While you’re at work, your employer has a duty of care to keep you as safe as possible. Therefore, if you’re injured in an accident at work, which you can show was caused by your employer’s negligence, then you could be entitled to claim compensation from them. In this guide, we’re specifically covering an accident which results in a broken jaw. We’ll provide a personal injury claims calculator so you can work out how much you might be entitled to, an example where an employee is awarded £8000 for a fractured jaw and advice on how to make a claim.
Legal Helpline offer free advice for anyone considering an accident at work claim. Our advisors have been specially trained to offer a no obligation assessment of your claim. If you’d like to discuss your options today, then you can call us on 0333 000 0729.
If you’d rather find out more about claiming before calling, please continue reading.
Jump To A Section
- Broken Jaw Work Accident Injury Claims
- Broken Jaw Anatomy
- Kinds Of Accidents In The Workplace Which Could Cause Injury
- 5 Causes Of Fractured And Broken Jaw Accidents At Work
- Case Study: £8,000 Payout For A Broken Jaw Accident At Work
- Broken Jaw Personal Injury Compensation Calculator
- No Win No Fee Compensation Payouts For A Broken Jaw
- How You Could Make An Injury Claim
- Talk About Your Case With Legal Helpline
- Resources And References
Broken Jaw Work Accident Injury Claims
Broken jaw injury
The jawbone (or mandible) is the largest bone in the lower part of the face. A broken jaw is a fairly common accident that’s caused by a trauma or direct force. The main symptoms of a broken jaw are:
- Pain in the jaw area.
- Not being able to open the jaw fully.
- Being unable to align teeth properly.
- Lower lip or chin numbness.
- Blood or bruising in the mouth.
If you suspect a broken jaw, we advise that you speak to your GP. However, they may refer you for an X-ray at your local hospital.
You might wonder what can be done for a broken jaw. Well, if a fracture is confirmed, you may have to have your teeth wired together for stable fractures. For unstable fractures surgery may be required. Some broken jaw surgery with metal plates can mean your mandible returns to normal motion soon after treatment.
The broken jaw recovery time varies depending on the type of treatment. In general, though, about six weeks is normal. Broken jaw recovery tips that are often stated are that you should ensure you take any antibiotics you’re prescribed. Also, if your doctor recommends a change of diet to reduce jaw movement, stick to it for the time period stated. The NHS provide broken jaw treatment, but you may need to consider plastic surgery in some cases which might not be covered. You should ask your solicitor before committing to this to check whether the cost could be claimed back.
It’s worth noting that if you decide to sue your employer for compensation because of your injuries, then they can’t stop you. It’s against the law to be treated differently, disciplined or sacked for making a claim. Furthermore, they will have mandatory insurance in place to deal with any valid claims.
Broken Jaw Anatomy
The jaw is made up of the upper jaw (which is fixed) and lower jaw. The upper jaw is called the maxilla and the movable lower jaw is the mandible. Both upper and lower jaws house the teeth. They work in opposing directions to each other to allow biting and chewing actions to take place.
Kinds Of Accidents In The Workplace Which Could Cause Injury
There are many different types of accident which could lead to a fractured jaw. In the next section, we’ll look at some specific examples of workplace accidents. However, in this section though, we’re going to look generally at the most common types of workplace accident reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
In the period 2014/15 to 2018/19 the most common reasons for accidents at work were:
- Slips, trips or falls – 29%.
- Manual handling, lifting, or carrying – 20%.
- Being struck by a moving object – 10%.
- Violent assaults on staff – 8%.
- Falling from height (from ladders or scaffolding etc) – 8%.
It’s quite conceivable that any of the above could lead to a broken jaw and could lead to a claim if the accident can be shown to be the fault of the employer.
5 Causes Of Fractured And Broken Jaw Accidents At Work
Here are some specific examples of where employers could be found negligent and liable for a broken jaw and other injuries:
- Vehicle accidents.
In a warehouse scenario, forklift truck drivers need to follow the company’s health and safety procedures at all times. These could include sounding the horn when going around blind corners, sticking to speed limits and not overloading the vehicle so that the driver’s view becomes obstructed. If you’re involved in a collision because the rules weren’t adhered to, you could be entitled to claim for your injuries. - Assaults at work.
A common cause of a broken jaw is physical assault. One punch can cause serious damage including a fracture and the loss of teeth. Therefore, if you’re assaulted at work and it can be shown that your employer’s negligence contributed to your injury, then you might be able to sue them. - Slips, trips and falls.
When a fall is caused by cables trailing across the workplace, uneven flooring, slippery floors with no warning signs or broken handrails, you might be able to claim for the subsequent injury. - Machinery accidents.
If a machine causes you to suffer an injury because it’s faulty, poorly maintained or you’ve not been trained fully in its use, then you could sue your employer for your suffering. - Staff training.
In the same way, if another member of staff causes an accident to happen in which you’re injured because they’ve not been trained properly, then although you wouldn’t normally sue your colleague, the claim could still be made against the employer.
Case Study: £8,000 Payout For A Broken Jaw Accident At Work
Now we’re going to take a look at an example case study where an employee, Miss Smith, was involved in an accident at work that led to a broken jaw. In this example, she received £8,000 compensation, the claimant was off work for a length of time, lost earnings were included in the claim amount.
