A fractured eye socket (or orbital fracture) can be a very serious injury with long-term implications. As well as the severe pain you might endure, your eye could be permanently damaged and you might suffer temporary or permanent vision problems. Importantly, however, if you have suffered a fractured eye socket due to somebody else’s negligence, you may be eligible to claim compensation.

You’re not alone if you do decide to start a claim. We’re here to help and we’ll happily review your claim for free. You’re under no obligation to proceed with a claim after speaking with us but we could appoint one of our personal injury solicitors if your claim seems suitable. If you proceed with a claim they’ll manage it on a No Win No Fee basis meaning you won’t pay any legal fees unless compensation is awarded.

Call us on 0800 6524 881 to discuss how much compensation for a fractured eye socket you could potentially claim or read on for more on the claims process.

What Is A Fractured Eye Socket?

The eye socket is the void within the skull that houses an eyeball. The eye socket or orbital is made up of seven different bones and its function is to protect the eye, its nerves and muscles. A fractured eye socket is where any one of the orbital bones is cracked or broken following trauma to the face. It usually takes quite a lot of force for an eye socket fracture to happen.

The types of fractured eye socket injury that can happen include:

• Orbital rim fractures – affecting the bony outer edge of the eye socket.
• Orbital floor fractures – where the bones at the floor of the eye socket are pushed down.
• Blowout fractures – where the inner wall of the eye socket is fractured.

Any of these fractures can cause vision problems as well as nerve damage.

Symptoms Of A Fractured Eye Socket

Symptoms of a fractured eye socket include:

• Vision problems including blurry or double vision.
• A black eye.
• Difficulty moving the eye in any direction.
• Forehead or cheek swelling.
• Blood in the white part of your eye.
• Numbness in the side of the face.
• A flattened cheek.
• Sunken or bulging eyeballs.
• Swelling under the eye, in the forehead or cheeks.
• Pain when opening your mouth.

In urgent cases, fractured eye socket injuries might require surgery straight away. However, it is quite common to allow swelling to reduce before surgery so that the extent of the injury can be properly addressed. During surgery, bone fragments will be removed, trapped tissue will be freed and the normal shape of the eye socket will be restored.

Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For A Fractured Eye Socket

To be eligible to claim compensation for a fractured eye socket, you will typically need to prove that:

• The third party you wish to claim against owed you a duty of care; and
• Their negligence caused an accident; and
• Your eye socket was fractured as a result of the accident.

One of the first things your solicitor will check is whether the defendant in your case owed you a duty of care. Therefore, you don’t really need to think too much about this. Instead, you could spend some time collecting evidence to prove how your eye socket was fractured and who was to blame. We’ll provide guidance on this later on.

Fractured Eye Socket Accident Claims

Any accident where there is trauma to the face could lead to a fractured eye socket. Remember, though, claims are only possible if the incident was linked to somebody else’s negligence. For example, you could claim fractured eye socket compensation if:

• Your employer failed to provide you with eye protection when working with dangerous machinery.
• You were involved in a rear-end collision in your car because another driver was distracted by their mobile phone.
• You were punched in the face during an unprovoked assault. Read our guide on criminal injury claims for more information.
• Your head collided with a hard surface after you slipped and fell in a restaurant due to no wet floor signs.
• An opposing player of a rugby team deliberately elbowed you in the face causing your eye socket to fracture.

Whatever caused your broken eye socket, if you believe it was caused by somebody else’s negligence, please call to find out if we could help you to claim compensation.

How Much Compensation Do You Get For A Fractured Eye Socket?

The amount of compensation you could receive for a fractured eye socket will depend on the specific circumstances of your case. However, two types of damages considered are:

1. General Damages

This includes any physical or psychological suffering caused by your broken eye socket. Importantly, this will generally need to be independently verified by a medical professional. Therefore, your solicitor will arrange an appointment with a specialist who’ll examine your injuries. The report that follows will be used to help determine the level of compensation you might be due. Our compensation calculator includes some potential settlement figures:

These amounts are not guaranteed and are provided for illustrative purposes only.

General damages can also include a payment for loss of amenity. This is a figure to cover any of your normal hobbies or activities that are affected by your fractured eye socket.

• Special Damages

Financial costs linked to your eye socket fracture could also be awarded. These are called special damages. They can include compensation for:

• Medical expenses (including private treatment).
• Care costs.
• Travel expenses.
• Loss of income.
• Any future losses in earnings.
• Personal property damage.
• Changes to your home to support you with a permanent disability such as loss of sight caused by your accident.

If your fractured eye socket compensation claim is taken on by a solicitor from our team, they’ll consider all of your suffering in some detail before sending your claim to the defendant.

Evidence To Support A Fractured Eye Socket Compensation Claim

If you are going to claim compensation for a fractured eye socket, you will need to prove exactly who caused it, how the accident happened and how you’ve managed as a result of it. If you can do so, you could convince the defendant’s insurer to award compensation. The types of evidence that could improve the chances of winning your claim include:

• Medical records. MRI scans, X-rays and medical notes from the hospital that diagnosed and treated your eye socket fracture will be used in conjunction with an independent medical report to prove the extent of your injuries.
• Accident reports. If an accident report was logged after you fractured your eye socket, your solicitor will request a copy. This can be used to confirm where and when you were injured.
• Witness statements. Anybody else present at the time you fractured your eye socket may be asked to describe what they saw.
• CCTV footage. Proving why your accident happened can be easier if there is mobile phone, CCTV or dashcam footage so request a copy as soon as possible.
• Photos. You can keep a record of your suffering by taking pictures of your eye socket as you recover. Also, pictures taken at the time of the accident can help to prove the reason you were injured.
• Financial records. Keep a record of all financial losses and expenses related to your fractured eye socket. For example, any receipts for prescription medicine, transportation costs for visits to hospital appointments, and any other out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of your injury.

While it’s helpful if you have this evidence already, don’t worry if you haven’t. If your claim is taken on, your solicitor will try to secure all of the evidence that’s required to prove your allegations.

Time Limits For Claiming Fractured Eye Socket Compensation

There is a legal time limit of 3 years for personal injury claims in the UK. For most fractured eye socket compensation claims, the limitation period will start on the date it was fractured. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule though. They include:

• Criminal injury claims have a 2-year time limit from the date when you were attacked.
• The 3-year time limit for children doesn’t start until their 18th birthday. Therefore, you’ll be able to apply to become a litigation friend to claim compensation on behalf of your child before then without worrying about a limitation period.

Starting the claims process early on could allow your personal injury solicitor to secure interim payments if you’re losing wages due to not being able to work or for private medical treatment if it is required, for example.

Starting The Fractured Eye Socket Compensation Claims Process

If you have suffered a fractured eye socket due to somebody else’s negligence and you’d like to find out more about your options for claiming compensation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We won’t pressure you into making a claim but will still provide free advice about how to proceed if you wish.

If it looks like you have grounds to continue, one of our personal injury solicitors may agree to help you. Importantly, all personal injury claims taken on are managed on a No Win No Fee basis so you won’t need to pay any legal fees upfront.

If you’d like to discuss how much compensation for a fractured eye socket you could claim, please call us on 0800 6524 881 today.