Have you broken your nose in an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence? If so, you could sue for a broken nose. Our guide will look at the process of making a personal injury claim for compensation following an injury.
We’ve included an example case study to show you how a claim is valued. We’ve also included information on road traffic accidents and what to do if you’ve been in one that was caused by another road user breaching their duty of care to you.
You may be unsure where to start in your claim for compensation, and that’s where we can offer you help and assistance. This guide will walk you through some essential steps after being involved in a road accident caused by someone else’s negligence. By the end of this guide, we hope that you will feel confident in going ahead with the compensation claims process.
Upon speaking to you about your claim, our advisors may be able to connect you with a personal injury solicitor. They’re available 24/7 to provide you with free legal advice and answer any questions you might have.
Call us on 0800 408 7827 for more information. Otherwise, please continue reading for more information on what we’ll cover in our guide.
About Broken Nose Injuries
- A Guide To Broken Nose Road Traffic Accident Claims
- What Is A Broken Nose Injury?
- Causes Of Broken Nose Injuries In A Road Traffic Accident
- How Much Compensation Will I Get For A Broken Nose?
- What Is The Difference Between Special And General Damages?
- Case Study – £13,000 Compensation For A Broken Nose Injury In A Road Traffic Accident
- No Win No Fee Broken Nose Road Traffic Accident Claims
- Can I Get Free Legal Advice About Making A Claim?
- Contact Our Specialist Team
- Related Guides And Case Studies
- FAQs On Road Traffic Accident Claims
A Guide To Broken Nose Road Traffic Accident Claims
We understand that an accident caused by third party negligence can have a big impact. Even if your injuries are relatively minor, they can affect your quality of life in ways that you may not have anticipated.
In this guide, we will look at the process of claiming compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. We’ll start by examining what a broken nose injury is and how an injury of this nature might be treated.
We will go on to look at what a typical claim for compensation might consist of. We’ll look at the two kinds of damages that might be included in a claim for compensation and how you can make sure you get the full amount of compensation you’re owed.
In addition, we’ll look at a case study in which an injured person is awarded £13,000 for injuries sustained in a car accident caused by a negligent third party. This case study will provide insight into the entire claims process, from the accident occurring, through the collection of evidence and building of a case, to the compensation being awarded to the injured party.
Finally, we’ll look at the benefit offered by No Win No Fee agreements and what this term actually means. To finish the guide, we’ll look at some commonly asked questions related to broken nose injury claims.
If, by the end of this guide, you still have further questions about the broken nose claims process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team. Alternatively, if you would like to know more about road traffic accident statistics, please get in touch with our team today.
Road Traffic Accident Statistics
According to the Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Provisional Annual 2020 report, there were:
- 1,580 road deaths
- 131,220 casualties of all severities
- 24,470 people who were seriously injured or killed
It’s important to note these figures are provisional, and actual causality numbers for road traffic collisions may differ. Additionally, these figures come from a year that involved a 3-month lockdown. This may explain the decrease from the previous year’s casualty data.
There are many different types of road users affected by road traffic accidents every year. The graph below shows fatalities from 2019 by road user type. These figures come from the Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: 2019 Annual Report.
As you can see, the majority of fatalities involved car users. However, they do make up 80% of traffic on roads in Great Britain. The report and graph also highlight that motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians are considered vulnerable road users. Despite the high number of fatalities in car users, the vulnerable road users have a higher combined fatality rate than others.
If you were involved in a road traffic accident that caused a nose injury, you could sue for a broken nose. See below for more information on what a fractured nose might cause.
What Is A Broken Nose Injury?
If you’ve fractured your nose, you will have suffered damage to a bone or cartilage in the nose. For example, damage could have been done to the:
- Nasal bones- these are the bones that form the upper part of the bridge
- Upper lateral cartilage- this forms the lateral walls of the central third of the nose
- Lower lateral cartilage- this makes up the shape of the “tip” of the nose
- Nasal septum- this is the cartilage that divides the nostrils
Can you breathe with a broken nose?
There are a number of different symptoms of a broken nose. For example, a broken nose can cause bruising, swelling, and pain, as well as making your nose look misshapen. You might also have difficulty with breathing if you injure your nose too.
A nose fracture may also cause:
- Nose bleeds
- A crunching sound when you touch your nose
- Black eyes
- A cut on the nose or nosebleed
If you experience any of the above symptoms after suffering a blow to your nose or face, you should seek medical attention. However, if you experience any of the following symptoms, you should go to A&E or call 999. They could be a sign of something more severe, such as a head injury.
