A crush injury can happen when part of the body is crushed between a solid object and the floor. Or, when part of the body is crushed between two solid objects, a crush injury occurs. Crush injuries can lead to compartment syndrome, which can be serious. Unfortunately, severe crush injuries can cause damage to organs, fractures or broken bones.
Crush injury compensation claim guide
If you have sustained a crush injury because of an accident that was not your fault, you may be eligible to claim compensation. To begin your claim, contact Legal Helpline today. Call our claims helpline on 0333 000 0729 to speak to an advisor. Alternatively, you can contact us in writing about your claim.
Jump To A Section
- A Guide On Crush Injury Claim Payouts
- What Is A Crush Injury?
- Symptoms Of Crushing Injuries
- Crushed Hand Or Finger Injuries
- Symptoms Of Compartment Syndrome
- Other Complications Connected To Crush Injuries
- How To Treat A Crush Injury?
- How Do Crush Injuries Happen?
- Falling Objects And Crush Injuries
- Accidents In The Workplace
- Traffic And Vehicle Accidents
- Calculating Compensation For A Crush Injury
- Can I Claim For Other Effects Of My Injury?
- Steps To Take If You Have Suffered A Crush Injury
- Do No Win No Fee Solicitors Handle Crush Injury Claims?
- Contact Legal Helpline Today
- Useful Links
- FAQs
A Guide On Crush Injury Claim Payouts
Crush injuries are painful and debilitating. In extreme cases, a crushing brain injury can result in lifelong brain damage. Or a severe crushed arm or leg injury can result in a limb being amputated. Legal Helpline can provide you with a skilled personal injury solicitor to handle your crush injury compensation claim. For a personal injury claim to be valid you must be able to demonstrate that the incident meets the following criteria;
- You were owed a duty of care by the party you hold responsible for your crush injury
- The duty of care was breached which led to the accident
- The accident caused the avoidable crush injury
If you have sustained life-changing injuries, you can claim compensation for any medical treatment or specialist care you may now need.
This guide will explain how to crush injuries happen. And we will look at how to treat a crush injury. Moreover, we will explain how to claim compensation for injuries caused by a crushing accident that was not your fault. To begin your crushing injury compensation claim, please call Legal Helpline today to speak to an advisor.
What Is A Crush Injury?
A person may experience a crush injury after a heavy object puts pressure on the body. Or, if two heavy objects squeeze part of the body, this can result in a crush injury. Crush injuries can cause damage to organs or the injured person’s bones may become broken or fractured.
Crushing injuries can be fatal. For instance, 14 workplace fatalities were caused by “something collapsing or overturning” during 2020/21. What’s more, people who have experienced crushing injuries can develop life-changing disabilities. For example, a worker who has experienced crush injury to their fingers may never regain full use of their hand again. Or a crushed skull injury can result in severe brain damage. Crushing injuries can also cause compartment syndrome.
Symptoms Of Crushing Injuries
Some crush injuries are not severe. As a result, the person may have cuts and bruises or experience moderate pain. But, this sort of injury will usually make a full recovery. However, if a person experiences a severe crush injury, it could severely impact their life.
Symptoms of severe crush injuries can include the following:
- Severe bruising
- Extreme pain
- Damage to soft tissues and blood vessels
- Damage to the layers of the skin
- Open wounds and bleeding
- Damage to nerves, resulting in a loss of feeling and movement
- The person’s bones may be broken or fractured
- The injured person may also develop compartment syndrome, which we will discuss in more detail later in this guide.
If a person is involved in a crushing incident that affects their vertebrae it could damage the spinal cord, leading to paralysis. When a person’s body is crushed at the torso this could damage internal organs. Furthermore, a crushing brain injury can cause a severe head injury. In the most worst-case scenario, crushing accidents can lead to fatalities.
Call our helpline any time of the day or night to have your case assessed for free. There is no obligation to take your case any further if you choose not to. But our advisors can provide free legal advice so that you can make the most informed decisions.
Crushed Hand Or Finger Injuries
Crush injuries to the hand or fingers can happen to workers who operate manual equipment. Workers in the agricultural, manufacturing and construction industries are vulnerable to crush injuries. This is partially due to the type of equipment that is required to complete work tasks in these industries. It is vital that employers risk assess such working environments to ensure that they pose as little risk as possible to their employees’ health.
Symptoms Of Compartment Syndrome
Compartment syndrome is a painful and very serious condition that requires immediate medical attention. It is caused by swelling and bleeding in a muscle compartment within the legs and arms. Therefore a traumatic injury to the arms or legs can cause compartment syndrome, including a leg crush injury or a crushed arm injury. There are two types of compartment syndrome.
Acute Compartment Syndrome:
Acute compartment syndrome usually comes on suddenly. The condition is triggered by a serious limb injury, such as a fracture or crush injury. Acute compartment syndrome can cause permanent muscle damage if it is not treated immediately.
