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Face Injury Compensation Claims & Settlement Values

By Ian Morris | Updated December 12th, 2022

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Facial injuries are often traumatic and can be of many different types. We’ve dealt with claims involving soft tissue injuries, bruising, swelling, lacerations, burns, scarring, fractures and nerve damage. Settlement values can be quite high with injuries that lead to permanent visible disfigurement.

Common face injury claims

Most commonly, facial injuries are associated with impact trauma as seen in accidents involving a slip, trip or fall, or as the result of a car, cycle or motorbike accident.

With impact trauma, facial injuries can range from severe bruising to fractures, lacerations and damage to the jaw, nerves or teeth.

Facial injuries can also be caused in accidents at work, for example due to defective equipment or the mishandling of hazardous chemicals which can lead to severe chemical burn injuries.

Can I claim compensation for a face injury?

Any person who suffers a facial injury as the result of a non-fault accident, or due to the negligence of an employer or other party, may seek to make a claim for compensation.

In order to make a claim, you’ll need to be able to identify the cause of your accident or injury as being the responsibility of someone else, or due to an act of negligence.

You should make sure that the details of your accident are recorded properly in an accident book or similar incident reporting system, and that appropriate medical attention is sought from a GP or a hospital.

To find out whether you can make a claim for facial injury compensation, speak with our specialist staff. We know your rights and can help you to claim.

How will my settlement be valued?

During the claims process, the extent of the facial injury and its impact upon the claimant will be subjected to an evaluation by a medical expert.

Your specialist solicitor will instruct a medical expert to assess the injury and discuss its impact with the claimant. They will note any long term implications such as visible scarring, nerve damage or impact on eyesight and breathing, and provide a detailed report outlining the long-term prognosis to the solicitor.

The contents of the report will be used to assign an appropriate compensation settlement value for the injury element of the claim, with more serious facial injuries leading to higher compensation settlements. In cases of disfigurement there may also be severe psychological reactions which can be awarded substantial amounts.

The settlement will also include the special damages element of the claim, where any lost income or incurred costs caused by the facial injury will be calculated and recovered.

Compensation amounts for facial injuries

The following is a guide to awards for the injury only, excluding lost income and expenses, so your final compensation amount could be much higher.

Facial bone fractures

Severity of injury	Compensation amount
Le Fort fractures of frontal facial bones	£18,100 - £30,720
Multiple fractures of facial bones involving some permanent facial deformity.	£11,300 - £20,020

Nose fractures

Severity of injury	Compensation amount
Serious or multiple fractures requiring surgery, with permanent damage and/or facial deformity	£8,100 - £19,330
Displaced fracture, with complete recovery after surgery	£3,000 - £4,260
Displaced fracture not requiring surgery	£1,925 - £2,640
Simple undisplaced fracture with full recovery	£1,300 - £2,120

Cheekbone fractures

Severity of injury	Compensation amount
Serious fractures requiring surgery, with lasting consequences	£7,750 - £13,200
Simple cheekbone fracture, with complete recovery after surgery and no or minimal cosmetic effects	£3,300 - £5,390
Simple cheekbone fracture not requiring surgery	£1,775 - £2,500

Jaw fractures

Severity of injury	Compensation amount
Serious multiple fractures requiring surgery, with prolonged treatment and permanent consequences	£23,175 - £38,060
Serious jaw fracture with permanent consequences	£13,650 - £25,490
Simple fracture requiring immobilisation but with a complete recovery	£4,900 - £7,320

Damage to teeth

Severity of injury	Compensation amount
Significant, chronic tooth pain over a number of years with deterioration in teeth condition	Up to £31,900
Loss of, or serious damage to several front teeth	£6,650 - £9,540
Loss of, or serious damage to two front teeth	£3,300 - £6,380
Loss of, or serious damage to one front teeth	£1,675 - £3,300
Loss of, or damage to back teeth (per tooth)	£830 - £1,430

Facial disfigurement

Severity of injury	Compensation amount
Very severe scarring, with permanent disfigurement and psychological effects	£22,625 - £81,400
Less severe scarring, where disfigurement is still substantial with a significant psychological reaction	£13,650 - £40,480
Significant scarring which remains visible at conversational distances	£6,925 - £25,160
Less significant scarring which remains visible on close inspection	£3,000 - £11,500
Trivial scarring where the effect is minor	£1,300 - £2,940

How Direct2Compensation can help

Direct2Compensation work with leading specialist personal injury solicitors who have a proven track record of success in pursuit of claims for facial injury compensation. From the first contact with our expert staff, through the entire claims process, we’ll ensure that you understand your rights and that your claim is being handled professionally.

