Cheekbone injury
compensation claims

If a cheekbone injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward

Cheekbone injuries typically involve a fracture or break in the zygomatic bone from a direct blow or fall, with treatments including ice for swelling, rest, and possible surgery to fix the bone alignment.

If your life, or the life of a loved one, has been affected by a cheekbone injury, we can help. If your injuries were caused by someone else's actions or negligence, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

You can make a No Win, No Fee compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.

You are not alone

Facial injuries are estimated to account for roughly 5%–10% of all A&E attendances in the UK (savingfaces.co.uk).

Around 1 in 5 people have a visible mark, scar or other facial injury condition in the UK. (changingfaces.org.uk).

Many of these injuries relate to the cheekbones. Compensation claims for cheekbone injuries, also referred to as zygomatic or malar bones, have been made in a wide variety of circumstances, including criminal assault, road traffic accidents, a slip or trip, an accident at work, or as a result of clinical negligence.

If you decide to make a cheekbone injury claim, your personal injury solicitor will take you through every step of the claims process. Your solicitor will be with you until you win your claim and get the compensation you need to move forward.

Am I entitled to make a cheekbone injury claim?

If you've been injured or diagnosed with an illness in the last three years and it wasn't your fault, you will be able to claim compensation.

Use our injury claim calculator to find out if you can claim. Or you can call 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor. Find out in minutes if you have a claim.

Can I claim compensation if I was partly at fault?

The law concerning liability (or blame) for an accident is complex, and varies depending on the situation.

In our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents believed they were partly responsible for their injuries, or were uncertain.

You may still be able to claim compensation even if your actions may have contributed to the accident. Claims where there is fault on both sides (contributory negligence) are often resolved with a split liability agreement.

Read more:

Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?

How long after a cheekbone injury do I have to claim compensation?

An injury claim will usually need to be made within 3 years of the date or your accident or injury.

For injured children, a claim can be started by a parent or guardian at any time before they turn 18. Thereafter, the injured individual has until their 21st birthday to make a claim on their own.

How much compensation can I claim for a cheekbone injury?

The amount of money you could claim for your injury will depend on:

• the seriousness of your injury, and
• any financial losses or costs you have incurred.

At the start of your claim, your solicitor will consider the many ways your injuries have affected your life. Your solicitor will take these considerations into account to calculate the correct compensation award.

General damages

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA).

Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College (judiciary.uk) and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?

Special damages

If it can be proved that your injury left you unable to work, special damages can be awarded for any lost earnings, loss of commission or bonuses, and loss of pension contributions. It may also be possible to claim for loss of future earnings, if the medical prognosis establishes that you won't be able to work for any period in the future.

These damages will also cover the cost of any medical procedures you might need to treat or recover from your cheekbone injury such as pain medication, surgery if needed and antibiotics.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

Average cheekbone injury general damages compensation table

The following cheekbone injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 17th Edition by the Judicial College (oup.com).

These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.

Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).

Can I claim for PTSD or other psychological trauma?

Although psychiatric injuries are less obvious than physical injuries and illness, mental health conditions can be no less debilitating.

Our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey found that 29.03% of claimants reported a psychological injury, with 70.97% of these relating to a physical injury.

Cheekbone injuries can cause concerns about facial appearance and lead to depression, anxiety, social phobias, and body image issues.

Compensation for psychological harm can help you access mental health support and therapies not always available through the NHS.

Our compensation calculator can estimate your compensation for psychological injuries. Or you can call us on 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor.

Identifying is liable for my cheekbone injury

If you have suffered a fractured or damaged cheekbone, liability is dependent on where the accident occurred, and whether the party responsible owed you a duty of care.

For example, if your cheekbone injury is the result of being in a road traffic accident, it is likely that the driver who caused the accident is responsible.

An accident at work, such as tripping over cables, pallets or other items, or being hit by something that has fallen from a height, can result in serious injury. Your employer has a duty to protect staff injury. This duty extends to requiring employers to provide adequate facial protection if there is reasonable risk of injury to the face.

If an accident on another person's property results in a cheekbone injury, the owner or occupier of that property is most likely to be responsible. The owner or occupier has a duty to ensure that the premises are safe for use - if a visitor is injured as a result of something the owner/occupier has done or failed to do, that duty has been breached and a claim can likely be made.

See also:

Occupiers liability claims

Criminal compensation for cheekbone injuries

If you have been attacked and sustained a cheekbone injury as a result, you may be able to pursue the attacker for compensation. If you are not able to identify the person who caused your injury, or they are not in a position to pay out compensation, you may be able to claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

The Scheme is funded by the government and it allows victims of crime to be compensated, even if the criminal responsible cannot be identified or is otherwise unable to pay compensation.

What happened?

The claims process for a cheekbone injury will depend on where and how the accident happened. Click the icons below for more information:

Work accidents Public places Road accidents Medical negligence Other accidents

Citations

Author:
Gaynor Haliday, Legal researcher

About the author

Gaynor Haliday is an experienced legal researcher and published author. She has had numerous articles published in the press and is a legal industry commentator.