How To Claim For A Broken Jaw Bone Injury

claim for a broken jaw

Have you been involved in a road traffic accident that was caused by another driver’s breach of duty of care? Was your jaw fractured as a result? If so, you may be eligible to claim for a broken jaw. 

claim for a broken jaw
Claim for a broken jaw

A broken bone of any kind can be painful and frustrating. This is the case whether you’ve sustained it in public, at work on on the road. But when you suffer from a broken jaw, it can impact your ability to communicate. For this reason, it could severely impact your quality of life as you recover.  

This guide will talk you through the process of claiming compensation for your injuries. In order to claim, you must show that another driver’s negligence caused the accident in which you were injured. We will use a case study to illustrate the process of claiming, from the accident taking place to the compensation being awarded. 

You can call our advisors 24/7, who offer free legal advice and can help determine if you’ll be able to make a personal injury claim. Call us now on 0800 408 7825. Alternatively, if you’d like more information, please read on. 

Choose A Section

  1. A Guide To Claims For Broken Jaw Injuries
  2. What Are Fractured Jaw Bone Injuries?
  3. Causes Of Fractured Or Broken Jaw Bone Injuries
  4. £36,000 Claim For A Broken Jaw In A Road Traffic Accident – Case Study
  5. What Damages Do Calculators Account For?
  6. Calculating Compensation Claims For A Broken Jaw
  7. Claim For A Broken Jaw With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
  8. How A Specialist Road Traffic Accident Solicitor Could Help You
  9. Contact Our Team To Get Free Claims Advice
  10. Learn More
  11. FAQs Broken Jaw Injury Claims

A Guide To Claims For Broken Jaw Injuries

A break or fracture to your jaw is often an incredibly painful thing to deal with. It isn’t just because of the initial impact of the injury – there are many bones and teeth in your jaw that can make recovering from a vehicle accident a long-winded process. 

In this guide, we will begin by looking at broken jaw injuries and the symptoms that might occur. We will also look at the treatment that might be available for an injury of this nature.

We will go on to look at road traffic accidents in greater detail. This guide will examine the different kinds of accidents that might result in a fractured jaw. Importantly, we will also look at the duty of care that road users owe to one another and how this can be breached.

Our case study will then illustrate the process of claiming. It will look at someone who was injured in an accident caused by another driver’s negligence. We’ll examine the effects that this injury had on them and the compensation they were awarded as a result.

In addition, we will look at the way that compensation is calculated and the different kinds of damages that can be included in a settlement. We will go on to discuss No Win No Fee agreements and how they can be beneficial in funding legal representation for your claim.

If, after reading this guide, you still have questions about anything we’ve touched upon, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team. One of our advisors will be happy to answer any questions you have about the process of claiming.

What Are Fractured Jaw Bone Injuries? 

If you have suffered an injury to your jaw bone or are looking to make a jaw injury claim, you may have heard such terminology as your: 

  • Mandible –  Your lower jaw or jawbone 
  • Ramus or rami (plural) – Two bones that form your lower jaw
  • Alveolar process – Thickening ridge of bone that contains your tooth sockets

There are also several nerves in the jaw that may be damaged if a bone is fractured. If this happens, you may notice some numbness or tingling in your lips, chin and face.

Guidance from NHS states that, among other things, a broken bone may exhibit the following symptoms:

  • Immediate pain
  • Swelling or bruising
  • The sound of a snap or a grinding noise at the time of the injury
  • More intense pain if pressure is put on it

You should always seek medical attention if you’re concerned that you may have fractured your jaw. If you leave a broken jaw bone to heal without medical attention,  it can cause you problems with eating, drinking and speaking in the long term. 

This NHS guidance states that surgery will probably be needed, and it usually takes 2 forms:

  • Small metal plates will be inserted into either side of the bone fracture. This will hold the jaw bone in place while it heals. 
  • For a jaw fracture near the jaw joint, your jaws may need to be wired together. A metal bar will be attached to the teeth in both jaws by small wires being wrapped around them. 

After surgery, there will be follow-up appointments with your surgeon and orthodontist to make sure your jaw is healing correctly. It normally takes around 6 to 8 weeks to fully recover from a jaw bone injury of this nature. 

Causes Of Fractured Or Broken Jaw Bone Injuries

There are a number of different ways that you could fracture your jaw in a car accident. For instance, you may fracture your jaw in a rear-end collision where another driver fails to keep a safe stopping distance. This could cause your head to be thrown forward and hit the steering wheel, which may result in your broken jaw. 

Similarly, you could fracture your jaw in a head-on collision with another vehicle or when another vehicle hits the side of you. This could force the door or windscreen inwards, which may result in sufficient force to fracture your jaw.

It’s not just drivers who are at risk of jaw fractures on the road. Cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians are classed as “vulnerable road users” because they don’t have the protection that a vehicle offers. For instance, a cyclist who is knocked off their bike could fracture their jaw as they hit the ground.

