By Lewis Winehouse. Last Updated 22nd November 2022. When you’re injured in an accident at work, you could be eligible to claim compensation if you can show that your employer’s negligence caused the accident to happen. That’s why we’ve written this guide about claiming for a broken wrist caused by an accident at work. We’re going to provide you with information about different types of wrist fracture, wrist injury compensation amounts and what you need to do if you’re involved in an accident at work.
Legal Helpline offer free advice on making a claim. Our advisors also provide a no obligation assessment of your claim. If your case is deemed to have a good chance of being compensated, you could be introduced to one of our panel of solicitors. To begin your claim right away, please call 0333 000 0729 today.
Alternatively, you can find answers to common questions like “What is the average settlement for a broken wrist?”, and, “How long does it stop for a broken wrist to stop hurting”, if you continue reading this guide.
Jump To A Section
- Broken Wrist Injuries Caused By Workplace Accidents
- Wrist Anatomy – Bones And Injuries
- Types Of Accidents At Work Reportable To The HSE
- 5 Ways A Fractured Wrist Could Happen At Work
- Case Study: £25,000 For A Broken Wrist And Loss Of Earnings
- Wrist Injury Compensation Calculator
- No Win No Fee Broken Wrist At Work Compensation Claims
- How Do I Claim Damages For A Fractured Or Broken Wrist?
- Talking To The Legal Helpline Team
- Guides To Claims Related To This Case
Broken Wrist Injuries Caused By Workplace Accidents
When an accident at work results in a broken wrist, there are a number of things you should do according to the NHS. Firstly, you could support it in a sling which goes under the arm and around the neck. Then you could apply an ice pack if you have one available. Most importantly, you should attend A&E as soon as possible to have the injury assessed.
Broken wrist accident at work
This will usually be an X-ray to see if the wrist is indeed fractured. Once that’s established, the doctors will begin treatment. If the bones are aligned correctly, then a plaster cast (or splint) will be used to protect the bone while it heals.
If the bones are not aligned, the doctors will need to align them. Once aligned a plaster cast can be fitted. Where the fractures are more complicated, surgical options may be considered to realign the bones properly.
Your doctor will advise you about whether its OK to return to work or not and which duties you might be excluded from.
The broken wrist may well cause pain while in the cast but medication such as painkillers can be prescribed to reduce this. For minor fractures, the time to recovery should be around one to two months. For more serious fractures, it can take up to 6 months. After your cast has been removed, the hospital will probably give you a leaflet containing broken wrist recovery tips.
Wrist Anatomy – Bones And Injuries
The wrist is made up of a number of small carpal bones. These include the proximal carpals, distal carpals and the metacarpals. The proximal carpals are the row of bones closes to the ulna bone in the forearm. Any one of these small bones can become fractured as can the radius, scaphoid bone or radiocarpal joint.
Common fractures of the wrist include a distal radius fracture or a Colles’ fracture.
Types Of Accidents At Work Reportable To The HSE
Under health and safety regulations, certain workplace accidents have to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This allows the HSE to investigate breaches of regulations where necessary.
Some of the most common types of accident reported to the HSE in 2018/19 include:
- 29% – Slips, trips and falls.
- 20% – Lifting or carrying injuries.
- 10% – Being struck by any type of moving object.
- 8% – Falling from height (ladders, scaffolding, stairs etc).
- 8% – Violent acts against staff.
As an employer has a duty of care towards staff safety, if an accident happens where the employer can be shown to have been negligent, the employee could look to claim compensation against them.
Importantly, an employer is unable to discipline you, treat you differently or sack you for making a claim. Therefore, if you’ve suffered a broken wrist at work, please call our advisors for free advice on claiming.
5 Ways A Fractured Wrist Could Happen At Work
Here are some scenarios which could result in a broken wrist whilst at work:
- Manual handling accidents.
It’s possible that an object could fall while you’re trying to lift it if you don’t follow the correct procedures. If you’ve not been trained in the correct technique and you break your wrist after dropping the item, you could look to make a claim. - Slips and falls.
A broken wrist is common in slips and falls. That’s because it’s quite instinctive to put out your hands to break a fall. Therefore, if the fall was caused by negligence such as an uneven paving slab or cables trailed across your workspace, you could be eligible to seek compensation.
- Road traffic accidents or vehicle accidents.
If you drive a vehicle as part of your job, and you’re involved in a road traffic accident, then a broken wrist is a fairly common injury that could occur. In this case, your claim might be against another road user or your employer depending on the circumstances of the accident. - Struck by a moving object.
Being struck by a moving object such as machinery or a vehicle could result in very serious crush injuries. If the accident happened because of a fault or through lack of training, then your employer might be liable for your injuries. - Blunt force Trauma.
This is where an impact to the body causes damage without penetrating the skin. It usually means that there aren’t any visible signs of the injury immediately. If you’ve been injured by blunt force trauma and your employer was to blame, you could be eligible to claim damages from them.
Case Study: £25,000 For A Broken Wrist And Loss Of Earnings
Now we’re going to look at a case study where an employee suffered a broken wrist. When the case was settled, the compensation award was for £25,000.
The accident occurred when the employee was leaving work. She took her usual route out of the office building but slipped on the stairs leading to the exit. The fall resulted in a fairly complex fracture of her wrist and severe bruising to other parts of her body.
Upon investigation, she realised that the stairs were wet following recent cleaning. However, there were no warning signs at the top or bottom of the stairs to identify the danger.
