If you have suffered a fractured sternum in an accident which was not your fault, you could make a personal injury claim. In this guide, we discuss how to claim fractured sternum compensation.
A sternum fracture is a painful injury, and as with fractured ribs, the main treatment option is to provide pain relief whilst the bone heals, though surgery may be used in some instances. A broken, fractured or cracked sternum can impact your ability to work, look after children or elderly relatives and participate in social activities.
Our team could help you to make a No Win No Fee fractured sternum claim. To discuss your case:
- Contact us by phone on 0800 408 7825.
- Use our ‘contact us’ form.
- Talk to a member of our team using the live support on this page.
Choose A Section
- What Is A Sternum?
- Can I Claim Fractured Sternum Compensation?
- What Proof Do I Need To Claim For A Broken Sternum?
- Case Study: £20,000 Compensation For A Fractured Sternum
- How Much Compensation For A Sternum Fracture?
- Why Claim Fractured Sternum Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Learn About Personal Injury Claims
What Is A Sternum?
The sternum or breastbone is a long and flat bone which forms part of the ribcage. The ribs connect to the sternum via cartilage. It serves to protect organs in the chest and also connects to the chest muscles. The sternum is made up of three different parts, these are:
- The manubrium.
- The body of the sternum.
- Xiphoid.
The main role of the sternum is to protect the internal organs of the chest (including the lungs and heart) as well as the blood vessels of the chest. It also supports the collarbone, ribs, chest and upper abdominal muscles.
The impact of a fractured or broken sternum could include:
- Shortness of breath.
- Pain and tenderness in the chest caused by soft tissue injuries. Coughing may exacerbate this.
- Increased chest infection risk.
How Could You Fracture Your Sternum?
Sternum injuries in which the bone is fractured typically involve large amounts of force, such as the impact from a car crash or falling from a significant height. Sternum fractures could be caused by a variety of different accidents. These could include:
- Road traffic accidents.
- Falls (typically those from a height).
- Accidents and collisions during contact sports.
To see if you can claim fractured sternum compensation, contact us for free using the above details.
Can I Claim Fractured Sternum Compensation?
As we have seen above, you could suffer a fractured sternum in a variety of different accidents. In order to claim compensation for a fractured sternum, you need to show that:
- Another party owed you a duty of care. This may be your employer, the occupier of a public place or another road user.
- That they failed to adhere to this duty, causing an accident.
- You suffered an injury, such as a broken sternum.
In the following sections we look at the different types of personal injury claims you could make.
Workplace Accidents
Legislation such as The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 protects employees in the UK. Under this and other legislation, all employers must take reasonable steps to make sure that the workplace is safe. This could include providing training and personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as maintaining equipment. If they do not adhere to relevant legislation, you could be harmed.
Examples of how a sternum fracture accident at work could be caused by failure to adhere to relevant health and safety legislation include:
- Poor lighting on a stairway could lead you to fall from a height down a staircase and fracture your sternum.
- You could be struck by a moving vehicle (such as a lift truck) at work if proper safety procedures are not in place.
Road Collisions
All road users owe each other a duty of care to avoid putting themselves and others at unlawful or unnecessary risk. To comply with their legal responsibilities, they must adhere to both the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Sternal fractures are present in 3.7% of road traffic accident victims who attend the hospital for treatment. Sternum injuries could be caused by road traffic accidents, such as:
- Careless driving on the part of another road user may lead to them swerving into your vehicle. The force of the impact could cause a sternum fracture.
- If another road user does not leave an appropriate distance to the vehicle in front of them and collides with you at a junction, you could suffer a sternum injury.
Accidents In A Public Place
The occupier of a public place has a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 to ensure the safety of all those using it. They must take reasonable steps to ensure that those who are using the space for its intended purpose are safe when doing so. They should follow health and safety guidelines, carry out risk assessments and ensure facilities are well maintained.
Examples of public liability claims for fractured sternum compensation include:
- You fell from a height due to a poorly maintained railing collapsing when you stood against it.
- A child fell from a poorly maintained and broken climbing frame in a public park.
If you were injured in a public place, you should ensure the incident is recorded in the accident book.
Our team could help you to make a fractured sternum compensation claim. Speak to our team to find out how we could help you.
What Proof Do I Need To Claim For A Broken Sternum?
Whether you are making a fractured sternum compensation claim against an employer, the occupier of a public space or another road user, you will need to submit evidence. This needs to show liability for the accident that caused your sternum injury.
