How Much Compensation For A Punctured Lung Could I Claim?

A punctured lung or pneumothorax can be a very serious injury. In some cases, it can be life-threatening. There are many reasons why lung punctures occur and many are the result of accidents. Importantly, if you’ve suffered a punctured lung injury in an accident caused by somebody else, you could be eligible to claim compensation. In this article,we’ll try to answer the question, “How much compensation for a punctured lung?”. We’ll also look at some of the reasons you might be entitled to compensation.

Our specialist advisors can help by reviewing how your lung puncture occurred during a free initial consultation. They’ll guide you through your legal options and offer advice about what to do next. If they suspect you have a good chance of being compensated, they’ll refer you to a personal injury solicitor from our team. They’ll handle your claim on a No Win No Fee basis if it is accepted.

Please call 0800 6524 881 if you’d like to talk to us or read on to learn more about claiming compensation for a punctured lung.

What Is A Punctured Lung?

A punctured lung is where air gathers in the void between the two layers of tissue that line your lung. The pressure created by the excess air in the void can prevent the lungs from expanding. A punctured lung can also be described as a collapsed lung or pneumothorax. You could suffer a punctured lung if the chest is penetrated by a sharp object or if there is direct trauma to the chest. Broken ribs and fractured sternum injuries can also lead to lung punctures.

Symptoms Of A Punctured Lung Injury

A punctured lung should be treated by a doctor as soon as possible as, without early diagnosis, it can cause life-threatening symptoms. Some of the early signs of a punctured lung include:

• Breathing difficulties and shortness of breath even when you’re inactive.
• Pain in your chest that worsens when inhaling or coughing.
• Tightness and soreness in the chest.
• Unusual breathing patterns.
• Blue or pale skin (indicating a lack of oxygen).
• A rapid heartbeat.
• Tiredness and fatigue.

In some cases, a small pneumothorax will be left to heal on its own. Painkillers might be given to ease the pain while that happens. More serious lung punctures may need to have air drained through a chest tube or needle depending on the severity of the injury.

The most serious punctured lung injuries will require surgery to try and repair the lung damage so that it can function as normal.

Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For A Punctured Lung?

One of our solicitors may agree to help you claim compensation for a punctured lung if:

• The party you’re claiming against (the defendant) owed you a duty of care; and
• An accident happened as a result of the defendant’s negligence; and
• Your lung was punctured as a consequence of the accident.

It’s not too difficult to establish a duty of care in many scenarios so we won’t discuss that here but your solicitor will check this when you call. It’s far more important to concentrate on proving why somebody else was to blame for your accident and how you’ve suffered as a result. This can be achieved with supporting evidence. We’ll explain more about this shortly.

Common Causes Of Punctured Lung Injury Claims

Any accident involving direct trauma to the chest could lead to a punctured lung. However, as per the criteria listed above, your accident must have been the result of somebody else’s negligence if you’re to receive compensation for your suffering.

Some of the different types of accidents that could result in puncture lung compensation include:

Whatever type of accident caused your punctured lung, please feel free to contact us if you believe somebody else was to blame and that you should be compensated.

How Much Compensation Do You Get For A Punctured Lung?

It is important to accurately calculate how much compensation for a punctured lung you could get. The idea is to help you deal with any suffering your punctured lung injury has caused (general damages) and also to recoup any financial costs you’ve incurred as a result (special damages). No two claims will be the same but, generally, you could seek damages to cover:

• Your pain and suffering from the punctured lung. This could also include psychological injuries if the injury has made you anxious, scared or distressed.
• Any loss of amenity, for example, your injury has prevented you from enjoying your usual social activities and/or hobbies.
• Any loss of income directly due to your punctured lung.
• Future loss of earnings where you will lose income in the long-term because of your chest injury.
• Medical expenses, for example, the cost of private treatment in some cases.
• Care costs if you had to pay for a full-time carer or if somebody has had to look after you during your recovery.
• Travel expenses such as bus or train fares, petrol, or parking fees linked to medical appointments.
• Adaptations to your home or vehicle. These could be requested if, for example, you had to make extra space for breathing apparatus.

