A wrist fracture being missed by a medical professional can cause unnecessary harm. It could lead to a worsening of the injury or to a person suffering from prolonged pain because of a lack of treatment.
Can You Claim For A Wrist Fracture That Has Been Missed?
If a medical professional failed to provide you with a correct diagnosis for an injury due to a breach of duty of care, and this caused you avoidable harm, this is an example of medical negligence. You may be eligible to make a claim for compensation.
This is a guide to medical negligence that will look at when a person could be eligible to make a claim, what they could claim for and how they could prove that negligence had taken place.
We hope that this guide helps, but if you would prefer to someone directly about your claim, we have friendly claims advisers that could provide you with a free, no obligation consultation.
You can reach out to one now by:
- Calling on 0800 652 3087
- Using our contact us page
- Using our live chat feature
Choose A Section
- A Guide To Claiming For A Wrist Fracture That Has Been Missed
- When Are You Able To Claim If You Have Suffered A Wrist Fracture That Has Been Missed?
- What Compensation Could Be Received From Medical Negligence Claims?
- Potential Evidence When Making Doctor Negligence Claims
- Why Claim For Medical Negligence On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Learn More About How To Receive Compensation For A Wrist Fracture That Has Been Missed
A Guide To Claiming For A Wrist Fracture That Has Been Missed
All medical professionals have a standard of care they are expected to meet. This applies to all stages of care including diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.
If your wrist break or fracture was missed because a medical professional had provided you with substandard care, and this caused you avoidable harm, then this is considered negligence. You could be able to claim compensation for any avoidable harm you suffer because of a medical professional’s negligence.
It’s important to keep in mind that you can only claim for avoidable or unnecessary harm. For example, the misdiagnosis of a wrist fracture could mean that you experience 6 months of pain and suffering. However, if your wrist would have caused you pain for 2 months even if the right diagnosis had been given, then you’d only be compensated for the additional 4 months of pain that the negligence resulted in.
We go into more detail about the definition of negligence in the following section; however if you have any questions, our advisers could be able to answer you directly.
When Are You Able To Claim If You Have Suffered A Wrist Fracture That Has Been Missed?
A missed diagnosis alone is not a basis for a claim. To make a claim you would have to both demonstrate that:
- A medical professional owed you a duty of care
- They breached this duty of care
- You suffered avoidable harm as a direct result
Below, we have included some examples of how a wrist fracture could be missed:
- Your doctor ignores the fact that bone can be seen sticking out of an open wound on your wrist and instead just gives you antibiotics for the cut. As a result of this GP misdiagnosis, the bone begins to heal in the wrong position and causes lifelong stiffness and pain in this joint.
- You attend A&E at a hospital with a broken wrist and they perform an X-ray. However, this is performed incorrectly which means the fracture is missed. You are then told that your injury is a sprain instead of a break.
If you have any questions about claiming compensation after your wrist fracture was missed because of medical negligence, speak with a member of our team today.
What Compensation Could Be Received From Medical Negligence Claims?
If you’re awarded compensation for harm caused by medical negligence, this could be made up of two heads. These are
- General damages: an amount for your pain and suffering
- Special damages: an amount for any financial losses caused by the unnecessary harm
We’ve used a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to create the table below. This document is commonly used to value injuries in claims, including medical negligence and personal injury claims.
| Injury | Severity | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist (a) | Injuries resulting in complete loss of wrist function | £47,620 to £59,860 |
| Wrist (b) | Injuries causing a serious permanent disability | £24,500 to £39,170 |
| Wrist (c) | Injuries causing a permanent disability, but one of a lesser severity | £12,590 to £24,500 |
| Wrist (d) | A fracture that takes longer than a year to heal | £6,080 to £10,350 |
| Wrist (e) | A Colles' fracture with no complications | In the region of £7,430 |
| Wrist (f) | A minor fracture that could heal within 12 months | £3,530 to £4,740 |
| Arm (b) | Serious fracture causing permanent or substantial disablement | £39,170 to £59,860 |
| Arm (c) | Significant disabilities at the outset with substantial recovery | £19,200 to £39,170 |
| Arm (d) | Simple forearm fractures | £6,610 to £19,200 |
You should only use the figures above as a guide, as the amount you receive will depend on your specific circumstances. Speak with a member of our team for an assessment of how much you could be owed.
Special Damages In Medical Negligence Cases
Special damages could cover:
- Lost income if you were unable to work
- The money you spent on your care or treatment
- The money you spent on aids to help you cope with your condition
You will need to provide evidence of special damages in order to claim. For example, this could come in the form of receipts, invoices and bills.
If your wrist fracture was missed due to a medical professional’s negligence and you would like to learn more about the costs and losses you could claim for, please reach out to a member of our team.
Potential Evidence When Making Doctor Negligence Claims
You could provide the following evidence in support of your claim.
- Medical records showing the treatment you received.
- The results of an independent medical assessment. If you choose to work with a lawyer from our panel, they could arrange this in your local area.
- A diary of your symptoms
The Bolam Test might also be used as part of the claims process. This is where a panel of medical professionals are asked whether the actions taken met the duty of care that’s owed. If not, this could indicate that medical negligence has occurred.
Please reach out to one of our advisers for a more personalised list of the evidence you could present. You could also be connected with a No Win No Fee lawyer from our panel.
Why Claim For Medical Negligence On A No Win No Fee Basis?
When making a claim after your wrist fracture was missed because of medical negligence, you may wish to work with a lawyer. They can use their experience and expertise to help you in the process of claiming.
You could benefit from working with a lawyer who offers a Conditional Fee Agreement, which is a kind of No Win No Fee agreement. It means you generally:
- Won’t have to pay an upfront fee for their services
- Will not be asked to make any ongoing payments for their work
- Won’t need to pay for their services if the claim isn’t a success.
In a successful claim, they will take a success fee; this is a percentage of your compensation award. The percentage they can take has a legal cap in place.
You can reach out to one of our advisers now to see if you could be eligible to make a claim under such an agreement with a solicitor from our panel.
Contact Us For 24/7 Free Legal Advice – See If You Can Make A Medical Negligence Claim Today
Consultations with our claims advisers are free and could give you more insight into whether you have a valid claim. If your wrist fracture was missed due to a medical professional’s negligence, and you were harmed unnecessarily as a result, please reach out to one of our advisers for free legal advice on how you could be able to sue a hospital for compensation.
You can speak to a member of our team by:
- Calling on 0800 652 3087
- Using our contact us page
- Using our live chat feature
Learn More About How To Receive Compensation For A Wrist Fracture That Has Been Missed
We hope our guide on how to make a claim for a wrist fracture that was missed due to medical negligence has been helpful. We offer other medical negligence guides that look at topics such as:
- Could you claim for a misdiagnosis of lung cancer?
- How to sue for a prescription error
- How to sue for the wrong medication
Other resources that could help you are:
Article by Cha
Edited by Sto