Chest Injury Compensation – Average Compensation Amounts For Chest Injuries

If you need information to claim chest injury compensation, this guide can help. Serious chest damage can create life-altering injuries, as well as permanent disabilities. If you suffered harm like this because of the negligence of others, you could be owed compensation.

In the following article, we’ll explain who is eligible to start a claim. The first step in the claims process is proving that a duty of care owed to you was breached and that this resulted in you being injured. Often the result of accidents at work or road traffic accidents, as we’ll look at below.

If your chest injury compensation claim is eligible, our team can direct you to a personal injury solicitor from our panel to get started. We invite you to continue reading for details on everything you need to know to start a chest injury compensation claim. Alternatively, why not discuss your claim now?

IMAGE OF RED AREA IN LUNG INDICATED INJURY, ILLNESS OR DAMAGE

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Average Compensation Amounts For Chest Injuries

If your chest injury compensation claim is successful, the ultimate compensation amount you receive can be made up of two categories called general and special damages. Under general damages, the physical injuries themselves, as well as any psychological injury can be assessed.

Each personal injury claim varies so there is no ‘average’ compensation for broken ribs in the UK. However, those responsible for calculating an amount can use awards in previous claims as a rough guideline.

They also consult with publications like the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), which provides award bracket amounts for various types of injuries based on severity. To illustrate, below is a table using some of the entries the JC Guidelines provide for chest injuries.

It’s important to note that the figures in this table are guidelines only as the compensation amount in every personal injury claim will vary. Also, the first entry is not taken from the JCG.

Award Guidelines Amounts

INJURYSEVERITYAWARD GUIDELINESDEFINITION
Multiple types of serious injury and special damages Severe Up to £1 million plusMultiple forms of severe injury and special damages awarded for lost income, care costs and medical treatments.
Chest (a) Most Severe £122,850 up to £183,190Cases where removal of lung is required, serious damage to the heart occurs and life expectancy is reduced.
(b) Traumatic£80,240 up to £122,850Permanent impaired function and disability, as well as possible life reduction.
(c) Chest and lung.£38,210 up to £66,920Causing a level of continuing disability.
(d) Simple injury£15,370 up to £21,920Cases of a single penetrative wound injury causing tissue damage but no permanent effect on lung.
(e) Residual damage£6,500 up to £15,370Caused by smoke or toxic inhalation leaving a level of damage not serious enough to impair function.
(f) Collapsed lung.£2,680 up to £6,500Injuries that collapse lung but a full recovery without complication is made.
(e) SeriousUp to £4,820Rib fractures and soft tissue injuries that cause serious pain over a matter of weeks.

Factors That Can Affect Your Payout

Various factors can have a bearing on the potential compensation awarded:

  • The complexity of your injuries and the length of recovery.
  • Any negative impact on your employment prospects or damage to your pension contributions.
  • How the needs of family members and dependents were impacted.
  • Or if the person was partly at fault for their own injuries. However, even with contributory negligence or split liability claims, you may still receive a reduced level of compensation.

Why not see if your claim qualifies for the help of a solicitor from our panel? Simply connect with our advisory team to see if they can handle your claim.

WORKER LAYING ON FLOOR AFTER CHEST INJURY WITH A FORKLIFT TRUCK

Taking Special Damages Into Consideration

Special damages reflect the financial harm you suffered because of the chest injuries. To calculate an amount for this, the person needs to submit documented evidence of the expenses or losses they feel are owed to them. Some examples:

  • Statements and wage slips that show how income was impacted through illness.
  • The expenses of travel to vital appointments.
  • Medical expenses for any private treatments.
  • Proof of any amounts paid to others for domestic care.
  • Receipts and invoices for essential adaptations needed in the home after a permanent disability.

The solicitors on our panel can provide expert advice on what sort of evidence to gather together. If your chest injury compensation claim is eligible, these solicitors could help you put forward the strongest argument for general and special damages. Call today to learn more.

Chest Injuries You Can Claim For

Next, we look at some specific types of chest injury that could form the basis of an eligible compensation claim:

Broken Ribs

A number of scenarios can cause fractured and broken ribs. For example:

  • A customer at a supermarket slips and falls on a spillage that had not been signposted and fractures their ribs in the fall.
  • A motorist collides with their steering wheel and suffers a rib fracture because they were rear-ended by a speeding driver.

A Collapsed Lung

  • Fractured ribs caused by blunt force trauma in road traffic accidents can cause a punctured lung or lung collapse.
  • A collision with a forklift truck on an unsafe construction site can cause the chest wall to be damaged.

Blunt Or Penetrating Traumatic Injuries

This type of injury can be both sharp, stabbing injuries or a crushed chest caused by blunt impact:

  • Faulty machinery at work can malfunction or cause debris to fly off and stab a worker.
  • The safety railing on the second floor of a shopping center is faulty, but it is not signposted or fixed. This causes a customer to fall over it and fall from a height.

Who Can Make Chest Injury Compensation Claims?