To try and ensure the correct amount of compensation is paid if your claim is won, you may need an independent medical assessment of your punctured lung injury.

Punctured Lung Compensation Amounts Guide

Although compensation amounts for damage to the lungs can vary due to different factors including the age of the claimant, how the damage occurred etc, we have provided a few examples below:

• £2,680 to £6,500 compensation for collapsed lungs but where a full recovery is made.
• £15,370 to £21,920 compensation where a relatively simple injury has caused some permanent tissue damage but lung function isn’t significantly affected long-term.
• £38,210 to £66,920 compensation for damage to chest and lungs leading to some continuing disability.

Importantly, these figures are not guaranteed. Therefore you should use them only for reference at this point.

Your solicitor will review all aspects of your physical, emotional or financial suffering caused by your punctured lung. This is important as only one claim is allowed so you must include everything before you settle the case.

Can I Get Compensation For A Punctured Lung Caused By A Stabbing?

If you’ve been stabbed (or shot) and suffered a punctured lung as a result, you could be compensated for your suffering. This won’t be a normal personal injury claim though. Instead, your claim could be made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

You must have reported the stabbing to the police if you wish to claim through the CICA and you must not have provoked the attack. However, the criminal involved does not have to have been charged, prosecuted or even identified by the police for you to be entitled to compensation.

Our solicitors can help with criminal injury claims so please feel free to call and discuss your case with a specialist.

Evidence To Support A Punctured Lung Injury Claim

It is important that you can demonstrate how your punctured lung has affected you. You’ll also need to prove who was responsible for the accident and why it happened. If you can prove your case successfully, you should be awarded the correct amount of compensation. The types of evidence your solicitor might try to obtain to help win a punctured lung injury claim could include:

• An accident report form or police reference number to help prove when and where your lung was punctured.
• A copy of any medical notes or scan results from the hospital where your injuries were treated.
• Information about what happened in the form of witness statements from anybody who saw your accident.
• Photographs of any visible injuries to show how you’ve suffered and pictures of the accident scene to try and pinpoint the cause of the accident.
• Copies of any mobile phone, dashcam, CCTV or any other video footage of your accident.

Your solicitor may also ask you to provide them with copies of financial documents including bank statements or wage slips if you’ve been left out of pocket because of your punctured lung.

As part of your free consultation, we’ll review any evidence that’s available already. If your claim goes ahead, any further information needed to support your claim will be collected by your solicitor where possible.

Time Limits For Claiming Punctured Lung Compensation

You’ve usually got 3 years to start any type of personal injury claim. For a punctured lung injury, the time limit will mostly be from the date of the accident. However, a a later date of knowledge may sometimes apply.

If you’re making a criminal injury claim for a punctured lung, the time limit is 2 years from the date you were stabbed.

If you want to claim on behalf of a child with a punctured lung, you can begin the litigation friend claims process at any point before their 18^th birthday as that’s when their own 3-year time limit will start.

Rather than waiting, we believe it’s best to start the claims process as soon as you can for a punctured lung injury. This will usually mean that evidence gathering is easier and there’s ample time to arrange for an independent medical assessment. Also, beginning your claim early should mean you’ll be compensated quicker if the claim is successful.

Starting The Punctured Lung Injury Claims Process

Thanks for visiting our site and reading this guide on punctured lung compensation claims. If you would like to speak to us about your chances of being compensated, please call 0800 6524 881 today. You are not obligated to make a claim after receiving our free legal advice but we could help if you decide that’s what you’d like to do.

Remember, if a personal injury solicitor from our team can help, and you agree, you’ll be represented on a No Win No Fee basis.

At the beginning of this guide, we set out to answer the question, “How much compensation for a punctured lung?”. Hopefully, we’ve done so but you can ask for more information via our free live chat service.