By Marlon Marquardt. Last Updated 28th November 2022. If you fracture your sternum in an accident you weren’t responsible for, you could potentially claim to receive a fractured sternum injury settlement. You would need to prove that a third party who owed you a duty of care breached it and caused your suffering. We recommend that you know crucial information about the claims process before you file a claim. That’s why this guide is here: to examine the claims process. We include an example case study to illustrate step by step the process of a compensation claim.
Fractured sternum/breastbone compensation
Before we begin, we wish to advise you that you could contact us at any point. Our friendly team could put you in touch with our panel of personal injury solicitors. To speak with an advisor today, just call 0800 408 7825, complete the form on our site or use the live chat option below.
Choose A Section
- A Guide To Calculating Compensation For A Fractured Sternum/Breastbone
- Fractured Sternum Symptoms
- Explanation Of Financial Issues
- Accidents Causing Fractured Sternums/Breastbones
- Your Specialist Settlement Calculations
- Additional Care Claims For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
- Case Study: £16,000 Compensation For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
- Estimates For Negligence Victims
- No Win No Fee Arrangements For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
- Where Are The Best Personal Injury Lawyers For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement?
- Call Today
- More Help On A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
A Guide To Calculating Compensation For A Fractured Sternum/Breastbone
The subjects that we’re covering in this guide include:
- Identifying what a sternum fracture is.
- The financial fallout of such a break.
- General/special damages including care claims.
- The benefits of No Win No Fee agreements.
- The downsides of compensation calculators.
Personal Injury Claims Time Limit
For anyone claiming a fractured sternum injury settlement, there is a 3-year window to take action. (However, there are exceptions to this.) This period begins from the date you’re injured or learned that negligence at least contributed to your injury. If for some reason you wait until after three years to make a claim, you might not receive compensation, so time is critical. Find out more about this topic by calling our experienced team.
Fractured Sternum Symptoms
The average payout for a broken sternum can depend on your symptoms’ severity. The symptoms can vary, and can affect people in different ways.
Here are a few examples of some fractured sternum symptoms:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Discomfort
- Bruising
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- A snapping/grinding noise or sensation upon impact
It’s important to note that the list of symptoms has been taken from the NHS website, and they do not relate specifically to sternum fractures. They are in relation to broken bones in general. We always advise seeking professional medical help if you are concerned you may have broken a bone.
In terms of the value of a claim, get in touch with our advisors today to find out what a fractured sternum can be worth.
Explanation Of Financial Issues
If you suffer a fractured sternum, there could also be a resultant financial loss. For example, you may lose your income during your recovery period if your employers didn’t offer sick pay. Also, consider the costs of cancelled holidays or excursions that can’t be refunded. And don’t forget the costs of painkillers.
You could recover these costs through your compensation claim, but you would need evidence. If you have bills, receipts or anything else that proves your financial loss was owed to your injury, you could use them to support your claim.
Find out how financial issues could shape your personal injury claim by speaking with us.
Accidents Causing Fractured Sternums/Breastbones
To make a claim based on negligence and be awarded a fractured sternum injury settlement, you must prove that:
- A duty of care was owed to you by a third party.
- The third-party breached this duty.
- You suffered an injury, such as a sternum fracture, because of this.
Workplace Accidents
Employers are required to apply a duty of care to protect employees’ wellbeing under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. No workplace is completely risk-free. But those accidents that can be avoided should be, yet a fall off a ladder and consequential injury—if caused by lack of training or faulty equipment—could render an employer liable. Remember that you may suffer multiple injuries during an accident at work, aside from just a sternum fracture. And that could open the door to filling a multiple injury claim.
Accidents in a Public Place
Those in control of land, premises or property (including local authorities) have a duty of care to protect the safety of visitors under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. An accident in a public place could be a fall due to unsafe equipment, such as defective playground equipment, or a supermarket that does not clean up a spillage in the required time. Therefore, if you’re injured in a public place because of others’ negligence, you could have the right to make a public injury claim in the aftermath. Fractured sternums could happen due to accidents in public places. Additionally, if it happened to you through no fault of your own, you could seek a fractured sternum injury settlement.
Road Accidents
You could potentially suffer a fractured sternum due to a road traffic accident (RTA). A severe impact experienced in an RTA could have enough force to cause a fracture such as a broken breast bone. This is a possibility with different types of RTAs, whether you’re in a vehicle, hit while cycling or hit as a pedestrian.