Symptoms of acute compartment syndrome include the following:
- The patient experiences intense pain that becomes worse when the muscle is stretched
- The affected area feels tender
- The muscle feels tight
- There is a burning or tingling sensation in the affected area
- When the injuries are severe, the affected area may feel weak or numb. Sadly, this is a sign that permanent damage has already taken place.
Acute compartment syndrome is a medical emergency. If the patient does not receive an emergency fasciotomy immediately, they may experience permanent muscle damage. Please dial 999 for an ambulance if you believe that you or anyone has acute compartment syndrome.
Chronic Compartment Syndrome:
Chronic compartment syndrome usually happens gradually, during repetitive exercise. The symptoms usually go away once the exercise stops. Please get in touch with your GP if you believe you have chronic compartment syndrome.
Other Complications Connected To Crush Injuries
A patient may experience the following complications after a crush injury:
- Degloving: When a patient’s skin is forcibly ripped from the tissues below, this is known as a degloving injury. Patients with degloving injuries require immediate emergency surgery.
- Hypovolemic shock: Hypovolemic shock is when the body experiences a lot of blood loss or experiencing significant internal bleeding. Unfortunately, hypovolemic shock can damage organs or lead to organ failure.
- Hyperkalemia: A crush injury can cause large amounts of potassium in the body. The potassium damages cell membranes. Hyperkalemia can trigger a heart attack.
- Rhabdomyolysis: Crush injuries can result in traumatic rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a condition that can trigger kidney failure.
How To Treat A Crush Injury?
Now let’s look at how to treat a crush injury. When a patient has suffered a crushing accident, the treatment they receive will depend on the type of injuries sustained. For example, doctors will treat a broken or fractured bone by putting the limb into a cast until it heals. However, if an extreme crushing injury occurs, the patient may need several operations. What’s more, the patient may require physiotherapy or rehabilitation if they have suffered life-changing injuries.
How Do Crush Injuries Happen?
A person can experience a crush injury if they become trapped underneath a heavy object. Or part of the body can become crushed if it is squeezed between two heavy objects. Accidents at work, road traffic accidents and other hazards can cause crush injuries. We will now look at how to crush injuries can happen in more detail below.
Falling Objects And Crush Injuries
A heavy falling object can cause excessive injuries if it strikes a passer-by on the head. Similarly, a heavy falling object can land on a person and crush them. For example, shoppers could be crushed by display items, which have not been fixed in place. Similarly, accidents in hotels can happen if a faulty piece of furniture crushes a guest.
Accidents In The Workplace
Employers owe their workforce a duty of care. Therefore, employers are responsible for ensuring that their premises are safe places to work. Under legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure their workforce is kept as safe as is reasonably possible.
As we have said previously not all crushing accidents will mean those who suffer injuries will be eligible to make a personal injury claim. It must be proven using evidence that the employer failed to keep the employee as safe as is practically possible.
Therefore employers must take every precaution possible to protect their employees from crush injuries at work.
Crush incidents have the potential to happen in the following ways;
- Faulty equipment can crush a hand or finger at a manufacturing plant.
- A vehicle rolls over a hand or foot. Or a vehicle such as a forklift truck can tip over, crushing a worker.
- Or a heavy object such as a filing cabinet can topple over, crushing an employee’s foot.
- A piece of machinery may have a faulty safety guard. Consequently, the worker’s hand or limb can be pulled into the mechanism and be crushed.
- A heavy item can fall off a shelf in a warehouse, crushing a worker.
- A storage shelf or racking item in a warehouse can fall over, crushing a worker.
- Or a worker on a mobile elevated work platform can become trapped or crushed between the platform and other objects.
Traffic And Vehicle Accidents
If a car is badly crumpled in an accident, this may crush the occupants of the car. An injured person may suffer a crushed skull injury, causing severe head trauma or the car crash may crush the injured person’s limbs—for example, a lower leg crush injury, crushed arm injury or a crushed foot injury.
Traffic accidents can come in many forms and different road users can suffer a multitude of injuries. When traffic accidents occur crushed limbs and torsos can be easily caused. To have your traffic accident case assessed for free by our advisors call our team any time of the day or night.
You can ask as many questions as you need to and they will provide free legal advice and assess the merits of your case.
