You may assume that a broken finger would not be likely to lead to a significant compensation payout but in fact, in some cases, it could. Broken finger compensation amounts vary between cases, and if the injury is significant and the financial implications of the injury are significant too, this could result in broken finger compensation payouts that are higher than you may have thought possible. In the sections below, we take a look at a potential broken knuckle at work compensation case study, giving you information on claiming compensation for a broken finger at work and offering advice on making a claim for your own accident at work. If you have any queries surrounding broken finger personal injury claims, or if you would like to start your own claim, you can reach our team for advice and support on 0333 000 0729. However, we would urge you to read on as your query might already be answered within the sections below.
Jump To A Section
- Broken Finger Accidents At Work
- Anatomy Of The Bones In Your Fingers
- Types Of Accidents Which Could Happen In The Workplace
- 6 Ways You Could Break Your Finger At Work
- Case Study: £15,000 Broken Finger Compensation Payout
- Broken Finger Accident At Work Compensation Calculator
- No Win No Fee Compensation Claims For A Broken Finger At Work
- How Do I Make A Compensation Claim For A Broken Finger?
- Speak To Legal Helpline
- Related Claims Guides
Broken Finger Accidents At Work
A broken finger accident at work could happen in a number of different ways. Whether you have trapped your finger in machiner or in a door, or been injured in a slip, trip or fall, you may be able to make a claim for compensation against your employer if they had not protected your health and safety to a reasonable level, and the injuries you’d suffered were as a result of their negligence towards health and safety.
Broken finger accident at work
There are many differed types of broken finger injury, and these could be categorised as follows:
Avulsion fractures – This type of broken finger happens when the tendon/ligament attached to a part of a bone in your finger pulls it from the main bone that it was attached to.
Impacted fractures – The broken pieces of bone are driven into each other.
A shear fracture – This type of break happens when a bone is split in two – usually as the result of a force that makes the bone move in two directions at once.
An open fracture – Where the skin is broken where a piece of bone breaks through it
A closed fracture – Where you have fractured a finger but the fracture remains under the skin and the skin is left intact.
A nondisplaced fracture – This is where your broken finger bone cracks – either completely or only slightly – but it doesn’t move from its usual position.
A displaced fracture – This type of broken finger happens when the bone is broken into separate pieces. Those pieces move around and are no longer in their normal alignment.
A comminuted fracture – This is a type of displaced break where there are 3 or more pieces of bone after it is broken.
The broken finger compensation amounts that you’d receive would be based on how serious the break was. Simple nondisplaced fractures with a full recovery could bring in lower broken finger compensation payouts than those where there was a complicated fracture which may have required more invasive treatment, or where the prognosis was not as good.
Anatomy Of The Bones In Your Fingers
To understand how one broken finger injury at work could differ significantly from another, you may wish to read a little more about the structure of the hand and the bones involved affect its movement.
The standard human hand has 5 different digits, 4 fingers and one thumb. While this is common knowledge. interestingly, some of the bones in the hand are initially cartilage, and they go through a process of ossification in order to become bones. The hand has 27 bones in total, 14 phalanges, which include the distal phalanges, which are located at the top of the fingers and thumb, where you would normally find your nails. Next are the intermediate or middle phalanges, which only appear on the fingers and not the thumb – the thumb distal phalanx attaches straight to the thumb proximal phalanx – then the proximal phalanges, which are present on all fingers and the thumb, and then finger metacarpals, and thumb metacarpal, which then connect to the carpals. There are also other bones within the tendons of the digit, called the thumb sesamoids. These could also be broken, but cases of this type of injury could be considered quite rare.
Types Of Accidents Which Could Happen In The Workplace
There are lots of ways in which a fractured finger joint, or finger bone could happen at work. According to the Health and Safety Executive, the following non-fatal accidents could be considered more common than others, and all of these could potentially lead to a broken finger at work claim, if it could be proved that your employer was liable for your broken finger accident at work. These statistics relate to 2018/19 accident statistics.
- Falls from heights (8 percent)
- Violent Acts (8 percent)
- Having been struck by an object that was moving (10 percent)
- Carrying, lifting or handling (20 percent)
- Same level slip, trip or fall (29 percent)
Whether your broken finger accident at work encompassed one of the above accidents or any other, if your employer could be held liable for your injury, then you may be able to claim fractured finger at work compensation. While there are no reporting requirements for broken fingers at work via RIDDOR, unless another injury such as an amputation of the finger happens at the same time.
6 Ways You Could Break Your Finger At Work
Now we have taken a look at accidents at work that could happen, let us now look at some possible broken finger at work compensation examples. Some reasons for this type of injury could include:
- Lack of protective equipment – If your hands are not protected when you are performing tasks that come with risks of injury, and you suffer an accident that leads to a broken finger at work because of this lack of equipment, you could attempt to make a personal injury claim for compensation if your employer knew of the risks and did not act to reduce them by providing relevant PPE.
- Crashes and collisions – If your broken finger at work accident was caused by a crash or collision that could have been avoided had your employer taken care of your health and safety to a reasonable level then you might be able to claim compensation.