If the road user who causes a road traffic accident wasn’t taking the appropriate care, they could be found to have breached the The Highway Code and the duty of care they owed you.
Ask us anytime about scenarios that could result in fractured sternums, and your own experience.
Your Specialist Settlement Calculations
If you choose to claim and use the services of our panel of personal injury solicitors, they would request a medical assessment. This is to ensure you receive a thorough and accurate diagnosis for your fractured breastbone. It also answers questions regarding your injury’s circumstances, hopefully establishing the connection that proves the accident had caused you to be hurt. The assessment aims to prove that, if it weren’t for the incident, your sternum would be okay or pre-existing injuries wouldn’t be exacerbated. The medical assessment is an important step towards claiming a fractured sternum injury settlement.
At this point, your potential solicitor could value your claim. They would take into consideration the following:
- General damages: Compensation for the pain, impact on life and suffering stemming from your injury.
- Special damages: Compensation for the financial fallout due to the injury. This includes lost earnings and medical expenses, along with further unforeseen consequences.
Please call us whenever you wish to discuss the breakdown of your settlement calculation.
Additional Care Claims For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
You could claim, as part of your special damages, to recover the costs of any care you receive as a direct result of you being hurt. That could include hiring a nurse or carer to visit you regularly and look after you. It could mean paying for professionals to manage general, everyday chores.
It could also include the gracious care that you receive from family members or friends. You could reclaim their time through compensation in your potential fractured sternum injury settlement. Please telephone our friendly team to discuss care claims in more detail.
Case Study: £16,000 Compensation For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
Mr Robinson, 45, worked as a painter for a company in his home town. He was employed to paint houses and major buildings for established businesses. One particular afternoon, Mr Robinson was painting a council building. He was on a scaffold tower at the first-floor level. Mr Robinson was preparing to advance to the second level. However, unbeknownst to him, the scaffolding tower he was using hadn’t been safely installed.
As a result, when Mr Robinson turned to speak to a colleague on the ground level, the scaffolding’s first level gave way. This caused him to fall around 10 feet to the ground. Thankfully, Mr Robinson avoided hurting his head, but he did land very hard on his chest. And he felt the pain from his fall almost immediately. He became aware that he found it difficult to breathe.
Mr Robinson was taken to the hospital. A doctor diagnosed him with a fractured sternum. Also a collapsed lung. The injury didn’t require surgery, but he would have to take strong painkillers. Mr Robinson would have to recuperate at home. During this time, he would lose some of his income as a professional painter because his employer didn’t offer Company Sick Pay.
Making a Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement Claim
Mr Robinson began to get flashbacks of the fall. He suddenly became aware that he no longer wanted to go to work for the fear of having to climb a ladder or scaffolding again. His GP referred him for counselling where he was diagnosed with suffering Post-Traumatic-Stress-Syndrome (PTSD)
Mr Robinson spoke with a personal injury lawyer, who confirmed that a breach of duty had occurred. So, he filed a claim and he received £16,000 as a fractured sternum injury settlement. This included £8,710 for general damages (£5000 for the injury and £3,710 for PTSD), with special damages on top.
| Type Of Special Damages | Includes: | How Much? |
|---|---|---|
| Lost Earnings | Costs of being unable to work | £4,500 |
| Medical Costs | Costs of taking strong painkillers during his recovery | £50 |
| Travel Costs | Travel to and from medical and counselling appointments | £280 |
| Care Costs | Family helping him to cook, clean, driving him to and from places | £1500 |
| Professional Costs | Gardener | £120 |
| Lost Holiday Costs | Flights, hotel deposits, attraction deposits. | £890 |
Note: This is a hypothetical situation based on our experiences. The case study acts as an example of the claims process and for calculating a compensation figure for a settlement after an injury.
What Is A Fractured Sternum Worth?
Unfortunately, the average payout for a broken sternum is not something we can provide, as every payout is dependent on the unique circumstances of the claim.
As said, you could be able to claim under both general damages and special damages, depending on how your injuries have affected you.
To help value general damages, legal professionals can consult the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) – a publication that assigns bracketed figures to various injuries. The figures shown are based on previous successful court claims.
