Guide On Making A Hand Amputation Compensation Claim

By Olivia Everly. Last updated 12th March 2021. Welcome to our guide to making a hand amputation claim. In this online guide, we provide information on how to process a hand amputation compensation claim. We look at many of the ways that an accident could result in a hand needing to be amputated, and we show you how in certain circumstances, you could be able to use the services of a personal injury lawyer to file a personal injury claim for the loss of a hand against a responsible party.

Due to the fact that every claim is based on its own unique set of circumstances, it is impossible to answer every possible question in a single guide. This means that you may have specific questions about your own claim not covered. If so, we can still be of help to you. All you need to do is call our team on 0333 000 0729 to have your questions answered.

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A Guide To Claims For Hand Amputation Compensation

Suffering a hand amputation is a catastrophic experience and one that will permanently change a person’s life, especially if a right-handed person loses their right hand. If you have ever tried something simple like tying your shoelaces with your left hand, you can probably imagine how tough things would be using that hand as your primary for the rest of your life. Dexterity is lowered, and even tasks that can be done one-handed can be more of a challenge. On top of this, tasks that require two hands could be impossible to accomplish.

If a person loses a hand through no fault of their own, a hand amputation claim could be possible.

Hand amputation claim

Hand amputation claim

We start by looking at what a hand amputation entails, and why in certain circumstances, you could be eligible to make a claim for losing a hand. We then move on to discuss the different kinds of amputation injuries a claimant could sustain.

The next section looks at some of the more common ways that an amputation of a hand could be caused. We go over workplace accidents, road traffic accidents, and slip trip or fall accidents. There are separate sections that cover claims made by members of the armed forces, and claims made by victims of clinical negligence.

The last section focuses on the financial aspects of filing a personal injury claim. We have provided a table to help you work out the possible range of compensation you may be awarded in a successful hand amputation claim. This table is based on the Judicial College Guidelines which is used by courts in England to value injuries. We have also provided a list of damages you might be awarded as part of an overall compensation settlement.

Lastly, we provide a basic introduction to No Win No Fee claims, and show how using this type a legal service could help you to minimise the financial risks of seeking hand amputation compensation from a responsible party.

For more information about any of the topics covered in this guide, or to have specific questions answered, then please speak to one of our advisers. They will give you the answers you need about making a claim for traumatic hand amputation. They will also provide you with key information about your claim, such as the personal injury claim time limit that may apply.

What Are Traumatic Hand Amputations?

A traumatic hand amputation is the loss of a hand at the time of an accident. For example, a sheet of glass slips out of a window frame and slices off the hand of a glazier who was working on the window. A hand amputation performed in a hospital, following an accident for example, is not considered as being a traumatic amputation. Whether the victim of an injury suffered trauma or not, it can have a major impact on the level of compensation awarded in a successful hand amputation claim.

With this said, the victim must be eligible to make a hand amputation claim. What this means, is that you must be able to prove that the harm you suffered was caused by the actions of a third party whether through negligence or error. This could be directly such as causing a road traffic accident, or indirectly such as an employer failing to provide the correct safety equipment.

As long as you are able to prove the extent of their injuries and able to prove that another party was responsible for causing you harm, a claim could be possible. To learn whether you are eligible to claim, speak to one of our advisers who will evaluate your claim for you.

Hand Amputation Types

Not all hand amputation claims involve amputations of the same nature. The type of amputation will affect the answers to questions such as, how long does a hand injury take to heal? And, how is hand trauma treated?

Some of the different kinds of hand amputation include:

  • Traumatic amputation – as we have already seen, a traumatic amputation occurs when the amputation takes place at the point of the accident, usually violently
  • Non-traumatic amputation – when a hand is amputated by a doctor due to severe injuries
  • Full amputation – where the hand is amputated at the wrist
  • Partial amputation – where only part of the hand is missing. The palm could be left, or just one side of the hand, for example
  • Aggravated amputation – where the limb is amputated along with the surrounding necrotic tissue when treating a medical condition such as gangrene

Whether your hand was amputated traumatically, or after hand amputation surgery, if the cause of the amputation was the negligent actions of a third party, you may have a valid basis to make a claim. Speak to one of our advisers to learn more about this.

