£10,000 Compensation For A Broken Wrist Claim
By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 24th August 2023. You may be entitled to make a broken wrist claim if you’ve suffered this type of injury because a relevant third party breached the duty of care they owed you. Within this guide, we’ll discuss key requirements for making a compensation claim for a broken wrist and look at some potential payouts for this type of injury. We’ll also discuss the benefits of claiming for a broken wrist with a No Win No Fee solicitor.
This guide also features a case study covering someone who claimed for a broken wrist after slipping and falling on a wet floor within a hotel. It covers details of the accident and claim that led to a payout worth close to £10,000.
If you’re looking for help with making your own broken wrist compensation claim, then you can contact our team of advisors for free. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To contact them, you can:
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Broken wrist claim
Select A Section
- Case Study
- What Injuries Were Sustained In This Case?
- The Allegation And The Compensation Awarded
- The Time Limit For Making A Broken Wrist Claim
- How Much Can I Claim For A Broken Wrist?
- No Win No Fee Personal Injury Solicitors
- Useful links
Case Study
In this case study, we will look at the case of Mrs S. Mrs S, as we will refer to her here for privacy reasons, is a grandmother in her 50s who works as a clerical officer. The accident occurred one morning when Mrs S was on holiday with her extended family, including her grandchildren. She walked on a marble floor in her hotel, which she described as “awash with water” and “literally as if someone had thrown a bucket of water on the floor”. Mrs S had walked on the same floor not long before and it had been dry, gone outside and the floor had been wet by a cleaner with the intention of mopping the floors.
The cleaner was not present at the time that Mrs S returned. The wet floor was not signposted, and there was nothing else to indicate the potential hazard of the wet floor, which being marble, was even more of a hazard as the surface had no natural grip. Mrs S slipped on the wet floor and fell heavily on the wet floor.
What Injuries Were Sustained In This Case?
After her fall, Mrs S saw a doctor, who thought that her wrist might be sprained. It was strapped and the doctor told her to rest. For the rest of the holiday, Mrs S found herself in severe pain and had to take painkillers to sleep. She was also unable to perform activities such as cutting up food, squeezing a suncream bottle or swimming with her grandchildren in the hotel pool, which greatly impacted her quality of life and enjoyment of her holiday. After Mrs S returned home to the UK, she went to her local A&E department where she was diagnosed as having a soft tissue damage and a possible fractured wrist. A later MRI scan revealed that she had also severed a tendon on her thumb.
A broken wrist, fractured wrist or injured wrist can cause severe pain and tenderness, bruising and swelling and cause difficulties in movement. It is usually treated by putting the wrist in plaster and sometimes giving the patient a sling, to keep the arm raised. More serious broken wrist and wrist fractures are treated by the doctor realigning the bone manually or with surgery. The NHS has a helpful guide to a broken arm or other wrist injuries.
The Allegation And The Compensation Awarded
Mrs S’s legal team attempted to claim compensation from the tour operator (the Defendant), on the grounds that they created a hazard by not signposting the wet floor. After Mrs S’s accident, the hotel put mats down on the floor of their entrance area, presumably to stop further slips, trips and falls. However, despite what seems like an admission of liability on the part of the Defendant the tour operator was very uncooperative in its response to Mrs S’s legal team, refusing to respond to correspondence, then passing them on to different legal teams.
After a three year ordeal to settle Mrs S’s wrist injury claim, her solicitor negotiated a £8,500 compensation payout for her.
The Time Limit For Making A Broken Wrist Claim
If you are eligible to make a compensation claim for a broken wrist, you should keep in mind that there’s usually a time limit for starting such a case. The Limitation Act 1980 sets out that there’s usually a three-year time limit for starting a personal injury claim. This time limit usually begins from the date of the incident that caused your injuries.
Under certain circumstances, the time limit for starting a claim can work differently. If, for instance, the injured party lacks the mental capacity to start their own claim, then the time limit is suspended indefinitely. A court-appointed litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf. If this doesn’t happen, and the injured party later recovers this mental capacity, then the three-year time limit will begin from the day of recovery.