We want you to focus on recovery and normal life, and not have to worry about your claim. That’s why we’ll ensure that you have the direct contact details for your specialist solicitor and that we are available to answer any queries you may have.

We know your rights and will make sure that your claim has the very best prospects of success, and that any settlement awarded to you appropriately compensates you for the pain and distress caused to you by your facial injury.

How do I start my claim?

Starting your claim for facial injury compensation with Direct2Compensation is easy. We know that you may have concerns or questions to discuss with us, and our experienced staff have the right expertise to guide you through the start of your claim.

You can call our friendly and helpful staff on 01225 430285 or get your claim started online today. We take pride in making sure that you feel understood and look forward to helping you make your claim.

62 questions have been answered on this subject - ask us your question

Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus face injury claim examples...

I was walking outside my apartment building to do laundry. I stepped up from the street onto the curb and slipped. Sort of did the splits and landed on my face. The curb had fresh wet paint on it. No wet paint sign anywhere. An apartment worker saw me and called the manager. She drove over in a golf cart and drove me back to the office to fill out an incident report. I already had problems with my hip and now I’m hurting so bad. I can’t see the doctor until tomorrow as I have no car. But since no bleeding or bones breaking, do I have a claim?

Do you know who painted the curb? Have you reported this accident to the relevant organisation?

Someone the apartment complex hired. A worker driving by in a golf cart saw me fall and called the office Manager. She came to me and drove me back to the office to fill out an incident report. While I was in the office the worker made wet paint signs and put them on the sidewalk.

I was working with a two part epoxy as part of my job, for 4 weeks no problem then my face exploded to the size of a pumpkin. I was given a cream that exacerbated the problem but doctor said to continue use so I put cream on face not hands the face got better hands still infected, it’s been 3 weeks, apparently this substance builds hyper-sensitivity in certain individuals more exposure doesn’t bring immunity so I won’t be able to return to work. I’ve received no pay for 2 weeks. What are my options?

If the employer failed to provide you with the appropriate personal protective equipment and has not operated within the COSHH guidelines, they will be in breach of UK law and you could pursue a claim against them for the injuries sustained as well as any loss of income incurred.

Have you spoken with a specialist Solicitor yet to discuss your options and legal rights in more detail?

I smashed half my front tooth out an fractured others at work when a lump of metal fell around 9ft in to my mouth. The Dentist’s bills are mounting up and i’m feeling like I am never going to get my nice set of teeth back. Can you help?

It certainly sounds like you have a valid claim to pursue against your employer. The piece of metal that fell on to you was clearly something that ought not to have happened.

If successful with a claim, you would be able to recover compensation for the pain, discomfort and distress caused by the accident and injuries and also recover all of your medical costs, loss of income and other costs. Facial injuries can attract fairly substantial compensation amounts.

I was walking up some wooden stairs in a Cafe Rouge and as I turned to go up the third flight I slipped and hit my face on the bottom step of the next flight. I went down very heavily and cracked my tooth and one of my teeth went through my gum under my lip which led to it bleeding for a few hours and there is still a cut where it went through. I was very distressed and concerned about my cracked tooth as it was quite severe and very noticeable. I immediately rang my dentist which is over an hour away and they got me an appointment for as soon as I could get back (2.30pm) I didn’t stop to get the accident put in the accident book because I just needed to get to the dentist, I was very shaken and upset. The man behind the bar asked, as I was walking out, if I wanted ice but I just wanted to get out of there as I looked a mess. I have complained to them but all I got was an apology and a predictable “our floors weren’t wet” I had to have an x ray and they had to fix my tooth. I now have a lump in my gum and have to go back in a few weeks for more x rays to see if the tooth has moved, it is my top front tooth that broke so is obviously very important to me. Do I have any rights to any compensation as I fear I will have ongoing treatment on this tooth? My dentist did say the bottom tooth has been damaged too but it is not so noticeable.

If you slipped because the stair surface was wet, had spilled food on it or some other ‘loose’ surface issue, you would have grounds to claim compensation in this case.

The occupier of the premises you were visiting have an obligation to minimise the risk of injury and make the premises as safe as possible. Therefore, if the surface was wet, the minimum you should expect is a hazard warning sign to be in situ. In this case, it would appear that they have failed in this and as such, that opens up your right to make a claim.

