Chest injury claims

What is a chest injury? 

The chest is the area of the body between the neck and the diaphragm. It’s made up of:

• The spine and the rib cage, which contains the heart and lungs.
• Bones such as the sternum (breast bone) and clavicle (shoulder bones)
• Chest muscles, or pectorals.

Damage to the chest is most often caused by industrial disease, such as inhalation of chemicals or fibres (asbestosis). But it can also happen through chest trauma, impact and penetration, for example rough contact sports, or from car accident injuries or a motorcycle crash. 

Types of chest injuries

Chest injuries vary in severity. The more minor ones from which a full recovery is expected, such as:

• Severe bruising
• Fractured ribs
• Soft tissue damage
• Collapsed lung
• Toxic fume or smoke inhalation
• Asthma and bronchitis

More severe chest injury will have long-term effects, often with a level of disability, continuing pain and impact on work and lifestyle, including:

• Industrial diseases like asbestosis (mesothelioma)
• Heart damage or the loss of a lung.
• Lung cancer
• Emphysema
• Trauma injury

Why make a chest injury claim for compensation?

As well as the pain and suffering you’ll be going through, there are also the costs of treatment,  medical procedures, time off work for treatment and rehabilitation. In more serious cases you may need medical aids or equipment for the rest of your life. The cost of all that can add up, but a compensation settlement can take away the worry of how to pay for it all.

In addition, if your injury occurred at your place or work, or in a public place, it’s important to bring it to the attention of those responsible, to make sure it doesn’t happen to others.

Find out more about making a claim.

How can First4Lawyers help?

We can take the pressure off by dealing with any potential claims for chest injury compensation, whether it’s for you, or on behalf of someone else.

Our advisers have many years’ experience and will find out the circumstances of your injury, before outlining your options. We offer No Win No Fee services, so you have no upfront costs to pay, and you are under no obligation to go ahead with anything unless you want to.

How much chest injury compensation will I receive?

Chest injuries are varied and can be quite complex. Compensation settlements are worked out based on the pain and suffering you’ve endured, along with the long-term impact – these are known as ‘general damages’. 

‘Special damages’ are then calculated based on things like medical expenses, travel costs for treatment, loss of earnings – anything that results in your being ‘out of pocket’.

Our compensation calculator gives a guide to settlement amounts, but to give you an idea, rib fractures tend to see awards of up to £4,820, whereas serious and permanent damage to the chest, lungs or heart can get up to £183,190, depending on the long-term effects.

Is there a time limit for making a chest injury claim?

If your injury is the result of an accident you have three years from the date of the accident, or the date you became aware of your injuries.

In some situations, such as work-related illness claims it’s difficult to put an exact date on it, because you may have been exposed to something over a period of months and years. As a result, for many industrial disease claims, the three-year limit starts from your "date of knowledge".

The "date of knowledge" is usually when you find out the cause of your chest injury or illness – in other words you know it is due to the fault of someone else.

There are a few other exceptions too, but don’t worry because if you’re unsure about dates, we can help you go through it.

I think I have a chest injury claim, what do I do next?

To find out whether you have a compensation claim, just get in touch for a free initial consultation, using our online claim form. Or request a callback at the top of the screen, we will get in touch at a time to suit you and talk you through your options and our No Win No Fee service.