No Win, No FeeA fractured cheekbone can result in pain, facial deformities and even scarring that might affect you for the rest of your life. The forces involved in breaking a cheekbone can even cause damage and ongoing problems for other parts of the face. If you’ve fractured your cheekbone in an accident caused by someone else, you may be entitled to compensation. Our article on fractured cheekbone compensation claims will look at the types of scenarios that could lead to such a claim.
If you’d like free legal advice about claiming compensation for a broken cheekbone, please speak to a member of our team. An advisor will offer free legal advice during a no-obligation consultation about your claim. If we believe you have strong enough grounds to make a claim, a personal injury lawyer from our panel may agree to help on a No Win, No Fee basis. If they do, they’ll take on the financial risks of claiming which should reduce your stress levels while the claim is processed.
Please call 0800 652 1345 to discuss your options or read on to learn more about fractured cheekbone compensation claims before speaking to us.
Types of cheekbone fractured you could claim compensation for
It may be possible to claim compensation for any type of cheekbone fracture that resulted from an accident or incident caused by someone else. Some of the most common fractures that might be claimed for include:
- Zygomatic arch fracture. This type of cheekbone injury involves a fracture or break in the bony arch that extends from the side of the skull to the cheekbone.
- Zygomatic body fracture. A fracture in the main body of the cheekbone, causing displacement or misalignment of the bone.
- Zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fracture. This is a more severe cheekbone injury involving fractures in multiple areas of the cheekbone, including the arch, body, and orbital floor (eye socket). ZMC fractures often result in a sunken or flattened appearance of the cheek and require surgical intervention.
- Blowout fracture. Although not strictly a cheekbone injury, a blowout fracture is a fracture of the orbital floor (the bony structure beneath the eye socket) that can occur as a result of a direct impact to the cheek.
Symptoms of a broken cheekbone
A broken cheekbone can result in symptoms such as:
- Swelling and bruising.
- Intense pain at the site of the injury.
- Numbness and tingling.
- A flattened cheek.
- Blurred vision and double vision.
- Sunken eyeballs.
In some cases, cheekbone fractures are left to heal on their own. However, if there’s a chance you’ll lose sensation in your face or it will look deformed, surgery may be needed under general anaesthetic to try and improve the chance of a full recovery.
Can I claim compensation for a fractured cheekbone?
Our personal injury solicitors will always try to help if it looks like you should be compensated for a fractured cheekbone. As such, before taking on a compensation claim, they’ll be looking to see whether:
- The defendant in your claim owed you a legal duty of care; and
- An act of negligence by the defendant led to an avoidable accident; and
- Your cheekbone was fractured as a result of the accident.
Proving the cause of the accident and the severity of your cheekbone injury is usually the more involved part of the claims process. We’ll explain the types of proof that might help your solicitor to do this later on.
Common accidents that cause fractured cheekbones
Our solicitors can help with any type of accident (caused by another party’s negligence) that leads to a fractured cheekbone. Some of the more common include:
- Accidents in the workplace. Cheekbone injuries at work caused by flying debris, falls from height or being struck by faulty machinery could all mean that your employer has breached their duty of care and could allow you to claim for your injuries.
- Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs). Hitting your head on a dashboard in a car accident can result in cheekbone fractures. Bicycle couriers and pedestrians involved in collisions are also at risk of cheekbone fractures due to a lack of protection. If the accident was caused by careless or reckless driving by another road user, you could be entitled to claim compensation.
- Slips, trips and falls. Even if you put your hands out in front of you to break your fall, you could still bang your head and break your cheekbone in a slip, trip and fall accident. If the fall was caused by a trip hazard like a cracked paving slab, ripped carpet or a slippery surface, check with our team to see if you could be compensated for your injuries.
Again, a fractured cheekbone compensation claim can be based on any type of accident including those not listed here.
Can I claim for a fractured cheekbone from being assaulted?
Criminal injuries don’t usually result in personal injury claims but you could still receive compensation for a fractured cheekbone if you were punched or struck in the face during an assault.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) operates a scheme on behalf of the government to help innocent victims of crime. You could even be compensated if the criminal who attacked you was never found, charged or prosecuted.
However, to make a criminal injury claim, you must have reported the crime to the police and helped them with their inquiries as much as possible.
To find out more and to see how one of our solicitors could help you begin your claim, please get in touch today.
How much compensation for a broken cheekbone?
The level of compensation paid for a broken cheekbone will be based on many factors including the severity of the break and any expenses sustained as a result. Your solicitor will therefore spend some time before your claim is filed to try and fully understand the impact of your injuries.
If you are paid compensation for a broken cheekbone injury, it could cover the following:
- Any physical pain and discomfort the fracture has caused.
- Embarrassment, anxiety and other forms of psychiatric suffering.
- Loss of earnings if you had to take time off work while injured.