Types Of Accident Which Lead To Traumatic Amputations

There are many incidents that could result in an amputation of the hand, such as:

  • Work-related accidents that result in a hand being amputated. For example, a factory worker getting their hand trapped in a piece of machinery and losing it
  • Road traffic accidents result in a hand being amputated. For example, a driver is trapped by their hand in a burning vehicle and the emergency services have to amputate it to free them
  • Slip, trip and fall accidents resulting in a hand being amputated. For example, after suffering a slip, trip or fall a member of the public fails to get proper medical treatment. Their injury becomes gangrenous and eventually, the hand must be amputated
  • Military accidents that result in a hand being amputated. For example, when training with grenades a soldier blows their own hand off
  • Clinical negligence that results in a hand being amputated. For example, botched corrective surgery that results in the hand being removed
  • Broken bones such as a broken thumb that gets infected or suffer further complications, resulting in amputation.

We cover some of these scenarios in more detail in sections below. However, the takeaway here is that if a third party caused the accident and you lost your hand, you may be able to make a claim for compensation. Speak to our team to find out more about this by getting in touch today.

Traumatic Hand Amputations In The Workplace

Each employer in the UK is obliged to provide its workforce with a safe place to work. This involves adhering to all safety regulations that relate to the business, as well as proactively uncovering and mitigating new workplace hazards.

When an accident in the workplace occurs because an employer failed in their health and safety responsibilities, the injured employee may be able to make a claim for compensation for limb amputation. The employee would need to prove that their employer was responsible for causing the hazard that resulted in the accident in which they lost a hand.

If you want some advice on how to prove liability for a hand amputation claim, please speak to one of our advisers today.

Traumatic Hand Amputations In Vehicle Crashes

Road traffic accidents are very common in the UK. In 2019, 153,158 casualties were reported to police as a result of road traffic accidents in Britain. A vehicular accident could very easily result in an amputated hand. For example:

  • A passenger has to be cut out of a burning vehicle by the emergency services, losing their hand in the process
  • A motorcycle rider getting their wrist stuck under the side mirror post during a crash, and the force ripping their hand off
  • A passenger in the back of a car having their wrist trapped in a door that another vehicle collides with, cutting the passengers hand off

All of these are examples of road traffic accidents that could be the fault of a third party, and therefore form the basis for a valid hand amputation claim. Our team can evaluate your own road traffic accident claim if you give them a call which they would do in a no-obligation consultation that is free of charge.

Traumatic Hand Amputations Cause By A Fall Or Slip

Although arm and hand amputation is considered an extreme injury caused by a slip, trip or fall accident, this does not mean that it cannot happen. An amputated hand would generally be caused by a very serious accident in this category, for example, falling down a steep staircase and getting a hand caught in the handrail, shearing it off. As long as you can prove a third party was responsible for the harm you suffered, you could be able to claim, no matter how unlikely your injury and the accident that caused it may seem. Our team can help you with anything hand amputation claim related if you give them a call today.

Traumatic Hand Amputation Claims Against The Military

People serving in the armed forces are at risk of injuries such as the amputation of a hand which could happen during training, exercises, and in combat. Between March 2003 and March 2018, there were 32 service personnel who suffered some kind of amputation. This excludes more serious cases which involved the loss of multiple limbs. For the same period, there were 113 service personnel who suffered the more extreme type of amputation.

The armed services in the UK are expected to provide all of the servicemen and servicewomen, as well as support personnel, with a safe working environment. This may initially sound strange, considering the potential nature of a job in the armed forces. However, outside of wartime the armed forces are expected and obligated to act in the same way as any other employer. With this said, there are some exceptions to this.

To find out if your claim is affected by such an exception, please speak to one of our advisers today

Traumatic Hand Amputations Caused By Medical Negligence

Every medical professional is expected to treat all patients professionally and to never cause them any harm in a way that could have been avoided. This is known as the duty of care. There are many ways a failure on the part of a medical professional to uphold this duty of care, could result in not necessarily a traumatic hand amputation, but certainly a non-traumatic one. For example:

  • After an operation on a hand, post-op care is lax and the hand becomes infected, which results in the need to amputate it
  • A surgeon makes a mistake and amputates the wrong hand
  • Lax care on a hospital ward leads to a patient contracting bedsores on their wrist and/or back of the hand which results in a need to amputate the hand
  • Each of these examples shows how a medical professional can make a mistake that could ultimately lead to a patient losing a hand, which they would not have lost had alternative action been taken.

If you would like to learn more about making a hand amputation claim using a personal injury solicitor, please speak to one of our advisers. Alternatively, please see the next section for our hand amputation compensation calculator feature.

Calculating Hand Amputation Compensation Claims

Part of the answer to the question, how much compensation do you get for losing a hand? Is that it is very hard to come up with average hand injury compensation amounts because each injury is unique as is the way it would have been caused. We have provided this list so you can look up the severity of your hand injury and discover the possible range of compensation that you could receive in a successful loss of hand injury claim.

