By Mary Scott. Last Updated 21st September 2022. When you’re at work, your employer owes you a duty of care to try and keep you as safe as possible. Therefore, if you suffer a broken arm in an accident which you can prove was caused by employer negligence, you could be entitled to claim compensation from them. This guide aims to show you when you could claim for a broken arm accident at work and the amounts of compensation that could be paid.
We’ll also look at a case study to demonstrate how a broken arm can affect you. To help show what injuries can be claimed for, we’ve provided a personal injury claims calculator later in the guide too.
Here at Legal Helpline, we can help you make your claim. Our advisors are specialists who can assess your claim on a no-obligation basis. They can also give you free advice about claiming. If you’d like to begin a claim today, please call 0161 696 9685 right away. Alternatively, you can contact us through our website.
Alternatively, if you’d like to know more about claiming for an accident in work which caused a broken arm, please continue reading.
Broken arm accident at work
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- Different Ways You Could Suffer A Broken Arm Accident At Work
- Case Study: £60,000 Compensation For A Broken Arm Accident At Work
- What’s The Average Settlement For A Broken Arm At Work?
- No Win No Fee Broken Arm Accident At Work Claims
- Related Claims Guides
Different Ways You Could Suffer A Broken Arm Accident At Work
Now we’re going to take a look at some more specific scenarios which could lead to a broken arm in a workplace accident. Here are some examples:
- Inadequate training.
If you were involved in an accident because you’d not been trained properly to do the task at hand, then you might be able to claim against your employer. The same is true if a colleague caused your accident because they’d not been trained properly. - Lack of protective equipment.
One of your employer’s duties is to minimise risk where possible. Following a risk assessment, if they deem a particular task is dangerous, they should make changes to reduce the dangers. This could include providing safety equipment. Therefore, if equipment which could’ve prevented your injury was not available, you could consider claiming. - Collisions or crashes.
A particular example of this could be in a warehouse scenario. There should be rules on where forklift trucks can drive, at what speed and when they should sound their horn. If the driver fails to follow the rules and collides with you, then you could be entitled to claim for your injuries. - Slips, trips and falls.
There are many scenarios where an employer could be responsible for a slip or fall. For example, if you slip on a wet floor with no warning signs, trip on cables that have been trailed across your work area or if you fall because of a raised paving slab in the car park. All of these scenarios could lead to a claim. - Crush Injuries.
There are a number of accidents that could lead to a crush injury. If they could’ve been foreseen by your employer, but they failed to take steps to reduce the risk, you could make a claim against them.
Case Study: £60,000 Compensation For A Broken Arm Accident At Work
Now we’re going to consider a case study where an accident at work could lead to a broken arm. The employee was carrying out their duties in a warehouse when they were trapped between a wall and a forklift truck. The forklift was being operated by a delivery driver for another company who was unloading their lorry.
As a result of the collision, the claimant suffered multiple fractures of the arm which required multiple operations to try and put right. They were left with a metal plate in their arm. They also continued to suffer aching and now have restricted movement in their dominant arm.
The delivery driver’s company admitted liability for the accident because the driver was not following the appropriate health and safety procedures within the claimant company’s warehouse.
The compensation paid out was to cover the considerable pain and suffering caused by the injuries, lost income and the impact on the claimant’s ability to carry out the same type of work in the future.
It’s worth noting that if the claimant had been younger, the compensation payment might’ve been a lot higher. That’s because claims for future loss of earnings is based on factors such as age, job prospects and the current position within the company.
What’s The Average Settlement For A Broken Arm At Work?
If you are eligible to claim compensation for a broken arm at work, and your claim is successful, you could receive a payout which includes general damages and special damages.
General damages is the head of claim that compensates you for the suffering and pain of your injury. To get help valuing general damages payouts, legal professionals could refer to a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This provides guidelines for compensation awards for various injuries and different severities.
Below, you can find some figures from the 16th edition of the JCG. However, these are only used as a guide. Your compensation would depend on the unique facts and circumstances of your claim.
