A skull fracture can often be a very serious injury that can have life-changing ramifications. The emotional impact of such an injury upon both the family and the person who has suffered the injury can also be quite distressing. Recovering from a skull fracture is usually a fairly lengthy process, with the need for surgery and the risk of possible brain damage often being present. 

If your skull injury happened because of the negligent behaviour of a third party, whether the accident happened at work or in your personal life, then you may be able to make a fractured skull compensation claim. 

To learn more or to start your claim, get in touch with our expert team on 0333 358 2345 or contact us online. 

Types of Skull Fracture

There are many different ways in which a skull can be fractured, some ways are also more serious than other ways. Below are some of the main kinds of skull fractures which are experienced in accidents: 

• A Linear fracture is one of the more common kinds of skull fractures. They spread across the full thickness of the skull and are often straight in shape. Linear fractures usually occur when there has been a blunt trauma that has carried across the full area of the skull. Therefore, the recovery time for this can often be long and the impact of such an injury is often quite severe. 
• A comminuted fracture is another very serious injury to have. This type of fracture breaks or splinters the bone into more than two fragments. For this type of fracture to happen, considerable force must have been applied to the damaged area which highlights how serious such an injury can be. These sorts of fractures often occur after fairly serious car accidents or being hit with a heavy object. 
• Depressed fractures of the skull are diagnosed when cranial bone has been crushed inwards towards the brain, possibly causing damage to the brain tissue. 
• Clivus fractures are injuries which are commonly experienced after a high impact motor vehicle collision, which has caused a direct blow to a small surface area of the skull. Cases of clivus fractures are relatively low because of the difficulties in diagnosing the condition. The mortality rate is fairly high for clivus fractures due to the severity of the injury. 

In many cases, it is obvious that there has been a serious skull fracture. However, in some cases it may be less obvious. Some people may not realise that they have been injured so severely until they are checked out by a medical professional. If you have experienced an impact to the head and are suffering from prolonged confusion such as headaches, dilated pupils or limited consciousness, then you should seek further medical advice as soon as possible. If you have experienced a heavy blow to the head, it is always a good idea to seek medical help at the time just in case. 

Amount of Compensation for Skull Injuries

The amount of compensation will be unique to your specific case and the only way to truly understand how much compensation you are likely to receive is by discussing your case with a personal injury solicitor. However, there are certain general estimations that can be made about the amount of compensation you could receive based upon your injuries. Depending upon the severity, the case may result in about £95,000 in compensation. However, if other factors like brain damage are relevant in the case this amount may go even higher. For example, very severe brain damage may result in between £224,800 – £322,060 in compensation while less severe brain damage could result in roughly £12,210 – £34,330.

To find out more visit our compensation calculator.

Compensation will also take into account additional costs besides your injuries which have occurred because of the accident. For example, if you have suffered financial losses due to being unable to return to work then you may be able to claim this cost back through compensation. 

Causes of Skull Fractures

There are many different ways in which skull fractures could happen. However, below we have listed some of the more common reasons: 

• You have experienced a head-on collision in a car accident
• You have suffered a violent assault where there was a severe impact to your head
• You have experienced a slip, trip, or fall accident which caused an impact to your head. More serious injuries like fractures resulting from this accident type are usually sustained by falling from a height. 

Fractured Skull at Work

If your fractured skull happened while you were at work, then you may be able to claim against your employer for compensation. All employers are bound to ensure your safety while you are working. This includes providing personal protective equipment (PPE) relevant for your job, such as work boots or high visibility clothing. Your employer must also conduct regular risk assessments about tasks and the work environment to ensure safety. If any of the regulatory steps to ensure safety within your industry are not taken and this results in you suffering an accident, then you could be eligible to claim compensation. 

Criminal Injury Compensation for a Fractured Skull

Fractured skull injuries can sometimes arise if there has been a violent assault on an individual. If you have been physically attacked, it is advisable that you contact the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and possibly conduct your claim through them. A qualified personal injury solicitor will be able to help with this process and advise you on steps about making a claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. 

Making Personal Injury Claims

To learn more or to start your claim, get in touch with our expert team on 0333 358 2345 or contact us online.