If a child has suffered a broken wrist injury, then the time limit will not start until the day of their 18th birthday. A claim could be made on the child’s behalf by a court-appointed litigation friend before this day arrives. If, however, this doesn’t happen, then the injured party will have three years to start their own claim from the day they turn 18.
If you would like to speak to an advisor regarding your eligibility to make a broken wrist claim, then contact us either online or on the phone today.
How Much Can I Claim For A Broken Wrist?
If you have a valid broken wrist claim, you may have questions about just how much you could receive in compensation. Payouts for successful personal injury claims vary from case to case. The specific factors of your case could influence how much you receive, such as the initial severity of your injury and the recovery rate.
Compensation settlements for a broken wrist can include general damages and potentially special damages in addition. General damages compensate you for the pain and suffering your injuries have caused.
When a legal professional is valuing this head of your claim, they may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for guidance. This document provides compensation guidelines for different injuries at various severities. We have listed some of the amounts stated in the 16th edition of this publication in the table below.
The table should be viewed as a guide only.
| Injury Type | Compensation Bracket | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist Injury (a) | £47,620 to £59,860 | This can apply to injuries resulting in complete loss of function in the wrist. |
| Wrist Injury (b) | £24,500 to £39,170 | Significant and permanent disability. Some useful movement remains. |
| Wrist Injury (c) | £12,590 to £24,500 | There is some permanent disability in the wrist, such as a degree of persisting stiffness and pain. |
| Wrist Injury (d) | £6,080 to £10,350 | A fracture or soft tissue injury in the wrist. A complete or largely complete recovery takes over 12 months. |
| Wrist Injury (e) | In the region of £7,430 | This compensation amount applies to cases where an uncomplicated Colles’ fracture has occurred. |
| Wrist Injury (f) | £3,530 to £4,740 | This can apply to very minor undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures or soft tissue injuries that require a plaster or bandage for a matter of weeks. Full or virtually full recovery should occur within about 12 months. |
| Hand/Finger Injury (f) | Up to £36,740 | Severe fracture to the fingers. Partial amputations may be necessary. |
| Hand/Finger Injury (g) | £14,450 to £29,000 | Less serious hand injury. Function of the hand may be significantly impaired without future surgery or even if operative treatment has already taken place. |
| Hand/Finger Injury (h) | £5,720 to £13,280 | Moderate hand injury. This may include penetrating wounds, crush injuries, soft tissue damage or lacerations. |
| Hand/Finger Injury (i) | £12,170 to £18,740 | Total or partial loss of the index finger. The higher end of the bracket will more likely apply if there is total loss of the index finger. |
You may also be awarded special damages. This aims to compensate you for the financial losses you have incurred due to your injury. Some examples may include:
- A loss of earnings due to needing to take time off work to recover.
- Medical expenses, such as prescription costs.
- Travel costs, such as taxi or bus fares to medical appointments.
Providing evidence of these financial losses with relevant documents such as invoices and receipts could help support your claim for special damages.
Contact our advisors today for a free valuation of your potential claim.
No Win No Fee Personal Injury Solicitors
One downside of claiming personal injury compensation for a broken wrist, injured wrist or fractured wrist is that some solicitors require you to pay an upfront fee. Broken wrist recovery can be a painful process, causing you additional stress and what’s more, it often means that you are unable to work during that time, especially if you do a manual job. Therefore you may be reluctant to pay an upfront fee.
That’s why Legal Expert works with solicitors that offer a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is also known as a No Win No Fee service. With a no win no fee solicitor, you will only have to pay the fee, if your case is successful. This is a less stressful option for many, as you don’t have to take any financial risk when making your claim. To speak to one of our friendly advisors about working with a No Win No Fee solicitor, contact us online or call us today on 0800 073 8804.
Useful links
Broken Arm or Wrist
An NHS Guide to broken arm and wrist injuries, including how to treat them.
How Much Compensation For A Fractured Or Broken Bone?
Help and advice for claimants involved in an accident which left them with a fractured or broken bone. Advice for claiming compensation for fractured bone injuries, or broken bone injuries.
How Much Compensation For Slipping on a Wet Floor Claim?
Help and advice for claimants involved in a slip, trip or fall accident caused by a wet floor. If you wish to claim for slipping on a wet floor, then we can help you.
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