- Repetitive strain injury – RSI could develop if your employer does not allow you to take breaks from repetitive actions or does not risk assess your workstation if the use of DSE forms a large part of your day, or you are not trained properly in RSI avoidance techniques, for example. If it could be proved that employer negligence led to the development of RSI, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.
- trips and falls – Whether you have fallen from a height and injured your finger at work, or you have broken a finger in an accident at work where you slipped and fell on one level if your employer could be seen as being liable, you could claim compensation for your injury.
- Lack of training – If you have not been trained properly in how to use equipment at work or in safe manual handling techniques, for example, this could lead to a broken finger accident at work.
- Crush injuries – Whether you suffered a crush injury because there was no guard fitted to a piece of machinery you were using, or you were not trained in how to use a piece of equipment safely, a crush injury could ensue, and this could lead to a broken finger.
Whether your broken finger accident at work falls into the above categories, or it happened in an entirely different way, why not call our team for a free assessment of your case, to see if we could connect you with a personal injury lawyer who could help you fight for the broken finger compensation payouts your claim deserves.
Case Study: £15,000 Broken Finger Compensation Payout
Here, we will look at a fictitious example of how someone could suffer a broken finger accident at work that could result in broken finger compensation payouts totalling £15,000.
Let us take the example of a copywriter working for a digital marketing agency. One morning, when she entered the office building, she slipped on a wet floor that was not signposted as being wet. She fell heavily onto her right hand and sustained a broken finger when she put out her hand to break her fall. While no surgery was needed to fix the finger, the copywriter was unable to work while her injury was healing and she lost out on wages, having been put on SSP by her employer. She was awarded £15,000 in broken finger compensation payouts by her employer for the suffering and pain of the injury, and the loss of income she suffered as a result of the broken finger accident at work.
Broken Finger Accident At Work Compensation Calculator
If you’re interested in finding a broken finger compensation calculator, we have not included one on this page, as we think this alternative to a personal injury claims calculator might be of more use to you at this point. Within the table below are the Judicial College Guideline payout amounts for certain finger injuries. Don’t forget, however, that you could also include loss of earnings as well as medical, travel and other costs that have been incurred as a result of your injuries within the broken finger compensation amounts you’re claiming for.
| Finger Injury | Guidelines Payout Bracket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fractures to the fingers – Severe | Up to £34,480 | Where the injuries may lead to a partial amputation, and they could result in deformities, as well as impaired grip, a reduction in mechanical function, and sensation loss/changes |
| Hand injury – less severe | £13,570 to £27,220 | Crush injuries that may result in function impairment without surgery, or despite surgery. |
| Index finger fracture | £8,550 to £11,480 | Quick mending but with remaining grip impairment, some pain when heavily used, and the risk of osteoarthritis remains |
| Serious Injury to Middle or Ring Fingers | £13,970 to £15,330 | Serious injuries or fractures to those fingers mentioned that lead to dexterity and grip loss. |
| Serious thumb injuries | £11,820 to £15,740 | Fractures that require use of wires to fix. Thumb may be extra sensitive and cold and there may be a loss of grip/dexterity. |
No Win No Fee Compensation Claims For A Broken Finger At Work
If you are considering claiming compensation for a broken finger at work, you might prefer to do so on a no win no fee basis, which means your personal injury solicitor could work on your case, only taking payment for their fees once your claim resulted in a compensation settlement. The way this works is under a Conditional Fee Agreement that you would sign before your claim began. This would detail the percentage of your broken finger compensation payouts that your lawyer could ask for in the event of a successful case. If your broken finger accident at work claim didn’t result in compensation, then this percentage would not be due to be paid to the lawyer. With no upfront fees to pay for this service, and less of a financial risk to claimants, it could be a good option for anyone looking to make a personal injury claim against their employer.
How Do I Make A Compensation Claim For A Broken Finger?
Are you now considering making a broken finger accident at work claim but aren’t sure where to get advice and support on doing so? Here at Legal Helpline, we’d be delighted to help you. We could assess your broken finger accident details, and give advice tailored to your specific situation. We could also provide you with an injury lawyer from our panel to help you with your claim. With years of experience in helping claimants begin successful injury claims, we have the experience, the knowledge and the ability to help connect you with a no win no fee solicitor to get you the broken finger compensation your case deserves.
Speak To Legal Helpline
Whether you prefer to call us right away or would like us to call you, we can be reached on 0333 000 0729, or you could fill out the contact form, which could be found here. We would be happy to help you with a broken finger accident at work claim, whether you would like to begin one today, or you’d just like some guidance on whether you may have a claim.
Related Claims Guides
Our Guide To Finger Injury Claims – Here you could find out more about finger injuries, and find out how to go about making injury claims for these types of injury.
Assault At Work Claims – Has your injury resulted from an attack at work. This guide could help if so.
Cycle Accident Claims – These types of accidents could also result in a broken finger. This guide could offer some assistance with making this type of claim.
Trusted External Resources
NHS Broken Finger – Here you can read more about broken finger injuries.
The Anatomy Of The Hand – Here is an interesting resource on the anatomy of the hand.
Causes Of Accidents – Here you can see what the HSE says about the causes of accidents at work.
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