I was involved in a work accident in 2010. My front tooth was chipped, and workers comp would only approve a filling to fix it. I had to have it redone twice in the next year, but fortunately or unfortunately, the filling has lasted since, until now. Now it is chipped (very lovely that it is the front tooth!). I called KESA (KY) to ask about getting it fixed and was informed that it was a medical claim only, no time was missed for work (I missed 2 weeks), and that the statute of benefits expired in 2012. This will be expensive to fix, and I feel like it should be covered by Workers Comp. Am I just out of luck? Is there anything that can be done? Thanks!

UK law allows claimants a maximum claim limitation period of 3 years from the date of an injury in which a claim can be made. If more than 3 years has passed, then it is not possible to pursue it any further.

I had an accident 3 weeks ago, I was carrying food outside in the dark, I have only been working there for 2 weeks at the time. There was a raised step and no light, I tripped over the step, fell on my face and elbows, this resulted in me having my chin surgically glued, 2 broken crowns, badly bruised elbows and my jaw has been badly jarred. Last week due to my wound not healing properly I was put on antibiotics and have blood tests also. I returned to work after only one day off and have felt uncomfortable recently and very on edge also.
I am concerned that my injury could have more long term effects than I originally thought and no light has been installed outside since my accident either. It took me a week to see the accident report book but I was relieved that it had been filled in.
Having the 2 crowns replaced will cost me nearly £500.00 and I am getting a little annoyed that my employer has not discussed this situation with me and kind of ignoring the fact that it happened in the first place.
Any suggestions?

Having spoken with you, we identified a few areas of possible negligence on the part of your employer here. The lack of lighting in the area you needed to access in order to perform your duties and a possible tripping hazard there is one area, as is the lack of training and guidance in relation to working in that area of the premises.

If you were to proceed with a claim against the employer and succeed, any compensation settlement value would include compensation for the pain, distress and discomfort of the injuries sustained, taking in to account any permanent scarring as well as enabling you to recover any dental costs and other expenses.

Hi odd question here, i work alone in a busy fish shop. I was serving putting gravy into the container, turned to answer customer while I pushed the lid on, put too much pressure on one side of the lid and it exploded into my face. As I was on my own i rushed into the back to splash water all over me, went back to serve customer and straight away went for help. Do i have a claim? No official break and working alone, thanks.

Hi, the situation you describe is an unusual one. The fact that you were working alone would not necessarily lead to you having a successful claim as some jobs are done on a solo basis. In your case, the fact you were working alone did not in and of itself cause you to sustain injury. The cause of the injury was the pressure applied to the container lid and the hot fluid within the same.

Your prospects of success will come down to training from the employer and whether they have adequately staffed the workplace and risk assessed the role. Perhaps the containers used for the hot gravy are not adequate?

We would be very happy to investigate this further for you and it could be that our specialist Solicitors are able to locate an avenue of liability that would enable the claim to proceed.

Hi my son has fallen at a hungry horse pub while running into the playground he has suffered a laceration about 9 in to his cheek he is only 6 and needed surgery.

How distressing for you as a parent and for your Son. He may well be able to pursue a claim for compensation against the Hungry Horse pub, but it will depend on what caused him to fall and what caused the laceration.

There is definitely a good possibility of making a claim and we’d like to speak with you on this and help you further.

I’ve had an accident four years ago that wasn’t my fault, would I be entitled to anything? I’ve scars on my head and lips and I had to get medical attention.

Unfortunately, I believe that you have sadly left it too long to pursue any action. The law in the UK allows those wishing to pursue claims for personal injury compensation a statutory period of limitation in which they can register their claim. If they fail to do so within that time frame, they are barred by law from taking action.

The limitation period for people aged over the age of 18 years at the date of their accident, date of diagnosis (for industrial illness matters) or date that they became aware of negligence in clinical negligence matters is 3 years. As you have now had a period of 4 years from the injuries you sustained, I believe that you are statute barred.

I am sorry that we cannot assist you.

Yours sincerely

Ian Morris

Got stabbed in lip by a pencil lead while eating in a café, it is a big chain.

Have been offered a free meal for two however should I be expecting more, it caused bleeding and pain when eating for three days after.

Matthew

Thank you for the comment and query. There is a possibility that you could succeed with a claim for injury compensation and we would certainly advise that you discuss this incident with one of our specialist solicitors.

As you have also submitted your details to us, one of our team will be in touch with you in due course to organise this for you. In the meantime, feel free to accept the restaurants offer of a free meal. Accepting that will not affect any claim that may follow.

Best wishes

Ian