The employer admitted liability for the injuries and compensation was awarded. The payment was made to cover the initial pain and suffering but also the ongoing pain caused by the wrist injury. Also included was compensation to cover financial losses caused because the claimant was unable to drive while her wrist was recovering. The final part of the settlement covered lost earnings that were caused as a result of the amount of time off work required to recover.
Wrist Injury Compensation Calculator
It is unfortunately not possible to give you accurate information about the average compensation for a broken wrist in the UK. This is because compensation claims try to address how the injury is specifically affecting a claimant.
A wrist injury in one claim could prevent a person from working entirely, leading to a loss of earnings. In another, the injury may heal within a few weeks, and not affect the quality of life too greatly. The compensation for their broken wrist claims would be different, despite suffering the same injury.
The amount of compensation awarded for the injury and the distress it may have caused the claimants is known as general damages. We can give you examples of general damages for wrist injuries by using the information found in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG creates compensation brackets by using settlement amounts made in previous court claims. You can use the table below for an idea of how certain injuries may be valued.
| Type of Injury | Severity | Typical Compensation Range | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrist | Severe | £44,690 to £56,180 | Injuries that cause the complete loss of function of the wrist. |
| Wrist | Significant | £22,990 to £36,770 | Where some movement remains but a permanent and signficant disability remains. |
| Wrist | Less Significant | £11,280 to £22,990 | Less serious injuries but where a permanent disability (stiffness or pain) remains. |
| Wrist | Moderate | Rarely exceed £9,620 | Thse injuries take a longer time to heal (fractures, soft tissue damage etc), but complete recovery will occur. |
| Wrist | Colles Fracture | Up to £6,970 | An uncomplicated Colles' fracture of the wrist. |
| Wrist | Minor | £3,310 to £4,450 | Include minor undisplaced and minimally displaced wrist fractures. |
Our advisors can value your claim and give you an estimate specific to you for compensation in your broken wrist claim if you get in touch today.
Special Damages
As well as general damages, a successful claim for a wrist injury could potentially include special damages. This is compensation for any financial losses you may have experienced as a result of your injury.
For example, you could claim for a loss of earnings if you have needed time off work and this has affected your income. A loss of earnings calculation could also include any missed bonuses, pension contributions and potential future losses. To include loss of earnings in your claim, you will need proof such as payslips or bank statements.
You could also claim for other financial losses such as medical expenses and care costs. Get in touch today to find out more.
No Win No Fee Broken Wrist At Work Compensation Claims
We know, from experience, that people claiming for an injury at work worry about the costs of hiring a solicitor. That’s why our panel of solicitors offer a no win no fee service for any claim they handle.
This means that your financial risk, and associated stress, is greatly reduced when claiming.
The process for making a no win no fee claim begins when the solicitor offers you a contract. This is known as a conditional fee agreement (CFA). The CFA is really important as it shows that you don’t have to pay the solicitor’s fees unless they win compensation.
When they do win your claim, the CFA will explain what success fee you’ll pay. This is a percentage of your compensation. Therefore, you don’t need to have the funds available to pay the solicitor’s fees as they’ll deduct them from the compensation and then send the rest to you directly.
How Do I Claim Damages For A Fractured Or Broken Wrist?
When making personal injury claims, evidence is key. Without evidence, it’s very difficult to prove somebody else was liable. Therefore, to begin your claim for an accident at work, try to gather evidence that shows:
- What happened.
- Who was responsible for the accident.
- How you’ve suffered. This doesn’t just have to be for your injuries. You could look to claim for financial losses like loss of earnings too.
When you’ve gathered the evidence, call and speak to one of our advisors. They will assess your claim for free and could connect you with a personal injury lawyer to take on your claim.
Our panel of solicitors aim to:
- Keep you updated throughout the claims process.
- Ensure the claim is dealt with as efficiently as possible.
- Provide a strong case to try and ensure you are compensated fully for your injuries.
One thing to bear in mind when claiming for a broken wrist at work is the personal injury claims time limit. This is usually 3-years from the date of your accident. You should therefore begin your claim as soon as possible to allow them time to complete all of the necessary tasks like gathering medical records and arranging a medical assessment.
Talking To The Legal Helpline Team
Thanks for reading our guide about making a wrist injury at work compensation claim. We hope that you’re now ready to begin your claim and would like to discuss it with Legal Helpline. If so, there are a number of ways to contact us. These include:
- Calling our team of specialist advisors on 0333 000 0729.
- Using the live chat applet found on every page of this website.
- Or you could ask us to call you back by completing this online form.
Our team of advisors can provide information about wrist fracture settlement compensation amounts once they’ve assessed your claim. They could also introduce you to a personal injury solicitor if they believe your case is strong enough. Remember, our panel of solicitors always work on a no win no fee basis for any claim they take on.
Guides To Claims Related To This Case
You’ve now come to the end of this guide about compensation payouts for a broken wrist at work. To assist you further, here are some other guides from our site:
Arm Injury Claims – In this guide, we cover a lot of different types of arm injury and when you could make a personal injury claim.
Slip, Trip And Fall Claims – This guide provides information on when somebody could be liable for a slip and fall or a trip which results in an injury such as a fracture or break.
Motorcycle Accident Claims – Information on claiming for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. These types of accident can often lead to a broken wrist and other arm injuries.
Trusted External Resources
And, finally, here is some more useful information from external sources:
Caring For A Plaster Cast – If you’ve had a plaster cast fitted for a broken or fractured wrist, this guide from the NHS will help.
Reporting An Accident At Work – This guide from the HSE explains which types of accident need to be reported under RIDDOR regulations.
Broken Bone First Aid – Information and guidance on how to treat a broken bone from the British Red Cross.
Case study article by Brett