The following types of evidence could help when making a compensation claim:
- Medical evidence such as records of what treatment you received at the scene of the accident and in hospital. This may include a prognosis for your recovery.
- The contact information of anyone who witnessed your accident. They can be contacted later on in the personal injury claims process for a witness statement.
- Videos or photos which highlight the cause and scene of the accident.
- Copies of records from an accident report book if the accident occurred in the workplace or a public space.
Finally, contacting a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you to find out if you are eligible to claim and to do so successfully. Call an advisor now to find how we could help you make a fractured sternum compensation claim.
Case Study: £20,000 Compensation For A Fractured Sternum
In this case study, we look at an instance where a claimant was injured in a road traffic accident.
The claimant was driving a vehicle. They pulled up correctly at a red light at a junction. The following car was not paying due care and attention to the lights changing and did not slow down as they approached the junction. They struck the claimant’s car in a rear-end accident.
The claimant suffered a sternum fracture as well as other minor injuries as a result of colliding with the steering wheel. During their recovery, the claimant experienced pain and discomfort, which prevented them from working and participating in social activities.
They were awarded damages for pain and suffering caused by the broken sternum as well as:
- Loss of earnings during time taken off work whilst recovering.
- Medical costs, including physiotherapy.
- The cost of medication.
This amounted to £20,000 in fractured sternum car accident compensation. Next, we look at how much compensation for a fractured sternum could be awarded.
How Much Compensation For A Sternum Fracture?
How much compensation for a fractured sternum you could be eligible to claim will depend on how serious your injury was and how the injury impacted your ability to work and go about your daily life. As such, compensation for a fractured sternum will be valued on an individual basis.
Claims may be made up of damages for your injury (general damages) and those for financial costs (special damages).
Solicitors and other parties responsible for calculating claims may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). These guidelines contain recommendations on what damages may be awarded for different types of injuries. In the table below we take figures from the JCG to highlight what you may be able to claim.
The first row illustrates what may be awarded for both your injuries and special damages. It is important to note that this top row was not taken from the JCG.
| Nature of the injury | Severity | Payment guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious or severe injuries with special damages. | Serious or severe | Up to £500,000+ including special damages. |
| Chest injuries | Serious | £122,850 to £183,190 |
| Permanent | £80,240 to £122,850 | |
| Continuing disability | £38,210 to £66,920 | |
| Relatively simple | £15,370 to £21,920 | |
| Residual disability | £6,500 to £15,370 | |
| Collapsed lungs | £2,680 to £6,500 | |
| Fractures and soft tissue injuries | Up to £4,820 | |
| Post traumatic stress disorder | Severe | £73,050 to £122,850 |
| Moderately severe | £28,250 to £73,050 |
Special damages could compensate for:
- Loss of earnings,
- Loss of amenity,
- Care costs,
- Medical costs,
- Mobility aids,
Our team could help calculate how much compensation for a fractured sternum you are eligible to claim.
Why Claim Fractured Sternum Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Making a fractured sternum compensation claim could involve collecting evidence, submitting a claim to a defendant and even filing the claim with a court if the case is disputed. A specialist No Win No Fee solicitor could help you to create the strongest possible case. Our panel of solicitors are experienced in handling claims for accidents at work, on the road and in public places. A solicitor from our panel could help you to make your claim.
In addition to gaining their expertise and experience, a solicitor from our panel could help you via a Conditional Fee Agreement. This means that they could work on your case without you needing to make any payments for their services unless your claim is successful.
If you are awarded compensation for a fractured sternum your solicitor will charge a success fee. What can be charged (as a percentage of your awarded compensation) is limited by law.
Learn more about how we could help you make a fractured sternum compensation claim by:
- Calling 0800 408 7825.
- Messaging us on our ‘contact us’ form.
- Talking to us on our live support chat.
Learn About Personal Injury Claims
Our resources
- If you were injured in a public place, you could make a council slip, trip accident claim.
- Serious sternum fractures could result in a punctured lung, find out more about this type of claim with our case study.
- If you are injured in a scaffolding accident you could suffer a broken sternum.
References
- Information about statutory sick pay from the government.
- You can find out more about rib fractures in this NHS guide.
- In this guide from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, you can find out more about falls affecting children.
If you have any further questions about making a fractured sternum compensation claim, please contact our team.