The accident was caused because she was carrying goods from a delivery van into her office when she slipped on a wet floor in the corridor. She noticed that the floor was wet and traced the water back to a radiator that was leaking. While somebody had attempted to stem the flow of water by placing a cloth around the pipe, water was still dripping onto the floor. There were no warning signs to indicate the danger and the area hadn’t been cordoned off in any way.
When her solicitor’s requested compensation, the employer initially denied liability for the accident as they believed the leak was new. However, because Miss Smith had managed to take photographs of the leak and the cloth around the pipe, they conceded and agreed to pay compensation.”
Broken Jaw Personal Injury Compensation Calculator
We’re now going to look at the compensation payouts that can be made for a broken jaw. We’ve provided some figures for different jaw injuries (and associated injuries) in the broke jaw compensation calculator table below.
| Type of Injury | Typical Compensation Range | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Jaw | £28,610 to £42,730 | Multiple fractures of the jaw which are deemed very serious and require prolonged treatment. Permanent pain, eating difficulties and the risk of arthritis could all remain after treatment. |
| Jaw | £16,860 to £28,610 | A serious fracture which causes permanent damage such as difficulty eating, opening the mouth or where there is paraesthesia. |
| Jaw | £6,060 to £8,200 | A simple fracture that requires immobilisation but where full recovery is made. |
| Teeth | £8,200 to £10,710 | Loss of, or serious damage, to several of the front teeth. |
| Teeth | £4,080 to £7,160 | Loss of two of the front teeth (or serious damage to them). |
| Teeth | £2,070 to £3,710 | Loss of one of the front teeth (or serious damage). |
| Teeth | £1,020 to £1,600 | Loss or damage of the back teeth. This range is the compensation per tooth. |
It’s important to note that these figures make up just one part of the claim. As well as claiming for physical injuries, you could include psychological injuries an also financial losses that you’ve incurred. This could include lost earnings, medical costs, travelling costs and also care costs if they are linked to your injuries.
No Win No Fee Compensation Payouts For A Broken Jaw
When you break or fracture your jaw in a workplace accident, you might be worried about the costs involved with claiming. That’s why our panel of solicitors work on a no win no fee basis when they agree to take on a claim.
If your claim is accepted, you’ll be provided with a conditional fee agreement, or CFA, to sign. This contract states in black and white that you won’t pay solicitor’s fees unless you are compensated.
When the claim is won, a success fee is deducted from your compensation amount. This is a fixed percentage that’s listed in the CFA so there are no surprises at the end of the claim.
We believe no win no fee agreements allow more people to make a claim. That’s probably because the stress levels involved are lowered due to the fact that the financial risks are reduced.
How You Could Make An Injury Claim
To begin any form of personal injury claim, you’ll need to demonstrate how you were injured, who was to blame and what caused the accident to happen. Without this type of evidence, a personal injury lawyer might not take on your claim.
Therefore, we’d advise you to gather:
- Photographs from the scene of the accident.
- An entry from your workplace accident log.
- Medical records from the GP or hospital that dealt with your fracture.
- Details of any witnesses who saw the accident take place.
- Photographs of your injuries.
Then, you could call our team of advisors. They’ll review the evidence with you and help work out if your case is strong enough. If it is, they could introduce you to a specialist from our panel of solicitors. If they agree to take on your claim, they’ll:
- Regularly update you about the case progress.
- Work as efficiently as possible so the claim doesn’t take longer than it needs to.
- Try and ensure you receive the correct level of compensation for your injuries.
Something else you’ll need to think about is the personal injury claims time limit. In most cases this is 3-year period from the date of your accident at work. The more time you give your solicitor to make the claim, the more chance they’ll have of being able to prepare the claim properly.
Talk About Your Case With Legal Helpline
If you’ve decided that you’d like to use Legal Helpline to help you claim now that you’ve read this guide regarding compensation amounts for a broken jaw, then there are a number of ways to contact us. These include:
- Calling our team of advisors on 0333 000 0729.
- Using our live chat feature to connect with a member of the team.
- Or, finally, you could arrange a call back by completing our online claims form.
For all personal injury claims, we’ll offer a free assessment of your case. If we believe you’ve got a strong enough case, we could introduce you to one of our panel of no win no fee personal injury solicitors. Remember, our team provide their advice on a no-obligation basis so you’ve got nothing to lose by calling.
Resources And References
You’ve now reached the end of our guide regarding claiming compensation for a broken jaw at work. To assist you further, here are some of our other guides which might prove useful:
Cycle Accident Claims – If you’ve suffered a broken jaw in a bicycle accident, this guide might prove useful.
Assault Compensation Claims – A useful guide which looks at claims for injuries such as a fractured jaw following an assault.
Pavement Trip Claims – This guide explains claiming against the local authority for a slip, trip or fall caused by a pavement defect.
Trusted External Resources
Finally, here are some guides from external organisations that could help you broken jaw accident at work claim.
The Health And Safety Executive (HSE) – The government body responsible for controlling legislation relating to workplace safety.
Broken Bone Advice – Information from the NHS regarding different types of broken bones and how they’re treated.
Guide by BE
Editor MA.
