By Jo Martinez. Last Updated 17th August 2023. If you have sustained a fractured distal radius in an accident at work, then you may be interested in reading the information contained in the sections below. You can find information on this type of wrist injury, and guidance on claiming compensation for a fractured distal radius below.
You could also take a look at what levels of compensation could be achievable for a broken wrist if you sustained this type of injury in a work accident that was not your fault. At Legal Helpline, our advisors would be happy to talk to you about your case and help you through the information you may need if you are looking to make a personal injury claim.
You can reach us on 0333 000 0729, but we would advise you to read the guidance below to see whether your questions have already been answered.
Jump To A Section
- Fractured Distal Radius In A Work Accident
- Wrist And Distal Radius Bone Anatomy
- Types Of Musculoskeletal Accidents In The Workplace
- 5 Ways You Could Sustain A Fractured Distal Radius At Work
- Case Study: £30,000 Payout For A Fractured Distal Radius At Work
- Fractured Distal Radius Compensation Calculator
- No Win No Fee Fractured Distal Radius Work Accident Claims
- How Work Accident And Injury Claims Are Made
- Claim With Legal Helpline
- Supporting Resources
Fractured Distal Radius In A Work Accident
Within the following sections, you can find information relating to fractured distal radius payouts for claims that could be made after an accident at work. If you were injured in a fractured distal radius accident at work, you may not initially know how severe the injury could be. Depending on the type of work you do and the severity of your injury, you may have to take a significant amount of time off work. This could result in loss of income as well as causing you pain and suffering.
Before we talk more about what kind of compensation for a fractured distal radius could be achievable for your pain and suffering and costs incurred as a result of you being injured in the workplace, however, let us offer some useful information on this type of injury. You can also find out more about the symptoms you may suffer, and the course of treatment you may need to fix the injury.
What Is A Fracture Of The Distal Radius?
A fractured distal radius could also be referred to as a broken wrist. It consists of a break to the radius bone. Distal radius fracture symptoms could include:
- Rapid swelling of the area
- Pain
- Bruising
- Inability to move the wrist normally
The way in which a diagnosis for a fractured distal radius would be determined is via examination and imaging (usually X-Rays). This type of fracture might be displaced or undisplaced. The type of fracture you have sustained may affect which distal radius fracture treatment guidelines are followed, as well as affecting your broken wrist settlement amount. If you require surgery, for example, your injury may be thought of as more severe than someone who has only required a few weeks of immobilisation and was not left with ongoing symptoms.
Distal Radius Fracture Complications
You may be wondering whether there are any complications with this type of injury. If the bones do not knit back together properly, this could leave you with stiffness and some loss of mobility in the joint. However, some complications could arise from surgery to correct the damage of a fractured distal radius in an accident at work. These could include:
- Chronic regional pain syndrome
- Nerve damage
- Tendon damage
- Infection
- Reduced function/weakness
- Bleeding
- Improper healing
When claiming wrist injury at work compensation for a fractured distal radius, the severity of your injury and the effect that it has had on your work and your life could be assessed to decide what level of compensation you could receive.
Wrist And Distal Radius Bone Anatomy
To understand this type of injury further, here is some information on how the wrist is formed and how an injury to the distal radius could affect the movement and function of the wrist.
The radius and ulna make up the forearm. The forearm is joined to the hand via the wrist, at the radiocarpal joint, which attaches the radius to the scaphoid and lunate. The ulna joins the radius at the distal radioulnar joint and joins the lunate at the ulnocarpal joint.
This joint helps the hand rotate as it performs different tasks. If the distal radius is fractured (the bone at the side of the wrist), then the movement and motion in the hand and in the arm could be affected.
Types Of Musculoskeletal Accidents In The Workplace
According to the HSE, musculoskeletal injuries could be caused by several different types of accident at work. The main causes could be considered to be:
- Same-level falls, trips and slips (29% of all non-fatal accidents in 2018/19)
- Carrying, lifting or handling (20% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
- Being struck by a moving object (10% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
- Violent acts at work – (8% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
- Falling from height – (8% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
- Making contact with machinery that was moving (4% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
- Striking against an immobile object (4% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
- Being hit by a moving vehicle (2% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
- Other types of accidents (16% of all non-fatal reported accidents in 2018/19)
If you have suffered injuries in any type of accident at work that could have been avoided had your employer taken care of your health and safety, you could be eligible to claim compensation.
5 Ways You Could Sustain A Fractured Distal Radius At Work
In terms of sustaining a fractured distal radius in an accident at work, causes could include:
- Manual handling accidents – If you lifted a box that was too heavy, for example, it might cause too much pressure on your wrist, causing it to break
- Slips and falls – if you put your hands out to save you from a fall, for example, you could put the whole weight of your body on your wrist, causing it to break
- Vehicle/road traffic accidents – Broken bones could be considered a common injury in road traffic accidents. If you are driving at work, or are knocked over at work as a pedestrian, for example, this could cause a fractured distal radius
- Blunt force trauma – Blunt force trauma could happen at work while you are using machinery, for example, and if the trauma is to your wrist, you could fracture one or more of the bones there
- Struck by a moving object. – If you are struck by a piece of machinery or another moving object, and it hits your wrist or causes you to fall onto your wrist, this could result in a fracture.
Claiming compensation for a fractured distal radius against your employer would involve proving that their negligence towards your health and safety led you to suffer an avoidable accident and that you were injured at a result of their negligence.
How Long Do I Have To Begin A Claim For Broken Wrist Compensation?
It is important to recognise that you would not have unlimited time to claim a distal radius fracture settlement in the UK. Most personal injury claims come with a three-year time limit which begins on the date of the accident. This is per the Limitation Act 1980.