- Clear, watery fluid trickling from your nose
- Severe headache with blurred vision
- Eye pain
- Double vision
- Neck pain or numbness in arms
Recovery time and treatment for a nose fracture
Recovery time for a nose fracture can vary. It can take up to 3 weeks for the bone to heal for most simple fractures. If the fracture isn’t complicated, the doctor may leave it to heal naturally. However, for more complicated or severe cases, the doctor might use the following methods to treat the injury:
- Manipulation to gently straighten the nose.
- Gauze pad to help with any continuous nose bleeds
- Stitches for any open cuts
- Painkillers to help with pain
While you’re healing, you should avoid any activities which have the potential to cause further damage to your nose. For instance, you should avoid sports where your face could be hit for at least 6 weeks following your injury.
Causes Of Broken Nose Injuries In A Road Traffic Accident
Road traffic accidents can cause accidents of all kinds, including injuries to the face. In fact, according to the Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Annual 2019 report, there were:
- 200 severe head injuries
- 330 other head injuries
These could have included breaks to the facial bones. It’s important to note that the figures reported by CRASH are based on reports by police forces; however, not all accidents causing injury will be attended to by the police, so the actual number of injuries may be higher.
You may sustain a broken nose in a car accident if, for instance, another driver crashes into the back of your vehicle. An accident of this kind could cause you to break your nose if the impact of the crash forces your head forward into the steering wheel. Even if the airbag deploys, the force of your head hitting the airbag may be strong enough to cause a broken or fractured nose.
How Much Compensation Will I Get For A Broken Nose?
When claiming compensation, you may receive two kinds of damages. These are general and special damages.
General damages cover your physical and emotional pain as well as the impact the injury has had on your quality of life. It will be based on the severity of your injuries, the kind of injury you’ve sustained and how long it will take for you to recover. If you’re left with any permanent effects following your injuries, this will also be taken into account.
The impact and extent of your injuries will be determined in an appointment with an independent medical expert. The findings of this appointment will be sent to the parties involved in your claim.
This report will be referred to in conjunction with the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to value your claim. The JCG details guideline compensation brackets for various injuries.
You may be required to produce evidence of the accident as well. For example, CCTV footage, photographs, medical documents and witness statements could all corroborate your version of events and prove that liability lies with a third party.
For more information on compensation, call our team on the number above for more help and advice.
What Is The Difference Between Special And General Damages?
On the other hand, special damages can cover any expenses that you’ve had to pay out because of your injury. The aim of special damages is to return you to the financial position you were in before you were injured. They cover any past and future financial losses. For example:
- Hobbies
- Any lost earnings or loss of earning potential if your injuries stop you from working altogether
- Care costs
- Medical expenses
These are just a few examples of what you could claim. As long as you can prove the financial loss happened as a direct result of your injury, you could claim it under special damages. You will need to provide evidence of any special damages so that they can be included in your claim.
You may have noticed while searching online that there are a number of websites offering personal injury compensation calculators. These can be useful in providing a rough guide of how much you could be owed. However, they often don’t collect enough information to accurately value your claim.
That’s why we recommend speaking to our helpful and friendly advisors; they ask the right questions and collect the relevant information in order to value your claim. Get in touch with us today for free legal advice.
Case Study – £13,000 Compensation For A Broken Nose Injury In A Road Traffic Accident
When Mr Johnson suffered an accident when driving to pick his children up from school, his quality of life was affected for some time. He had to take time off work and undergo surgery to help his injuries heal.
The accident also had a knock-on effect on his finances. Despite working in a highly paid job, he was a single parent, and any extra money he had was accounted for. This meant that, while he was recovering from his injuries, money was tight, and he was struggling to pay for things like childcare and transport.
For that reason, he decided to make a personal injury claim.
How did Mr Johnson suffer a broken nose in a road accident?
Mr Johnson was driving to pick his children up from school and was stopped at a junction when a car crashed into the back of him. As a result, his face smashed into the steering wheel, and he suffered a displaced fracture to his nose.
He required immediate medical attention and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor advised that surgery would be best to reposition the bone and help with difficulty breathing. However, because of the severity of the fracture, this procedure wasn’t effective, and Mr Johnson had to undergo two further surgical procedures. Despite these, he was left with some permanent damage to his airways.
Because of the extensive damage done to his airways, Mr Johnson had to take some time off work as a garden landscaper and suffered a loss of earnings as a result. He was also a keen rugby player and had paid for a membership to the local rugby club, which he was now unable to use until his doctor gave him the go-ahead.
Despite being paid some sick pay, it wasn’t enough to cover the expenses the accident has cost him. Because of this, he got in touch with a solicitor to seek advice about claiming.