In different areas of life, third parties owe a duty of care. In this section, we will look at who could be responsible in different places for your health and safety.

I Had An Accident At Work – Can I Claim Against My Employer For My Chest Injury?

You’re owed a duty of care by your employer. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HASAWA), they are required to take reasonable (and practicable) steps to prevent you from experiencing harm as you work. Failure to meet this duty of care can mean they are liable to compensate you in personal injury claims for the physical, psychological and financial injuries caused.

An example could be if an employer fails to check the safety of scaffolding or works carried out at height. If an employee falls and suffers a chest injury because of this, a compensation claim could apply against the employer.

The UK’s regulator for health and safety called the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides detailed guidance for employers and their staff on the safest ways to avoid damage in the workplace.

Chest Injuries Caused By Road Traffic Accidents – Could I Claim?

Likewise, motorists owe each other a duty of care to prevent harm or damage. To comply properly, they need to abide by the Road Traffic Act 1988 and further obligations in the Highway Code.

An example scenario here would be if a motorist was failing to give the road their full attention. They could rear-end the car in front and cause that drive to suffer chest injuries when crushed against their own steering wheel.

Could I Claim For A Chest Injury Suffered In A Public Place?

In public places, legislation called the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 details how any third-party in charge of a space open to the public must take steps to implement reasonable measures that protect the safety of the general public.

In this environment, chest injuries might arise if the owners of a restaurant fail to repair a faulty handrail (despite being aware of the problem) and a customer falls down a flight of stairs, sustaining chest and internal damage.

WORKER LAYING UNDER A LADDER SUFFERING CHEST AND FRACTURED RIB INJURY

Therefore, an eligible personal injury claim for compensation needs to show: three fundamental criteria:

  • A duty of care was owed to you.
  • The third party concerned breached this duty of care.
  • You suffered harm as a direct consequence of this.

If you satisfy all three criteria, your claim can be launched. Call our team now to determine your eligibility to claim.

How To File Your Chest Injury Compensation Claim

Once you’re certain that your claim meets the eligibility criteria above, you can start to build evidence that proves the duty of care was breached.

Gather Supporting Evidence

Collecting as much evidence as possible to support your claim is important. Some examples include:

  • Wage slips that show how the injuries created a loss of earnings through time off work or lost opportunities to work.
  • Reports and medical records that detail your chest injuries.
  • Photographs of your visible chest injuries and the cause of the accident.
  • The contact information for any eyewitnesses. If a solicitor takes up your claim, they can obtain a statement from these people as the claim progresses.
  • Any CCTV footage from the workplace or roadside captured the accident.

How Long It Can Take For A Compensation Payout?

Certain factors can affect how long it takes for compensation to be decided and received, such as:

  • How complex the injuries are.
  • The duration of treatment.
  • The time it takes for any medical experts to submit their findings.
  • Whether the defendant disputes liability or makes unreasonable settlement offers.
  • The general workload of the courts.

Each personal injury case is different, so it makes sense to navigate the chest injury claims process with a skilled professional. To see if one of the solicitors on our panel could help you, get in touch with the team.

How Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help

The solicitors on our panel offer excellent support services to those who seek chest injury compensation. For example:

  • They can help you collect evidence that supports your claim, like we looked at above.
  • They will make sure the compensation calculated takes into account your physical and emotional harm as well as your financial losses both now and predicted for the future.
  • Also, they can argue for the maximum compensation on your behalf.
  • They attend to the Pre-action Protocol in personal injury claims.
  • In addition to this, all court deadlines for correspondence are met and your case is professionally presented at all times.

SOLICITOR AGREEING CHEST INJURY COMPENSATION CLAIM WITH CLIENT AND SHAKING THEIR HAND

How Could We Help Your Chest Injury Compensation Claim?

It is sensible to see if a personal injury solicitor from our panel could help you with your claim. They have the necessary expertise to gather strong evidence and calculate a settlement that reflects the harm you’ve suffered.

In addition to this, they can offer their services under a type of No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under terms such as these, you can expect:

  • No upfront solicitors fees to start work on your chest injury claim.
  • No fees as work on your claim goes forward.
  • No fee applies for completed solicitor services should the claim be unsuccessful.
  • A legally restricted sum (a success fee) is paid to the solicitors if the claim wins. This is a percentage of the compensation amount that is deducted from the award made to you.
  • Also, working this way with a solicitor means that you can access outstanding legal representation and keep virtually all of the compensation you’re awarded if the claim succeeds.

Our advisors can assess the claims’ strength and potentially connect you with a personal injury specialist solicitor from our panel today:

  • Call us on 0800 408 7825 to see if you can claim compensation.
  • Use our online contact form
  • Ask our live discussion portal about compensation for a chest injury.

More Information

In addition to chest injury compensation, these other guides from our website might offer more help:

External Resources:

In conclusion, thank you for your interest in this guide. If you’d like instant answers to any other questions, please reach out to the team using the contact options above.