Have you sustained a hand injury in an accident that was someone else’s fault? If so, you could make a personal injury claim and, if successful, receive hand injury compensation. This guide about hand injury claims will aim to answer any questions you may have.
As not every hand injury leads to a successful claim for damages, we will provide some example circumstances in which you could have a strong case. We will also demonstrate how compensation is calculated in personal injury cases.
Finally, we describe the hand injury claims process and how personal injury lawyers from our panel can help you on a No Win No Fee basis. There are several benefits to taking this route.
You can read this guide to learn more or contact our advisors directly. They are available 24/7 for an initial fee consultation with no obligation, so get in touch today.
- Call us on 0333 000 0729.
- Make an enquiry online.
- Speak to us right now using the Live Chat below.
Select A Section
- Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For My Hand Injury?
- Average Compensation Amounts For Hand Injuries
- Common Causes Of Hand Injuries
- How To Claim For A Hand Injury
- How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help
- More Information
Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For My Hand Injury?
You are eligible to make a hand injury compensation claim if you can meet the following criteria:
- A third party owed you a duty of care.
- They breached this duty.
- Your hand injury occurred as a direct result of the breach
To help you understand when you might be owed a duty of care and how this could be breached, here are some examples:
Employer Liability
Under the Health And Safety At Work Act, etc. 1974 (HASAWA), your employer has a duty of care to take reasonable steps to keep you safe at work. To keep you safe, they could:
- Conduct risk assessments.
- Draft a health and safety policy and make staff aware of it.
- Train staff how to work safely and not put themselves or others in danger.
- Appoint a competent person to ensure staff follow health and safety requirements.
- Ensure hazards are indicated if they cannot be removed.
- Provide and maintain adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
- Perform regular inspections and maintenance of the workplace and the equipment being used.
If you have been harmed in the workplace because your employer failed to do any of the above, you may be able to make a hand injury claim. There are also specific rules that your employer should follow if you are working at height, on a construction site or with hazardous materials, which, if broken and result in injury, could also lead to a claim.
Your employer also has obligations under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. They must notify the national regulator for workplace health and safety in Great Britain, which is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if any reportable incidents take place. This could lead to an HSE investigation into the accident or injury.
You may be able to make an accident at work claim against your employer if they cause your hand injury at work.
Road User Liability
Hand injury claims can be made after road traffic accidents. Road users have a duty of care not to cause harm to other road users. If they violate any driving rules or regulations, such as those under the Road Traffic Act 1988 or Highway Code, they could breach that duty.
Meeting this duty could include:
- Obeying the speed limit.
- Correctly using junctions and roundabouts.
- Leaving sufficient braking distance.
- Not being under the influence whilst driving.
- Only attempting manoeuvres when it is safe to do so.
You may be able to make a road traffic accident claim against another road user if they cause your hand injury by breaching their duty.
Public Liability
Occupiers are those who control public spaces such as theatres and gyms. Under the Occupier’s Liability Act 1957, they have a duty of care not to take reasonable steps to keep visitors safe.
You may be able to make a public liability claim against an occupier if they cause your hand injury in a public place.
Still not sure which claim of claim you should make? Contact our advisors via the details above. They can discuss these requirements with you and, if you are eligible, connect you to our panel of hand injury solicitors. We will also provide some examples later in this guide. To learn more, keep reading.
Average Compensation Amounts For Hand Injuries
There is no average compensation amount for a hand injury. This is because every injury is different, and each individual’s impact will be unique. We can, however, tell you how your hand injury compensation could be calculated.
How Compensation Is Calculated
Compensation in hand injury claims can be made up of general damages and special damages.
The first of these refers to the pain and suffering your injuries have put you through. As part of your case, you may be invited to an independent medical examination, which would produce a report about your hand injury. This could also give a prognosis for the future if you are still suffering symptoms.
This report could be used alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). These guidelines (which are not guaranteed compensation amounts) set out various injuries and a suggested compensation bracket for them.
Below is a table of some hand injuries and compensation brackets from the JCG (except the top figure). Please use this for guidance only.
| Injury | Severity | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Injuries With Special Damages | Severe | Up to £250,000 or more | Not a JCG figure. |
| Hand or Finger Injury | Total or Effective Loss of One Hand | £117,360 to £133,810 | Traumatic amputation or crushed hand injuries requiring surgical amputation. |
| Loss of at least one of the three middle fingers. | £75,550 to £110,750 | Where the hand loses most of its use. | |
| Serious Hand Injuries | £35,390 to £75,550 | Serious injury causing a loss of at least half a hand. | |
| Severe Fractures to Fingers | Up to £44,840 | Causing partial amputations that result in deformity, reduced function, and disturbed sensation. | |
| Less Serious Hand Injury | £17,640 to £35,390 | Crush injuries that impair function if there is no surgery or despite treatment. | |
| Moderate Hand Injury | £6,910 to £16,200 | Crush, penetrating, soft tissue, and lacerations-type injuries | |
| Wrist Injury | a) | £58,710 to £73,050 | Complete loss of function in the wrist. |
| b) | £29,900 to £47,810 | Significant and permanent disability with some useful movement. | |
| c) | £15,370 to £29,900 | