We can claim compensation for a worker who has broken their nose at work. We can also claim if you have broken your nose in a shop or other public place. Catherine Smith has experience in suing for broken nose accidents. She introduces our no win no fee service in this video.

Read more about broken nose accidents below, or use our free legal advice service opposite to ask us can I sue a supermarket or employer for a broken nose?

Solicitors Claiming Compensation For Broken Noses

The underlying structure of the nose consists of two bones supporting the bridge at the top of the nose. This is also the location where the bones connect to the nasal septum, the layer of cartilage which divides the two nasal cavities. These cavities are airways to the lungs, and facilitate breathing through the nose, as well as controlling our sense of smell. Most often it is the bridge of the nose which sustains the physical trauma that causes a broken nose injury. The nasal bones are the most regularly broken facial bones, due to the protruding construction of the nose itself. Broken nose injuries are regularly accompanied by further facial damage, including cuts, bruising and swelling around the eyes. These can be extremely disfiguring injuries, and may cause breathing difficulties along with pain and heavy bleeding.

Broken Nose Treatment & Surgery

A severely broken nose may require extensive reconstructive surgery (known as Rhinoplasty), and a person injured in this manner will often be forced to take weeks or months off work. This may then cause loss of earnings and further financial difficulties due to the cost of ongoing medical treatment. Broken noses are initially diagnosed using x-rays and CT scans to determine the extent of the damage. Broken nose injuries may require surgical intervention either to alleviate breathing problems caused by internal nasal obstructions, or to reset and realign the bones following a complicated or displaced fracture. Surgery may also be required to remove deformities such as bumps, or to correct a deviated septum. Often people with broken nose injuries do not seek medical attention, and in many cases the bones then heal in the wrong position. Surgeons are often forced to rebreak the nose in these circumstances (known as osteotomy), so that it can be realigned and reset correctly.

Broken Nose Accidents At Work & In Public Places

The most common cause of broken nose injuries is physical violence, during which the nose sustains a powerful blunt trauma. Compensation for such injuries may be claimed from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a government organisation set up to compensate blameless victims of violent crimes. Car accidents are another major cause of broken nose injuries, especially when a driver has failed to wear a seatbelt, or when an airbag has failed to provide the necessary protection. In the workplace, broken noses may be the result of a fall following a slip or trip. Otherwise workers may be hit in the face by falling objects, or by mechanised work equipment. Professions where work takes place in confined spaces and/or in high pressure, physically demanding environments have the highest incidence rates of broken nose injuries among workers.

Responsibilities Of Employers To Prevent Broken Nose Accidents

Employers have a legal duty of care to take all reasonable measures to reduce the risk of accidents at work that cause broken nose injuries to the lowest possible level. This includes putting in place a safe system of work which identifies potential slip and trip hazards and eliminates them as they arise. Where necessary, personal protective equipment such as face masks must be provided to workers engaged in potentially dangerous tasks. Workers must be provided with full training in how to use equipment correctly, and how to carry out work without posing a threat to the health and safety of their co-workers. Compensation awards for broken nose injuries combine two elements, a general damages award for pain and suffering caused by the injury, and special damages to compensate an injured person for the financial repercussions of the injury, including loss of earnings and the cost of medical treatment.

How Much Compensation For A Broken Nose?

Compensation for fractures of the nose or nasal complex depend essentially on the long-term effects of the injury. Serious or multiple fractures which require a number of operations and/or result in permanent damage to airways, nerves or tear ducts, possibly causing facial deformity will lead to awards of between £6,750 and £14,750. For a displaced fracture where surgery is required but a full recovery is made, awards will range between £2,500 and £3,250. A displaced fracture where no surgery is required will lead to awards of between £1,600 and £2,000. For the least serious category of fracture (simple undisplaced), where a full recovery is made, awards will range between £1,100 and £1,600.

Bartletts Solicitors are specialists in the field of broken nose injury compensation claims. We work on a no win no fee basis meaning if you win your case you keep 100% of the compensation awarded, and if you lose you will not pay a penny.