Rib injuries can have serious, long-lasting effects on both your physical health and your finances. In this guide, we’ll explain when you could potentially make a rib injury compensation claim, and what kinds of steps you could take to help support your case.
We’ll also discuss compensation. Many people are tempted to search for a solid estimate of what they could receive, but due to the unique nature of personal injury compensation, this can be very hard to get right. Instead, we’ll explain what kinds of compensation you could receive if you make a successful personal injury compensation claim, and how those involved in your claim might calculate these different headings
Finally, our guide will explore the many benefits of working with one of the personal injury solicitors on our panel on a No Win No fee basis for your case.
Contact Us
We’ll try to answer any questions you might have throughout the guide, but if you’d rather speak to one of our expert advisors, you can get in touch by:
- Calling us on 020 8050 2736
- Using the live chat feature.
- Contacting us online.
Browse Our Guide
- Can You Make A Rib Injury Compensation Claim?
- What Are Common Types Of Rib Injuries?
- How To Make A Rib Injury Compensation Claim
- How Much Rib Injury Compensation Could You Receive?
- Why Claim For Rib Injuries On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Learn More About Personal Injury Claims
Can You Make A Rib Injury Compensation Claim?
In order to form the basis of a valid rib injury compensation claim, you need to be able to prove that:
- You were owed a duty of care.
- This duty was breached.
- You were injured as a result.
But what does this mean? In certain situations, someone else has a legal responsibility for your health and safety, which is referred to under certain legislation as a duty of care. Below, we’ll explore how this could apply to you in certain situations.
Accidents At Work
At work, your employer owes you a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). This means that they need to take all reasonably practicable steps to keep you safe while working.
For example, this might include providing free and adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as a harness if you are working at height. If they fail to do this, and your ribs are injured, this could be seen as a breach of their duty of care, and you may be able to make an accident at work claim.
Road Traffic Accidents
Road users owe a duty of care. They need to use the roads safely and responsibly to avoid harming one another. Additionally, they need to comply with the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code.
For example, if a drunk driver were to drive through a red light, causing a head-on collision with your car, this would be a breach of their duty of care. If this collision caused you to suffer an injury to your ribs, then you may be able to make a road traffic accident claim.
Accidents In A Public Place
While in public, the person in control of the space owes you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA). This means they need to make the space reasonably safe for visitors.
For example, if a faulty shelf at a supermarket collapsed onto you and the supermarket were aware of this fault, this could be a breach of their duty of care, and you may be able to claim for an accident in a public place.
Contact our team today to discuss your particular case and see whether you may be eligible to claim rib injury compensation.
What Are Common Types Of Rib Injuries?
Chest injuries can be very serious. Even minor injuries can result in permanent damage, and most rib injuries can take at least a few weeks to fully heal.
Some examples of common rib injuries can include:
- Breaks and fractures.
- Bruising.
- Punctured lungs.
- Torn or punctured aorta.
- Swelling and inflammation in the cartilage.
- Intercostal strains and sprains.
No matter what type of injury you have suffered, you must remember, to be able to make a rib injury claim, your injuries must have been caused by someone else breaching a duty of care they owed you.
Contact our advisory team today if you suffered broken or bruised ribs to see whether you may be able to make a personal injury claim.
How To Make A Rib Injury Compensation Claim
As we’ve already mentioned, you need to be able to prove that someone else breached their duty of care and that this caused your injuries. To do this, you’ll need to collect the right kinds of evidence.
The evidence needed for a personal injury claim can include:
- Photographs of the accident site.
- CCTV footage of the accident taking place.
- X-rays or scans of your ribs.
- Medical records that detail your injury and what treatments they’ve received.
- Witness contact details so that a statement can be collected from them during the claims process.
To find out how a solicitor from our panel could help you prove your rib injury compensation claim, contact our team today.
How Much Rib Injury Compensation Could You Receive?
