Last updated 29th April 2026. A fractured sternum can be extremely painful and take months to heal. It is likely that you had to restrict your activities and focus on your health. This can be extremely stressful, especially if you have been unable to work. Fortunately, fractured sternum compensation can make it easier to financially cope with a personal injury. This is because you can recover the various costs associated with your sternum injury, from private medical bills to professional care expenses.
When assessing the amount of compensation owed, legal professionals can use the compensation guideline figures provided in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). For instance, an award of £86,860 to £133,000 could be appropriate for a traumatic chest injury that caused permanent damage and impaired function. For damage to the chest causing some continuing disability, between £41,370 and £72,440 could be given to you.
It is important to note that these figures are not a guarantee of your potential compensation payout. Each compensation payout is individually calculated to reflect the experience of the affected person.
You can get in touch with our advisors to learn more about the different factors that your compensation could cover. This could give you a better idea of your potential compensation payout and the opportunity to hire one of our No Win No Fee solicitors. Finding a solicitor who is right for you can make all the difference to your experience of the claims process.
At Public Interest Lawyers, we’ll take you through the claiming process from the first enquiry with one of our knowledgeable and friendly advisors to a solicitor helping you reach a settlement that truly reflects the damage you suffered.
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?
- How Public Interest Lawyers Can Help You Claim Fractured Sternum Compensation
- No Win No Fee Compensation Claims For A Sternum Fracture With Public Interest Lawyers
- 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.
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 example 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 injuries along with recovery of costs for lost income, specialist equipment and domestic care and cleaning. | Up to £500,000+ including special damages. |
| Chest injuries | Serious - removal of a lung and heart damage | £133,000 to £198,320 |
| Permanent damage and impairment from a traumatic injury | £86,860 to £133,000 | |
| Continuing disability | £41,370 to £72,440 | |
| Relatively simple injury with permanent tissue damage | £16,640 to £23,730 | |
| Residual damage from toxic fume or smoke inhalation | £7,030 to £16,640 | |
| Collapsed lungs | £2,900 to £7,030 | |
| Fractures and soft tissue injuries | Up to £5,220 | |
| Post traumatic stress disorder | Severe - preventing functioning at pre-trauma level in all areas of life | £79,080 to £133,000 |
| Moderately severe - there will be some recovery with professional help, but all aspects of life are badly affected | £30,580 to £79,080 |
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.
How Public Interest Lawyers Can Help You Claim Fractured Sternum Compensation
At Public Interest Lawyers, our solicitors can help you by explaining each aspect of the claims process and tailoring their services to suit your particular needs. They often help claimants to seek fractured sternum compensation by:
- Confirming how to prove that the fractured sternum was caused by another party’s negligent actions
- Supporting your recovery from the fractured sternum by ensuring that you are connected to rehabilitation specialists for this type of injury
- Connecting you to professionals, such as cleaners, who can support you at home while you recover from the damage to your chest
- Ensuring that you have any specialist equipment, such as pillows, to support breathing while you recover from the fractured sternum
- Arguing for your fractured sternum compensation to reflect all appropriate aspects of your case
- Organising an independent medical assessment of your sternum fracture
Should you have any questions about the benefits of working with one of our solicitors, you are welcome to speak with one of our advisors. This is also a great opportunity to discuss the average settlement for a fractured sternum and discuss your specific case.
No Win No Fee Compensation Claims For A Sternum Fracture With Public Interest Lawyers
You can claim compensation for a fractured sternum on a No Win No Fee basis with one of our specialist personal injury solicitors. In order to do so, you would need to sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This means that your solicitors can represent you without charging for their work:
- Before you start claiming
- As progress is made on the case
- If you are not given fractured sternum compensation
However, should you get compensation, you will be asked to pay a success fee. This is a percentage of the compensation that you need to give to your solicitor. The percentage is held to a legally binding cap, so you can rest assured that most of the compensation will remain in your hands.
If you would like to find out more about No Win No Fee agreements or the average payout for a fractured sternum, enquire with our team today. They understand that you may need time before deciding on a solicitor, so you can trust them to advise you without any strings attached. Speaking directly with an advisor is often a great way to get information that is relevant to your circumstances, as they can tailor their advice to your case.
- Calling 0800 073 8803.
- 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.
- 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.
*thank you for reading our example case study, we hope it illustrated how a claim could work. If you have any further questions about making a fractured sternum compensation claim, please contact our team.