The table below features information taken from the latest update of the JCG.
| Type of Injury | Severity | Bracket of Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | (a) | £100,670 to £150,110 | The worst case will result in serious heart damage and/or the total removal of one lung. |
| Chest | (b) | £65,740 to £100,670 | Injury of a traumatic nature to chest, lung(s) and/or heart causing functional impairment and damage that is permanent. |
| Chest | (c) | £31,310 to £54,830 | Lung(s) and chest are damaged, causing a continuous disability. |
| Chest | (d) | £12,590 to £17,960 | An injury that is relatively simple causing some permanent tissue damage. |
| Chest | (f) | £2,190 to £5,320 | Injuries that cause collapsed lungs where a full recovery is made. |
| Chest | (g) | Up to £3,950 | Rib fractures or soft tissue injuries causing serious pain for a few weeks. |
| PTSD | Moderately Severe | £23,150 to £59,860 | Better prognosis will be expected than in more severe cases because of a positive response to professional help. |
| PTSD | Moderate | £8,180 to £23,150 | There will be no significant disabilities because the injured person will have mostly recovered. |
| General Psychiatric Damage | Moderate | £5,860 to £19,070 | Marked improvement will be made by trial. As such, there will be a good prognosis. |
| General Psychiatric Damage | Less Severe | £1,540 to £5,860 | Compensation will be determined based on aspects like how badly sleep and daily activities were affected. |
The figures above are not a guarantee of what you may receive, as your compensation will depend on various factors. For example, if you suffered a fractured sternum in a car accident, your compensation payout could take into account any psychological injuries you sustained in the accident.
If you would like to learn more about how injuries are valued or receive a personalised evaluation, talk to one of our advisers at any time.
Estimates For Negligence Victims
Online personal injury claims calculators are often used for determining general settlements. But the word ‘general’ sums up why this would be an issue. Online calculators can be helpful but can also fail to consider a victim’s personal situation. Therefore, we avoid this and instead put you and your circumstances front and centre of the settlement estimate settlement process.
After all, you may have contributory factors that other victims of similar injuries wouldn’t, and vice versa. Therefore, the estimate you would receive could be far closer to what you would potentially get when the case is over. Find out more information about this free service by chatting with our friendly team.
No Win No Fee Agreements For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
There are clear benefits to making a claim through a No Win No Fee solicitor, should you choose to use one. These would include the following points:
- No requirement to pay your personal injury solicitor’s fees at the first point of contact.
- Also, you don’t have to pay solicitor fees before the case is resolved.
- Importantly, if your case is unsuccessful for whatever reason, then you don’t pay your personal injury solicitor’s fees.
- If your case wins, while your personal injury solicitor takes a success fee, it’s capped by law to prevent you from losing significant compensation.
Want to know more about No Win No Fee agreements ahead of making a fractured sternum settlement claim? Get in touch with our specialist team at any time.
Where Are The Best Personal Injury Lawyers For A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement?
To find the most qualified personal injury lawyers, we recommend you use several vital factors to filter down your search. This includes seeking out those with many years of experience and real credibility. Let’s not forget the preference of a solicitor being able to specialise in sternum fracture injuries.
These and other factors could determine who would be right to handle your case for a fractured sternum injury claim. Call Public Interest Lawyers to see if our advisors can put you in touch with a personal injury solicitor suited to your case.
Call Today
By speaking with us, you could take the first step towards receiving the fractured sternum injury compensation you deserve.
There are several ways to contact our advisors:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825.
- Use the live chat in the bottom corner of this page.
- Complete our contact form.
Remember that you have no requirement to pursue your claim after contact, and we’re accessible 24/7.
More Help On A Fractured Sternum Injury Settlement
We hope that you have learned a lot from reading our guide about fractured sternum injury claims. However, we recognise that you may still wish to garner further information. Therefore, we have the below six links for you to check out at your pleasure.
Starting with the Public Interest Lawyers website, this page discusses all aspects of the claims process.
We also detail how to claim income losses after a workplace accident.
As well as, guidance about what happens if a third party refuses to admit liability.
Also, the NHS shares information on costochondritis, a potential consequence of a sternum fracture.
In addition, they also outline what symptoms to spot when attempting to identify broken bones.
To conclude, you can also check out the 2020 statistics of accidents at work.
If, after reading this guide, you would like to speak to an advisor regarding claiming fractured sternum compensation, then you can contact Public Interest Lawyers for help. You can get in touch with our advisors on the phone or online by using the contact details featured in this guide. If you have a valid claim, they may be able to help answer questions such as. ‘what is a fractured sternum worth?’.
Article by AE
Publisher UI