You might be wondering how much compensation you could get if you successfully claim compensation for your injury. Generally, settlements for rib injury compensation claims can result in two heads of loss:
- General damages: Compensation for your injuries and the physical pain and mental suffering they cause.
- Special damages: Compensation for the financial losses you experience because of your injuries.
It can be hard to pinpoint an average compensation amount for personal injury claims. This is because each case is unique, and your payout will reflect this. However, the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) are often used to help calculate general damages.
The JCG provides guideline compensation amounts, and they can increase and decrease depending on the specifics of the injury. We’ve included some examples below, but please note that the first entry isn’t from the JCG.
JCG Compensation Brackets
| Injury | Compensation Bracket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries + Special Damages | Up to £500,000+ | A combination of financial losses, like lost earnings, and multiple severe injuries |
| Chest Injuries (a) | £122,850 to £183,190 | Serious damage to the heart, permanent scarring, and loss of one lung. |
| Chest Injuries (b) | £80,240 to £122,850 | Disability and reduced life expectancy caused by serious damage to the heart and lungs. |
| Chest Injuries (c) | £38,210 to £66,920 | Some disability caused by damage to the chest and lungs. |
| Chest Injuries (d) | £15,370 to £21,920 | A relatively simple injury that causes some damage but no long-term impairment. |
| Chest Injuries (e) | £6,500 to £15,370 | Some residual damage caused by toxic fume or smoke inhalation. |
| Chest Injuries (f) | £2,680 to £6,500 | A collapsed lung that leads to a full recovery. |
| Chest Injuries (g) | Up to £4,80 | Rib fractures and soft tissue injuries that only cause symptoms for a few weeks. |
Special Damages
Special damages is the part of your compensation that covers the financial losses you’ve experienced. For example, a fractured rib can take a while to fully heal, and you may be unable to work during this time. If this resulted in lost earnings, you could potentially claim these back under special damages.
You can also use this heading to help cover the cost of:
- Childcare.
- Travel.
- Prescriptions.
- Physiotherapy.
- Help with cooking and cleaning.
Providing evidence of these financial expenses and losses could help support your claim for special damages. This may include payslips, invoices, bank statements and receipts.
To learn more about making a rib injury compensation claim, we recommend you contact our expert team today. Our advisors can also offer you a free valuation of your potential compensation.
Why Claim For Rib Injuries On A No Win No Fee Basis?
So, why is it that we recommend claiming compensation for a rib or chest injury with a personal injury solicitor?
Working with a personal injury solicitor can come with many benefits, especially when they work on a No Win No Fee basis. For example, they can help with:
- Negotiating a settlement.
- Making sure your claim is filed on time.
- Communicating with the other party.
- Collecting evidence, like medical records.
- Explaining legal terminology.
Our panel of No Win No Fee solicitors offer their clients Conditional Fee Agreements (CFA). This means that you can access their services without:
- Paying an upfront fee.
- Paying for their continued services.
- Paying for their work if the rib injury compensation claim fails.
If it succeeds, you’ll pay a small percentage of your compensation to them as a success fee. However, the law limits how much they can take as this percentage, which helps ensure the majority of your compensation stays with you.
Contact Us
Get in touch with our friendly team today to learn more about how a personal injury solicitor from our panel could help you make a compensation claim for your injuries. Our friendly team can also offer you free advice for your case and answer any questions you may have about starting a personal injury claim. They can be reached by:
- Calling us on 020 8050 2736
- Using the live chat feature.
- Contacting us online.
Learn More About Personal Injury Claims
For more personal injury claim guides by us:
- Learn how to make a bus accident claim with our guide.
- Get help with tendon injury compensation claims.
- Find out if you could claim for an accident in a pub with this helpful guide.
Or, for further resources:
- Find out when to call 999 with information from the NHS.
- NHS information on bruised or broken ribs.
- Get help requesting CCTV footage of yourself with this Gov.UK resource.
Thank you for reading our guide on how to make a rib injury compensation claim. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your particular case, do not hesitate to contact our advisory team today.