Type of Injury?How Severe?CompensationInformation
Injured handIf total claims amounts are included for example loss of earnings compensation can be as high as £300,000 depending on salary.This category would include deep penetrating wounds or needlestick injuries, crush damage to the hand, lacerations, burns, etc. The top end of the scale would include injuries that were more serious, but have been partially treated using surgery.
Injured handLess seriousup to £27,220This category would include injuries such as a severe crush injury, that would result in a significant level of impairment of the hand, and further treatment or surgery would not be helpful.
Injured handSeriousUp to £79,360This category would include injuries that, for example, have resulted in a 50% loss of utility of the hand. This would include injuries such as multiple amputated fingers that have been reconnected but are only partially functional. Resulting in a loss of dexterity, weakened grip, etc.
Injured handAmputation£102,890to £189,110Total loss (amputation) of a hand.

If you would like your hand amputation claim to be estimated more accurately than the information provided in our hand amputation compensation calculator above, you would need to have a lawyer value it for you. Once you have been for an independent medical examination to prove the extent of your injuries. Speak to our team if you would like some help arranging this.

Special Damages Claimed For Traumatic Injuries

When you make a hand amputation claim, if your claim is a success, you will receive a settlement that is made up of different damages. For example:

  • Special damages to compensate you for financial and other losses:
    • Long-term or loss of earning potential, or inability to work at all
    • Loss of short-term income such as wages/salary for taking time away for work. Either a full or partial loss
    • The cost of private medical treatment which could not be administered by the NHS for free
    • The cost of employing a nurse to take care of you at home, or for a cleaner to help clean your home – you may be able to claim care costs if a relative takes care of you too
    • Out of pocket costs such as travel tickets to and from the hospital or to deal with the claim itself
  • General damages to compensate the claimant for physical harm:
    • Permanent disability, causing a loss of life quality
    • A long recovery requiring painful treatment
    • Psychological injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression
    • Harm and suffering that took place at the time the accident happened
    • The stress and trauma of being injured in an accident

If you would like to find out what kinds of damages you might be able to claim, before deciding whether to proceed, then please speak to one of our advisers.

Steps To Take If You Suffered A Traumatic Hand Amputation Injury

If you have lost a hand and believe you have the basis of a hand amputation claim, just follow these three steps below:

  1. Call our team, explain your situation, and get the answers to any questions you have
  2. An adviser will talk through your claim with you and assess whether you have a valid case against a responsible party
  3. A lawyer will begin processing a claim on your behalf

These three steps are all you need to take to get the help you need.

How We Could Help You To Claim Compensation

Our simple three-step process is designed to make getting the help you need as easy as can be. Once you contact our team about your hand amputation claim, we would ensure the following:

  • That your claim is assessed and if strong, you would be introduced to a No Win No Fee solicitor
  • You would not have to pay an upfront fee or any ongoing fees until your claim is won
  • You would be kept appraised throughout the process
  • The solicitor would provide you with an idea of the level of hand amputation compensation you could be entitled to
  • We would work hard to ensure you are awarded the correct level of compensation and would negotiate interim payments for you until a final settlement is agreed

No Win No Fee Claims For Hand Amputation Compensation

Under a No Win No Fee agreement, your solicitor will not expect you to pay their pre-agreed fees until such time as they have received a hand amputation compensation settlement for you. The amount you pay would be set out in the Conditional Fee Agreement you signed. So, no new claims fee, no claim processing fee, and no solicitor’s fee if the claim isn’t a success.

Start A Hand Amputation Claim

Have you had your hand amputated for reasons that you had no control over and which was not your fault? Do you think that due to the fact a third party was to blame for the harm you suffered, you could have a valid claim? If so, you can contact our team on 0333 000 0729. And advisers will go over your claim with you and offer you some free legal advice on how best to proceed with it.

Hand Amputation Claim FAQs

Some popular questions asked by claimants include:

How much compensation do you get for an amputated finger?

For some example payouts, please see our hand amputation compensation calculator section, where we’ve included a table of figures from the Judicial College Guidelines.

How much money can you sue for pain and suffering?

As mentioned above, our table includes some example payout figures. However, each claim is different, regardless of how similar they may appear. Therefore, you’ll need your case to be properly evaluated in order to get an idea of how much you could actually be entitled to. For a free consultation, please get in touch with us today.

Traumatic Injury Claim Resources

You might find some useful information at these links:

You may also like to spend some time looking over these other guides:

Thanks for reading our guide to making a hand amputation claim.

Article by MW

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