Broken bones: wrist, leg, rib, pelvis, and others. Bands on this page show typical settlement values for fracture cases across the relevant severity tiers; each names its source or is marked as a MyClaimWorth estimate. The position within a band depends on facts the page can't see: severity, prognosis, recovery time, the strength of medical evidence, and any percentage of fault attributed to the claimant under United Kingdom's comparative-fault rule.
Time runs from the later of the date of the injury and the date the claimant first had knowledge of the relevant facts. Limitation is suspended for minors until majority and for protected parties indefinitely.
★ fault allocation
Contributory negligence reduces, does not bar
Under the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945, a claimant's damages are reduced in proportion to their share of fault. There is no bar threshold equivalent to the modified comparative threshold in many US states.
★ caps that bear on this injury
What caps recovery.
Statutory caps and ceilings that apply to fracture damages in United Kingdom.
No statutory cap on general damages
Personal injury (general)
No cap; JCG bands apply
Unlike most US states, England and Wales do not impose statutory caps on general damages.
Whiplash tariff
Soft-tissue motor injuries within Reform scope
£275 to £4,830 with limited uplifts
Statutory tariff overriding JCG bands within its scope. Figures for injuries from 31 May 2025; earlier injuries use £240 to £4,215.
★ UK · procedural pathway
From injury to settlement.
The steps a fracture claim moves through under United Kingdom law, from medical stability to settlement.
1
Pre-action protocol
The Pre-Action Protocol for Personal Injury Claims governs the early stages, letter of claim, period for response, disclosure of medical records. The Protocol for Low Value Personal Injury Claims (RTA, EL/PL) covers the dedicated portals.
2
Medical evidence
Independent medical expert(s) instruct on prognosis. For soft-tissue claims, MedCo selects experts under the Reform regime.
3
Quantum negotiation
Parties exchange schedules and counter-schedules of loss anchored to JCG bands plus special damages calculations.
4
Part 36 offers
Either side can make a CPR Part 36 offer carrying costs consequences if not beaten at trial.
5
Issue of proceedings
If the case does not settle pre-action, proceedings are issued in the County Court (or the Royal Courts of Justice for high-value cases).
6
Track allocation
Small claims track (≤£5,000 PI from May 2021), fast track (≤£25,000), intermediate / multi-track for higher value or complex cases.
7
Settlement or trial
The vast majority settle. If trial proceeds, judgment is for general damages plus special damages plus interest under section 35A Senior Courts Act.
★ fracture · reported decisions
What courts have awarded for fracture.
Fracture decisions from 4 UK jurisdictions we have researched, each linked to the judgment and to the local guide.
At about 5 pm on 19 December 2019, Eva Cobija Sintes, 35 and 36 weeks pregnant, stepped off a bus in Whitechapel Market on her way to a maternity tour.
On 23 June 2020 Hazel Boyd, an experienced work rider at a racehorse yard near Tonyrefail, was cantering a horse called Foxy on the gallops when he moved sharply right and she fell, suffering a dislocation and articular fracture of her right elbow.
On 16 October 2015 Thomas Ward, a lorry driver employed by the agency PPF Ltd, braked hard on the M8 and warned staff at Bishopbriggs the load might have shifted.
On the evening of 20 July 2021 Janet McTaggart, a tenant in Dumfries, went out of her back door into the garden, tripped and fell forward onto concrete slabs, fracturing her right arm; she needed a plate and screws.
On 9 April 2019 the plaintiff, a professional track cyclist, was riding on Clanabogan Road, Omagh, when a car turned right across his path and knocked him off.
On 10 May 2021 the plaintiff was cycling on the Cardonaghy Road towards Ahoghill past coned off roadworks when a worker emerged from the cordoned area carrying a ladder, which struck his shoulder and knocked him onto the road.
How fracture claims play out in each place we have researched in full.
England
A motorcyclist who fractured his femur, tibia and fibula developed compartment syndrome that Salford Royal treated late, and lost his lower leg; the court awarded £120,000 for pain and suffering alone. A woman 36 weeks pregnant tripped on market stall poles in Whitechapel and fractured her ankle, but the Court of Appeal held the council was not liable for poles left by an unknown trader.
A goalkeeper who bent her wrist back saving a shot went to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor; the court found the doctor had not competently tested for a scaphoid injury, and she received the agreed £39,000. A racing stable rider in Tonyrefail who fractured and dislocated her elbow in a fall from a cantering horse lost her claim on liability; the judge found some dishonest exaggeration, but not enough to be fundamental dishonesty.
A lorry driver helping unload a trailer in Bishopbriggs was knocked off it by a runaway pallet and suffered an open, comminuted fracture of his heel bone; the sheriff awarded £32,000 solatium against the agency that employed him, which had not assessed the risk. A tenant in Dumfries who tripped at her back door and broke her arm lost against her landlord, though damages had been agreed at £25,000.
A professional track cyclist hit by a car turning across him near Omagh fractured his shoulder blade and wrist; the judge awarded £50,000 in general damages and £70,647 in total. A cyclist struck by a ladder carried out of a roadworks site fractured his elbow and received the agreed £75,000. A 17 year old driver hurt in a crash at a humpback bridge had £275,000 in damages halved for his own fault.
Each answer stands on its own and draws on the documents named on this page.
How much is a fracture claim worth in United Kingdom?
The band table on this page shows fracture values in United Kingdom by severity. The most severe matching band is £9,110 to £14,080, a MyClaimWorth estimate. The exact figure within the band depends on severity, prognosis, recovery time, the medical paper trail, and any percentage of fault attributed to the claimant under United Kingdom's comparative-fault rule.
What is the statute of limitations for fracture claims in United Kingdom?
3 years from date of injury or date of knowledge. Source: Limitation Act 1980, s.11 (England, Wales, NI); Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 (Scotland). Time runs from the later of the date of the injury and the date the claimant first had knowledge of the relevant facts. Limitation is suspended for minors until majority and for protected parties indefinitely.
Does fault allocation reduce a fracture settlement in United Kingdom?
Under the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945, a claimant's damages are reduced in proportion to their share of fault. There is no bar threshold equivalent to the modified comparative threshold in many US states. Reductions are calculated as a percentage of the total damages award before any cap is applied.
Are there caps on fracture damages in United Kingdom?
Yes — United Kingdom applies the following caps that bear on fracture claims: No statutory cap on general damages; Whiplash tariff. See the caps section on this page for the figures and the conditions under which each applies.
How long does a United Kingdom fracture case take to resolve?
Soft-tissue presentations commonly resolve within 6 to 12 months from medical stability. Complex cases with surgery or contested liability routinely take 18 to 36 months. Cases that proceed to trial commonly take 2 to 5 years. The procedural pathway on this page sets out the typical milestones in United Kingdom.
Is settlement preferable to trial for a fracture claim in United Kingdom?
For most United Kingdom fracture claimants, yes. The vast majority of personal-injury cases settle before trial. Settlement provides certainty, removes appeal risk, and resolves faster. Trial is appropriate where liability is genuinely contested or where the defendant's insurer is unrealistic about quantum given the published authority.
Numbers on this page are starting points, not quotes for any specific case. For representation, consult a solicitor or attorney qualified in United Kingdom. See /methodology for how each band is derived, /sources for the standing authority list, and /disclaimer for the scope statement.