However, there are some exceptions to this time limit. In the case of children, the limitation period would pause until they reach the age of 18. During the pause, a responsible adult, such as a solicitor or relative, could apply to be a litigation friend and make a claim for broken wrist compensation on their behalf. If no claim was made before the child turns 18, they will then have three years to file their own claim.
In claims for people who lack mental capacity, the limitation period would be frozen indefinitely. During this time, a litigation friend could be appointed to claim on the person’s behalf. However, if no claim is made and the person regains this mental capacity, they would have three years to claim from the date of recovery.
To learn more about time limits for such claims, please contact an advisor.
Case Study: £30,000 Payout For A Fractured Distal Radius At Work
We have already mentioned how a slip, trip or fall could lead to a distal radius fracture accident at work. Here, we take a look at a case that offers an example of how fractured distal radius payouts of £30,000 could be achieved if someone has suffered this type of injury at work because of their employer’s negligence towards their health and safety.
In this example, the claimant, who will be referred to as Mr H, tripped at work on a piece of upturned carpet, which was not securely fixed to the floor. He put out his arms to save himself and suffered a fractured distal radius when his right hand hit the floor. His broken wrist was so severe that doctors felt that distal radius fracture surgery would be required, and while this was ultimately successful, he still suffered pain and stiffness in the wrist.
Mr H had to take a significant amount of time off work with his injury, which meant he lost out on income for several weeks. He decided to retain the services of a personal injury lawyer to assist with his claim for wrist injury compensation.
While the employer refused Mr H’s claims initially, the case was settled just before it was due to go to court. Mr H’s employers offered £30,000 in compensation for the fractured distal radius the claimant suffered. The compensation payout included compensation for the loss of earnings the claimant suffered as well as the injury.
Fractured Distal Radius Compensation Calculator
Instead of providing you with a fractured distal radius compensation calculator on this page, we’ve opted to display guideline fractured distal radius payouts information from the Judicial College Guidelines. We feel that this offers a good alternative to a personal injury claims calculator. Still, it could be wise for us to mention that these are only approximate guidelines as to the compensation you could receive for such an injury. For any personal injury claim, you would be required to see an independent doctor, who would compile a medical report detailing your condition and prognosis for recovery. This would be used to value your claim.
| Injury | Notes | Guideline Payout Amounts |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist Injuries resulting in a full loss of function (a) | Where an arthrodesis was performed, for example | £44,690 to £56,180 |
| Wrist injuries resulting in significant levels of disability (b) | Some useful movements may remain. Disabilities would be permanent. | £22,990 to £36,770 |
| Less severe wrist injuries (c) | With some permanent disability, such as stiffness and pain. | £11,820 to £22,990 |
| Wrist injuries (fracture or soft tissue) (d) | Complete recovery but one that takes some time | Usually up to £9,620 |
| Forearm fracture (f)(d) | £6,190 to £18,020 | |
| Less severe arm injury (f)(c) | Substantial recovery after significant disability | £18,020 to £36,770 |
In addition to the fractured distal radius amounts mentioned above, you could also claim for any financial implications of your injury, such as any loss of pay while you were off work recovering from your injury, medical costs and travel expenses. This could alter your distal radius compensation payouts vastly.
No Win No Fee Fractured Distal Radius Work Accident Claims
If your fractured distal radius accident at work was caused by negligence by your employer towards your health and safety, then you could be eligible to make a claim against them for compensation. While you could be under the assumption that using a lawyer to help you claim would mean you’d need to pay them upfront, this may not be the case. If you choose a No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor to help you claim compensation after a distal radial fracture at work, then they would not ask you for payment upfront. Instead, they would take a percentage (not more than 25%) from your compensation if they successfully achieved a payout for you. If they did not achieve a settlement for a valid accident claim, then this success fee would not be due. A Conditional Fee Agreement detailing all the terms of this would be sent to you and would need to be signed before your lawyer could begin working on your case.
How Work Accident And Injury Claims Are Made
Are you looking for more support and advice on claiming compensation for a fractured distal radius, or are you looking to begin your claim?
You could get free advice on your claim, or find an appropriate lawyer quickly and easily by calling Legal Helpline. We could offer a no-obligation free assessment of your case, and we could advise whether you could be eligible to claim compensation for a fractured distal radius against your employer. If upon assessment of your case, we believe you would be eligible, then we could offer to connect you with a solicitor to help you take your case forward. We work with a panel of lawyers that all work on a No Win No Fee basis, so you could begin a claim quickly, and without any upfront payment.
Making a work accident claim could be something you do without a lawyer, but we would not recommend this in most cases. An experienced lawyer could help make the process of making a fractured distal radius accident at work claim much less stressful for you. They could also assess any fractured distal radius payouts you were offered by your employer to see if they could be considered reasonable for your case, or whether you could go on and fight for more compensation.
Claim With Legal Helpline
Whether you are ready to begin a claim, or you’d like more information, it’s easy to reach Legal Helpline’s trained advisors. You could call 0333 000 0729 or fill the contact form in for us to call you back at an appropriate time. However you wish to get in touch, we’re always happy to help.
Supporting Resources
More On Manual Handling Claims – Our guide offers more information on claiming for manual handling injuries.
Information on Arm Injury Claims – We have produced a guide on arm injury claims that you may find useful.
General Advice On Accident At Work Claims – Here, you can read some of our general advice on claiming against an employer.
Trusted External Resources
HSE Musculoskeletal Injuries In The Food Industry – This page shows how these types of wrist injury could be caused.
Advice On Undisplaced Distal Radius Fractures – This information from East Sussex Healthcare Trust offers advice on this type of injury.
Information On Distal Radius Surgery – This gives more information on fixing distal radius injuries surgically.