Duties of care owed by road users

Every road user has a duty of care, both to themselves and everyone else using it. This duty isn’t a choice – it’s a legal requirement. 

The duty of care road users owe to one another is detailed in The Highway Code. All road users should be familiar with the Highway Code and adhere to the guidance set out in it. 

The duty of care is the same for all road users, no matter how long you’ve been driving. There’s no excuse made for drivers who are inexperienced- everyone should adhere to the standard of skill and care of the average motorist.

How a negligent road user could breach their duty of care

There are a number of things that road users are expected to do to ensure their own safety and the safety of those around them. These include things like abiding by speed limits, keeping full attention on the road and following road signs and markings. 

Examples of negligence could include:

  • Rushing out into a road of traffic without looking where you’re going
  • Driving down the wrong side of the road 
  • Operating a vehicle while being on the phone 
  • Not indicating which way you’re turning when driving a vehicle
  • Exceeding the speed limit
  • Driving under the influence of drinks or drugs

Above is the number of accidents involving pedal cycles on the road in the UK from 2015 to 2019. This data has been collected from The Department of Transport. This gives you an idea of the number of accidents that can take place involving pedal cycles alone. However, it’s important to note that these statistics do not relate to personal injury claims; instead, they are just instances where an accident has occurred, and an injury has been reported. 

If you feel you’ve been injured through a road traffic accident, call us now using the phone number at the top of this page.   

£36,000 Claim For A Broken Jaw In A Road Traffic Accident – Case Study

Mrs Levinson worked in phone sales and was widely regarded as one of the best at her company. She’d been awarded for being the best seller 3 years in a row. She was successful in her career and enjoyed living in a busy city.

However, one day Mrs Levinson suffered from a broken jaw in a road traffic accident. As a result, her quality of life was severely impacted. 

How Mrs Levinson broke their jaw bone in a road accident 

One morning, Mrs Levinson had to use her pedal cycle to get to work because her car was being serviced. She was happy with the change of scenery and made her way on the route she’d travelled many times before.  

Miss Levinson was extremely safety conscious. Before setting off on her commute, she put on her helmet and bicycle clips on her trousers. She made sure to clearly signal whenever she turned and stuck to cycle lanes when they were available. 

At a crossing, Mrs Levinson signalled right, the traffic light in her lane having turned green. As she continued cycling, a car ignored the light, driving forward when it wasn’t their time to do so. She attempted to avoid it, but the bonnet of the car crashed into her front wheel. 

Mrs Levinson flew across the bonnet and fell onto the road. She fell awkwardly, having barely had time to react. As such, her jaw slammed onto the road, leading to immediate, excruciating pain. A passer-by called an ambulance which took her to the hospital. After an X-ray was performed, it became clear that she’d suffered a jaw fracture. 

She underwent surgery where metal plates were inserted into her jaw to hold the bones in position as they healed. It took 8 weeks for her to fully recover from her broken jaw bone injury.  After she sought legal advice, Mrs Levinson decided to claim for a broken jaw. 

What payout was awarded to the claimant?

Because of CCTV footage that showed the accident happening and a statement provided by the onlooker who called an ambulance, it was clear that Mrs Levinson was not at fault for the accident that caused her broken jaw. As a result, she was awarded compensation. 

Miss Levinson’s fracture was fairly severe. Her jaw had been broken in two places. Even after the injury healed, she was left with residual numbness and tingling in her cheek as the result of nerve damage.

Despite the fact that she had made an almost complete recovery, the process of healing from her injuries was arduous and drawn-out. She was forced to take time off work for 8 weeks to recover as she was unable to speak properly. Because of this, not only did she lose out on earnings, but she was no longer eligible for the attendance bonus that she was on track to receive. 

Miss Levinson was also forced to cancel a wine tasting holiday she had in New Zealand to visit her sister. Because the holiday was just a week away when the accident occurred, she lost out on the money she had paid for her flight, accommodation and the wine tasting experience itself.

Miss Levinson also found that she was very nervous on the road after the accident and suffered a panic attack the first time she tried to get back in the car after the accident. She had some counselling for free on the NHS, but after these sessions had been used, she decided to pay privately for more.

How does this settlement break down?

Please see below for a breakdown of Mrs Levinson’s compensation. 

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The case of Mrs Levinson is purely an example of a break or fracture caused by a car accident. It is based on our previous experiences of assessing and valuing claims, highlighting how accidents can happen and how they are valued. 

What Damages Do Calculators Account For?

When you make a personal injury claim, the compensation you receive could be split into two heads of claim. These are known as general damages and special damages. 

