Breaking a collarbone is a fairly common injury following a blow to the shoulder or a fall. However, it is often a fairly painful injury and can be inconvenient and stop you from carrying out your usual activities. Importantly, if you’ve broken your collarbone in an accident that was somebody else’s fault, you could be compensated for your suffering. This guide will look at how much compensation for a broken collarbone might be awarded, how the claims process works and the types of accidents that might mean you’re eligible to claim.

Our team is here to help with broken collarbone compensation claims. An advisor will offer a no-obligation review of your case and provide free legal advice. If they believe you’re likely to be compensated, they’ll connect you with one of our personal injury solicitors. Any claims they take on are handled on a No Win No Fee basis. That means legal fees will only be payable if you receive a compensation payout.

To find out more about broken collarbone claims, please continue reading. If you’d like to find out if you’re entitled to claim right away, why not call us on 0800 6524 881 today?

Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For A Broken Collarbone?

Our solicitors always strive to help as many personal injury claimants as possible but can only take on broken collarbone claims that have a realistic chance of being successful. You can use the checklist below to see if you might be eligible to begin a claim:

1. Did the person you blame owe you a legal duty of care? (This includes employers, drivers, businesses, local authorities etc).
2. Did their negligence cause you to have an accident?
3. Was your collarbone broken as a result of that accident?

If you’ve answered yes to all three questions, you could reasonably expect to be compensated. If one of our solicitors agrees that’s the case, they will take on your claim and represent you on a No Win No Fee basis.

During the claims process, your solicitor will ask you for a statement of what happened and will gather evidence to prove how your collarbone was broken. Later on in this guide, we’ll explain how you can help with this process and the types of evidence that you should try to secure.

Types Of Broken Collarbone Injuries Compensation Might Be Claimed For

The collarbone (or clavicle) is the bone that runs from the breastbone to each shoulder. It is connected to the shoulder blades and breastbone by bands of tough ligaments.

When a broken collarbone is suspected, x-rays will be needed to confirm the diagnosis. If the bone has been fractured it will be classified as:

• Near the sternum.
• Near the AC joint.
• In the middle of the collarbone (this is the most common type of clavicle fracture).

The main symptoms of a broken collarbone include swelling and severe pain at the point of fracture. In some cases physical deformity may be visible as well.

How Long Does It Take To Recover From A Broken Collarbone?

In the majority of cases, a sling is used to immobilise the shoulder so that the fractured collarbone can heal naturally. Pain relief may also be prescribed. The healing time for this type of injury is usually around 6 to 8 weeks in adults or 3 to 6 weeks in children.

In more serious collarbone fractures, where the bone has not aligned properly, surgery may be required to use pins, screws and plates to hold bone fragments in place to allow them to heal.

The amount of compensation awarded in a successful claim will depend on the nature of the injury and the amount of suffering caused. Therefore, as part of the claims process, an independent medical expert will be asked to examine you and read your medical notes before providing a report on your suffering.

Common Accidents Leading To Broken Collarbone Compensation Claims

In all reality, there are loads of accidents that could result in a broken collarbone as it’s one of the easiest bones to fracture. So long as you can show that somebody else caused the accident, one of our solicitors could help with your claim. Some of the most common accidents that lead to compensation claims include:

• Slips and falls in public places. For example, you could be eligible to claim if you slip and break your collarbone in a supermarket because a spillage or leak wasn’t cleaned up quickly enough. Similarly, injuries caused by tripping on a pothole could lead to a claim against the local council.
• Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs). More vulnerable road users like a cyclist hit by a car, pedestrians and motorcyclists are prone to broken collarbone injuries if they are hit by another vehicle. If you’ve broken your collarbone in an RTA, we could help you to seek damages from the responsible party.
• Playground accidents. Children are often injured in parks and playgrounds simply because they are being too adventurous. In these cases, a collarbone injury claim wouldn’t be possible. However, if the accident happened at school or in a public park and was caused by faulty equipment or missing safety features, you may be able to claim compensation on your child’s behalf.
• Accidents in the workplace. Legally, employers must try to keep staff safe whilst they’re at work. This is their duty of care. It means they should carry out regular risk assessments, train staff properly and provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where needed. If you’ve broken your collarbone in an accident at work because your employer was negligent in some way, you could sue the employer for compensation.

Even if we’ve not described your accident here, please get in touch if you’ve broken your collarbone in a no-fault accident. We’ll assess your claim and explain your options for free.

How Much Compensation For A Broken Collarbone Could I Claim?

How much compensation for a broken collarbone you’d get (if your claim’s successful) will be based on general damages (pain, suffering and loss of amenity) plus any expenses you’ve incurred (special damages).

That means that you could be compensated for:

• Physical pain from the broken collarbone at the time of your accident and while you recovered.
• Stress, anxiety or depression caused by your injuries.
• Any negative impact on your hobbies or social activities.
• Lost income (and future losses too).
• Travel costs.
• Care costs (including the time a family member spent supporting you).
• Physiotherapy or other private medical costs.
• Disability aids or home adaptations if you’ve sustained long-term injuries.

Our solicitors will always try to get a full understanding of your injuries and how they’ve affected you to try and secure the maximum compensation possible.

What’s The Average Settlement For A Broken Collarbone?

There isn’t one set amount of compensation for a broken collarbone/fractured clavicle as any settlement amount will be based largely on the severity of the claimant’s injuries.

However, the Judicial College suggest that £5,150 to £12,240 compensation may be awarded for a broken collarbone depending on several factors such as the extent of the fracture, any residual symptoms, and any disability.

To get a better idea of what your broken collarbone might be worth, please contact our advisors to discuss your case today.

Evidence To Support A Broken Collarbone Compensation Claim

No matter how you’ve broken your collarbone, any compensation claim is likely to be dealt with by an insurance company. They will almost always deny liability for the accident until you can provide evidence that shows how their client was responsible. The types of evidence you could use to improve your chances of being compensated include:

• Photographs of the accident scene to show how the incident occurred. Where possible, these should be gathered before anything has been moved from the scene.
• Dashcam or CCTV camera footage. You can legally request this from the owner but act quickly before it’s deleted.
• Evidence of any financial losses such as receipts or bank statements.
• Medical records that confirm your diagnosis and the treatment you received.
• Accident report forms to confirm where and when your collarbone was broken.
• Contact information for any witnesses who saw the accident occur.

If you’d like us to check whether you’ve got enough evidence to make a broken collarbone compensation claim, please call our team today.

Broken Collarbone Claims Time Limits

In the UK, personal injury claims have a 3-year time limit. For broken collarbone claims, that will usually begin from the date of your accident. However, if a child has broken their collarbone, there is no time limit so long as a guardian claims (as a litigation friend) on their behalf before their 18^th birthday. If not, the 3-year limit would begin from when the child turns 18.

Claims can typically take around 6 to 9 months to be settled but can take longer in more complex cases. While your claim is being finalised, your solicitor could request an interim payment to pay for private medical treatment to help improve your recovery time.

Starting The Broken Collarbone Compensation Claims Process

The easiest way to start a broken collarbone compensation claim is to call our free personal injury claim advice line on 0800 6524 881. One of our specialist advisors will answer any questions and review your claim on a no-obligation basis.

If one of our solicitors agrees to act on your behalf, any legal fees will only be deducted from your compensation if the claim is won. That means you won’t pay your solicitor for their work unless you receive a compensation payout.

Please let us know if you have any additional questions about how much compensation for a broken collarbone you could potentially claim by connecting to our live chat service.