Type of Injury Severity Typical Compensation Range Details
Arm Severe £96,160 to £130,930 The type of injury where the arm doesn't need to be amputated but the result is the same as if it had of been.
Arm Injuries Resulting in Permanent and Substantial Disablement £39,170 to £59,860 This range covers serious fractures in one or both arms that result in a permanent and substantial disability.
Arm Less Severe £19,200 to £39,170 Injuries that will have caused a significant disability but it is expected to (or has) recover substantially.
Arm Simple Fracture £6,610 to £19,200 A simple fracture of the forearm.
Elbow Moderate to Minor Up to £12,590 This range includes simple fractures of the elbow. The point in the compensation range will be determined by factors such as length of recovery time.
Wrist Colles Fracture In the region of £7,430 An uncomplicated Colles' fracture of the wrist.
Wrist (f) £3,530 to £4,740 Include minor undisplaced and minimally displaced wrist fractures.
If you have further questions about compensation payouts, you could read this orthopaedic injury compensation payout guide. Or, you can contact an advisor to get a personalised estimate of how much you could claim. An advisor could also connect you with a solicitor from our panel, to get started with your claim.
Broken Arm Compensation – What Else Can I Include?
Your broken arm compensation could also include special damages to compensate for the financial losses you incurred because of your injury. Some of the costs that could be covered include:
- Medication prescription costs
- Loss of earnings
- Cost of home adjustments
- Travel expenses
- Care costs
You could call our advisors and use our initial consultation to get free legal advice. They can discuss the average settlement for a broken arm in the UK and potentially give you an estimate of your claim using the information you provide.
No Win No Fee Broken Arm Accident At Work Claims
The cost of using a solicitor to make a work accident claim might seem off-putting. However, we only work with solicitors who offer a No Win No Fee service. That’s because we want as many people to be able to claim as possible. Also, we believe that no win no fee removes a lot of financial risk and therefore makes the claims process less stressful.
If the solicitor agrees to take on your broken arm accident claim, and you’re happy to continue, you’ll be given a contract to sign. This is known as a conditional fee agreement (CFA).
The CFA makes it clear what ‘success fee’ you’ll pay if the solicitor wins the case for you. Also, it explains that you don’t have to pay the success fee if you don’t receive compensation.
Success fees are a fixed percentage of your compensation. To save you having to send the solicitor the money if they win, the compensation is paid to them, they deduct the success fee and then they send the rest on to you.
To find out if we could connect you to a work accident solicitor on a no win no fee basis, please call an advisor today:
- Calling our specialist advisors on 0161 696 9685.
- Completing our online claims form to arrange for an advisor to call you.
- Or you could make use of our live chat facility that’s available right across this website.
Related Claims Guides
Now that you’ve read all of the information regarding personal injury claims for a broken arm accident at work, here are some further guides which you might find useful:
- Elbow Injury Claims – A guide which looks at the types of elbow injury which could lead to a personal injury claim.
- Accident At Work Claims – This guide takes a general look at claiming for an injury at work. It’s not specific to a particular injury like a broken arm.
- Wrist Injury Claims – Another guide which looks at a related injury. This one is about making a claim for a fractured or broken wrist.
- Slip, Trip And Falls Claims – These kinds of accidents could occur in a number of settings, including in the workplace.
- Fatal Accident At Work Claims – You may still be able to claim on behalf of a deceased friend or relative.
- Bullying At Work Compensation – A guide of ours on this subject.
- Foot Injury Claims – Find out how much these injuries could be worth.
- £30,000 For a Fractured Forearm – This case study goes in-depth about someone who received compensation after an accident at work involving their forearm.
Trusted External Resources
Finally, here are some external resources which might help you when claiming compensation for a broken arm at work.
- Broken Bones Guide – This NHS guide explains how to determine if you’ve suffered a break or fracture and when you need to visit a hospital.
- Health And Safety At Work Law – A guide from the HSE which explains both civil and criminal law that could apply following an accident at work.
- Find NHS Services – This handy tool allows you to search for hospitals, GP surgeries and even physiotherapists in your area.
For more advice on claiming compensation for a broken arm at work, please get in touch.