- Medical expenses including private plastic surgery to remove scars.
- Loss of amenity if any of your usual activities are affected by your facial injuries.
- Travel costs.
- The cost of a carer (or the time of a loved one who helped you while you were injured).
- Future loss of earnings where your capacity to earn is reduced because of your fractured cheekbone.
To help establish how seriously your cheekbone was broken, you will need an independent medical assessment. Your solicitor will therefore book an appointment as locally as possible with a medical specialist. They’ll talk with you about the impact of your fracture and produce a report about your prognosis. This will be used by your solicitor to calculate how much compensation for a broken cheekbone might be paid if the claim is successful.
Fractured cheekbone compensation amounts
For general damages, the compensation guidelines for a fractured cheekbone are currently as follows:
- Serious cheekbone fractures – £10,200 – £15,780 compensation.
- Simple cheekbone fractures (with reconstructive surgery being necessary) – £4,350 – £6,460 compensation.
- Simple cheekbone fracture (no surgery required) – £2,320 – £2,990 compensation.
The process of putting a value on your fractured cheekbone compensation claim is important because once you have agreed and accepted the defendant’s settlement offer you can’t change your mind at a later date.
Providing proof for fractured cheekbone compensation claims
The truth about insurance companies is that they are very likely to refuse to pay compensation for a fractured cheekbone from the outset of the claims process. As such, your solicitor’s role is to convince them about why you, the claimant, were injured by their client, the defendant, and how you’ve suffered as a result. To do this, they’ll need proof to support your claim. For fractured cheekbone claims, this might include:
- Witness information. To help clarify liability for your fractured cheekbone, your solicitor may speak to any witnesses and obtain a statement about what they saw.
- Accident reports. Legally, most organisations and companies need to keep an accident report book to record details of any incidents on their premises. You should be given a copy of the report about your accident and this can be used to confirm when and where your cheekbone was broken.
- Medical records. Cheekbone fractures should always be checked by a doctor to try and ensure the right treatment is prescribed. X-rays and medical records from doctor or hospital appointments can be requested to help confirm the fracture.
- Video recordings. You are entitled to ask for a copy of any footage of your accident. As such, you should quickly ask for any dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage before it is deleted.
- You can keep a record of your injuries by photographing them at regular intervals throughout your recovery. Also, photographs taken at the time of the accident can help to piece together how it happened.
- Financial records. Bank statements, receipts and wage slips can help if you wish to claim back any costs linked to your broken cheekbone.
Your solicitor will try to secure any proof you’ve not already got if the claim is taken on. So, even if you’ve not got everything listed here, please feel free to call one of our specialist advisors.
No Win, No Fee claims
Having a personal injury solicitor on your side can make your fractured cheekbone claim a lot easier. Their legal training and experience could even lead to a higher compensation payout for your injuries. Don’t be put off from claiming because you’re worried about the cost of hiring a solicitor though. That’s because ours manage all accepted cheekbone injury claims on a No Win, No Fee basis.
If your solicitor agrees to work on your claim, they’ll send you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a contract between you and the solicitor that will explain that:
- Cheekbone injury claims do not require upfront payment of legal fees.
- If the claim is lost, you won’t have to pay any legal costs whatsoever.
- A deduction will be made from your compensation if the case is won to pay for your solicitor’s work. This is called a success fee.
The CFA will list the success fee you’ll pay.
After you’ve signed the paperwork, your solicitor will get to work right away. They’ll start by sending a letter to the defendant to tell them about your intention to claim compensation for your fractured cheekbone. Then they’ll put together as strong a case as possible, with supporting proof, and pass it on to the defendant’s insurers.
You won’t face any medical or legal questions directly as your solicitor will manage everything for you. Before the claim is settled, all compensation offers will be discussed with you to try and make sure they cover all of your suffering.
Fractured cheekbone compensation claim time limits
Legally, personal injury claims for fractured cheekbones have a 3-year time limit in the UK. If you’re making a criminal injury claim for a cheekbone fracture, you’ll have 2 years to begin your claim. In both cases, the limitation period will usually start on the date you sustained your fracture.
As children cannot take legal action themselves, their 3-year time limit starts from their 18th birthday. Before then, a responsible adult (guardian, parent, family member etc) can seek compensation on behalf of a child at any time.
Start a fractured cheekbone compensation claim today
If you’ve suffered a cheekbone fracture, call our team on 0800 652 1345 for free advice about your options. As part of an initial consultation, an advisor will consider your case and provide advice on what to do next.
If it appears like you should be compensated, you’ll be put in touch with a personal injury lawyer from our panel. They’ll provide further advice and could offer to manage your claim on a No Win, No Fee basis. If that happens, there’s no need to pay any legal costs unless you are awarded compensation.
Please use live chat to connect with us if you have any further questions on fractured cheekbone compensation claims, or claim your free consultation here.