How much compensation was awarded to the claimant?
Mr Johnson had collected witness details and CCTV footage of the accident after it happened. This provided valuable evidence as to his version of events.
Additionally, the solicitor organised an independent medical assessment for Mr Johnson, which helped support his account of the injuries he’d sustained.
It was clear based on the damage to both vehicles that the other car had failed to maintain a safe stopping distance, leading to a collision. This meant that they were liable for the accident. As a result, Mr Johnson was awarded £13,000 in total compensation.
How this settlement breaks down
| General Damages | How much? | Special Damages | How much? |
|---|---|---|---|
| The average compensation amount for serious or multiple fractures to the nasal complex resulting in permanent damage to airways and difficulty breathing is £9,990 to £21,700 | £10,000 | Loss of earnings | £1,450 |
| Childcare | £500 | ||
| Medication | £300 | ||
| Travel costs | £500 | ||
| Rugby club membership | £250 | ||
| Total special and general damages: | £13,000 |
Mr Johnson’s case is an example to show you how much compensation you could claim for a similar injury. It’s based on our experience in assessing and valuing claims. Actual compensation amounts might differ.
No Win No Fee Broken Nose Road Traffic Accident Claims
If you’re thinking of making a claim, you might be wondering what your options are in terms of representation. It’s not a legal requirement to have a solicitor act on your behalf when making a claim, but you may find that the help and expertise of a solicitor make the process run much more smoothly.
However, you may be worried about the costs associated with legal representation. Perhaps you’re concerned that you’ll need to pay a large upfront fee in order for your claim to begin or that you’ll be asked to cover a solicitor’s hourly rate while your case is ongoing.
When you claim with a No Win No Fee agreement, you needn’t worry about the upfront cost of claiming. This is because a No Win No Fee agreement, formally known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), sets out the terms that your solicitor needs to meet in order to receive payment.
A CFA means that:
- You won’t be asked to pay your solicitor a thing while your claim is ongoing or before it begins.
- Your solicitor won’t ask you for payment in the event that your claim is unsuccessful.
- If your claim does succeed, a legally capped percentage of your compensation will be deducted. This is agreed upon beforehand, and you’ll always be left with the majority of the compensation awarded to you.
If our advisors feel your claim has a good chance of success, we may be able to pass you to a solicitor who can offer representation on a No Win No Fee basis. Get in touch with us today to start your claim.
Can I Get Free Legal Advice About Making A Claim?
Our advisors are ready and waiting to give you free legal advice about personal injury claims. They can offer further clarification on No Win No Fee agreements if needed. They can also listen to the details of your case and advise you whether it has a good chance of success.
As well as advice, advisors can also provide information on the value of your claim. However, as each case is unique, they will need specific information on your case to value it accurately.
If you’ve used a personal injury calculator, you might have got an inaccurate estimation as compensation amounts can vary depending on many factors. Our advisors will take these factors into consideration to estimate your claim.
They are experienced in personal injury law and are happy to help. See below for how you can get in touch to get the support you deserve while you sue for a broken nose.
Contact Our Specialist Team
We understand this is a difficult time for you. However, we are here to support you in any way we can. For more information, get in touch by:
- Calling us on 0800 408 7827
- Chatting with us on live chat at the bottom of the page
- Sending us an enquiry using our contact form
Related Guides And Case Studies
For more information on broken nose symptoms, see this NHS leaflet.
If you’d like to know more about the duty of care owed to road users, the Highway Code could help.
Visit the government website about road safety for all road users.
If you have any questions regarding personal injury claims, read our guide on the personal injury claims process.
Did you suffer a car accident because of your local council’s negligence? If so, see our guide on how to sue your local council.
If you’d like to know more about claiming for injuries sustained in an accident at work, see our guide on suing your employer for a broken ankle.
FAQs On Road Traffic Accident Claims
How long do I have to make a claim?
In most cases, you have three years from the date the accident happened. However, this time limit can vary depending on a number of circumstances. Get in touch with our team to find out more about these exceptions.
How long will my claim take?
The time it takes for a claim to settle can vary. For example, it can depend on the evidence obtained, when the accident happened and whether the defendant admits liability. More straightforward claims could be settled within a matter of months, whereas more complicated claims could take much longer.
Can I claim for an injured child?
If you want to claim on behalf of someone who is unable to represent themselves, such as someone who’s under 18 or someone with reduced mental capacity, you can act as a litigation friend. For more information on what this means, see the government guide.
We hope you found our guide on how to sue for a broken nose helpful. Thank you for reading.