Calculating Compensation For A Crush Injury
How much compensation can you get for a crush injury? The amount of compensation you receive depends on the severity of your injuries. Your solicitor will use guidelines from the Judicial College and your medical report to value your claim and make sure you receive the right amount of compensation.
| Injury Type | Degree Of Severity | Settlement Bracket | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Injury | Moderate | £26,050 to £36,390 | This bracket could include instances of crush or compression fractures to the vertebrae. The person could be at risk of developing osteoarthritis. The injury could have left the person in constant discomfort and pain. |
| Hand Injury | Effective Or Total Loss | £90,250 to £102,890 | The person could have had their hand crushed. The hand may have needed to have been amputated, or the bulk of the palm and fingers had to be amputated. |
| Hand Injury | Less Serious | £13,570 to £27,220 | This bracket could include severe crush injuries to the hand. Such injuries could reduce the functionality of the hand without having surgical treatment. Even after surgery there could be a reduction in function. |
| Hand Injury | Moderate | £5,260 to £12,460 | Crush injuries to the hand could be classed as moderate. Settlements towards the top of the settlement bracket could be paid out when surgical treatment fails to resolve the injury and the person is left with some degree of disability. |
| Toe Injury | Severe | £12,900 to £29,770 | May include severe crush injuries to the toe(s). The person may have suffered the loss of one or more toes. The injury could have fallen just short of amputation or have required a partial amputation. |
| Toe Injury | Serious | £9,010 to £12,900 | Such as a serious crush injuries to the great toe or multiple fractures to several toes. |
| Toe Injury | Moderate | Up to £9,010 | At the lower end of the bracket, people could be awarded compensation for a fracture or a crush injury. |
| Leg Injury | Moderate | £26,050 to £36,790 | Severe crush injuries, such as breaks and fractures. |
If you cannot find your injury within the table please call our team for an estimate of what you may be able to claim for your injury. It is important to remember that successful claims include two heads of loss; general and special damages. The figures in the table are for an example purpose only but focus solely on general damages. These compensate for the pain and suffering caused by the injury. In the next section, we look at special damages.
Can I Claim For Other Effects Of My Injury?
If you have been involved in a crush accident that was not your fault, you may be owed compensation. You will be able to claim general damages, compensation for the physical harm your injury has caused you. But, crush injuries can also be life-changing.
For example, after losing a leg, you may need to go to a rehabilitation clinic or have occupational therapy to help you adapt. You may also need counselling to come to terms with your ordeal. Or you may need mobility equipment or to adapt your home to help you live more independently. In that case, you can claim special damages compensation to cover these costs.
What can special damages cover?
- Mobility equipment costs
- Home or car adaptation costs
- Medical and rehabilitation expenses
- Travel expenses
- Specialist care expenses
- Reimbursement for loss of income
Steps To Take If You Have Suffered A Crush Injury
What can you do if you have suffered a crush injury? If the accident was not your fault, you could take the following steps if you are thinking of making a personal injury claim.
- Firstly, make sure you get the appropriate medical treatment in an emergency call an ambulance. Your solicitor will use your medical records to support your claim.
- Secondly, return to the scene of the accident to collect supporting evidence. You can take pictures of the hazard that caused your injury or ask for CCTV footage of the accident.
- What’s more, you may want a solicitor to handle your crush injury claim. An experienced solicitor can value your claim and represent you as the case proceeds.
Do No Win No Fee Solicitors Handle Crush Injury Claims?
You may have heard the term No Win No Fee. A No Win No Fee solicitor will begin work on your injury claim without charging you a solicitors fee beforehand. Instead, your success fee will be deducted from your compensation payout if you win your claim. However, if your claim is not successful; you will not have to pay a solicitors fee.
Many people prefer to use a No Win No Fee solicitor because it is the more affordable option. What’s more, if you win, the majority of your compensation payout goes directly to you. Making a No Win No Fee claim the option of many.
Contact Legal Helpline Today
If you have sustained a crush injury that was not your fault, you may be eligible to claim compensation. To begin your claim, please get in touch with Legal Helpline today. We can offer you free legal advice and appoint a personal injury lawyer to work on your claim.
- Contact us by phone, call us on 0333 000 0729.
- Or contact us in writing, via our website
- Alternatively, you can reach us directly by typing a question into our chat widget right now.
Useful Links
Here is some more information relating to crush injuries, which you may find helpful.
£25,000 Compensation Payout For A Broken Rib Crush Injury At Work
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For An Accident At Work?
Paralysis Injury Claim – Help and advice if you have been paralysed by an accident that was not your fault.
Injuries that are reportable to HSE under RIDDOR, including crush injuries.
Advice from HSE for using mobile platforms safely.
FAQs
We will now answer some frequently asked questions about crush injuries.
How long do I have to claim?
There is a personal injury claim times limit of three years. The time limit begins at different stages depending on your unique circumstances. So get in touch with our team for advice.
How long could a crush injury claim take?
Some personal injury claims take just a few months to complete. On the other hand, a complex case may take longer to settle,
What are the long-term consequences of crash injuries?
If a person experiences a severe crush injury, they may have long-lasting disabilities. For example, a crushed skull injury can lead to brain damage. Therefore the injured person may experience a lifelong cognitive impairment.
Can I claim if I partially caused the accident?
If you were partially responsible for your accident, you might be eligible to make a split liability claim. We explain how split liability claims work in this guide.
Thank you for reading our guide to claiming compensation for a crush injury.
