how we helped the footballers Dagfinn Enerly, André Muri and Tor Trondsen with the compensation settlement when they were injured on the football pitch.

Do I have to pay for my lawyer myself?

Usually not. If the injury occurred at work as an athlete, it is normal for the insurance company to cover your legal expenses in the compensation case. You can also have your legal expenses covered through various legal expenses insurance.

Why should I choose Advokatfirmaet Halvorsen & Co?

Over 30 years, our clients have received billions of kroner in compensation. Our lawyers are specialised with extensive experience, and assists clients all over Norway following sports injuries.

Advokatfirmaet Halvorsen & Co always offers a free consultation about your compensation case. Get in touch with us today.