One of them is special damages. This part of your claim will reimburse you for the financial loss you’ve suffered as a result of the injury. The types of things you can claim for include: 

  • Loss of earnings
  • Loss of future earnings
  • Travel costs
  • Prescriptions/medication
  • Deposits for plans you’ve had to cancel or change 

There are 2 important things to consider regarding special damages. Firstly, you need to be able to prove that you’ve suffered the financial loss in question. As such, you’ll have to provide receipts, invoices and bank statements to highlight this. If you can’t provide evidence of a loss or expense that you’ve incurred, you won’t be able to include it in your claim. 

Secondly, the amount of special damages you can claim is difficult to anticipate when the process begins. This is because special damages are linked to your recovery, and the full financial loss will only be known once you’re no longer suffering from the injury. Only when you’ve fully recovered could this amount be worked out. 

Calculating Compensation Claims For A Broken Jaw

The second type of compensation is general damages. This compensates you for the pain and suffering you have experienced as a result of your injuries and the impact they have had on your quality of life. 

Similar to special damages, you will need evidence to prove the damage caused. You may want to provide medical records from when you received treatment for your injuries or photographs of your recovery process to illustrate the effect it has had on you. 

An independent medical assessment will also usually be performed. This is to determine if your injuries were caused by the accident or part of a pre-existing medical condition. It can also help to establish your prognosis.  If the accident has caused a pre-existing medical condition to worsen, this will also be taken into account. 

If you would like to know more about how much you could be owed in a personal injury claim, why not get in touch with our team today? An advisor could advise you as to how much compensation you may receive.

Claim For A Broken Jaw With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

If you decide to seek legal representation in order to make a claim, you may be worried about the upfront costs that this usually entails. But with a No Win No Fee agreement, you can move forward with a claim with a solicitor without having to pay them upfront. 

A No Win No Fee agreement is sometimes also referred to as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). It means that you won’t need to pay for any solicitor’s fees upfront while the claim is ongoing or in the event that it’s unsuccessful. Your solicitor will take a small, legally capped portion of your compensation to cover their legal fees if you win your claim, referred to as a success fee. 

If you’re offered a No Win No Fee agreement with a solicitor, it often means your claim has a good chance of success. This is because the solicitor is taking the risk that they won’t receive payment if they don’t win your claim. 

How A Specialist Road Traffic Accident Solicitor Could Help You

Our helpful advisors offer free legal advice that could answer any queries you might have, such as seeing if you’re eligible to claim for a broken jaw.  You may be tempted to use an online personal injury compensation calculator to value your claim. These can be useful tools that are helpful in giving estimations; however, they often fail to capture the scope of information required to accurately value your claim. 

Instead, you can get in touch with our team of advisors. They’ll ask the questions needed to get all the information to value your claim. If they feel it has a good chance of success, they may be able to connect you with a personal injury lawyer from our panel. 

Contact Our Team To Get Free Claims Advice 

Broken jaw injuries are not the only kind of injury we could help you claim compensation for. Perhaps you’ve suffered an allergic reaction because of someone else’s breach of duty of care. Or maybe you’ve broken your collarbone in an accident on the road. We could also help you if you’ve broken your knee in public and need to claim from the council.

You can get through to one of our helpful advisors at any time for free legal advice. If you want to know if you can claim, get in touch with us today. 

  • Telephone number: 0800 408 7825
  • Live chat with us by using the window on the bottom right-hand side of the screen.
  • Contact us through our website

Learn More

For more useful information, see the links below. 

For more information about broken jaw treatment, visit the NHS website. 

Do you want to know more about the injuries you can have while still being able to drive legally? Visit the Government website.

More statistics about cycling can be found on the We are Cycling website. 

Are you interested in claiming compensation for a fractured femur in public? Visit our website to find out more. 

If you’ve suffered a broken leg in a road traffic accident, read our guide. 

If you’ve sustained a broken collarbone in a road accident, this page could help. 

FAQs Broken Jaw Injury Claims

I suffered multiple injuries. How will my settlement be calculated?

The same procedure will apply, just for multiple injuries. Should you be successful in your claim, all injuries that were sustained in the accident will be accommodated in the compensation. 

Could I get an interim payment?

Yes, in some circumstances. For example, if it’s decided that you’re owed compensation, but the amount is not settled, then you could apply for an interim payment to cover the costs of, for example, medical bills. 

Could I claim if partially at fault?

Yes, you can still claim if you’re partially at fault for the accident. This means that you’re accepting that you contributed to your injuries. Your compensation will be deducted accordingly.  

How long do injury claims take?

The amount of time it takes for a claim to be settled can vary. For instance, a simple claim in which liability is clear-cut might be settled within months, but a more complex claim could take longer.   

Thank you for reading our guide on how to claim for a broken jaw.

About the author


Article Approved by Solicitors

Approved by Patrick Mallon.

Patrick is a Grade A solicitor having qualified in 2005. He’s an an expert in accident at work and public liability claims.



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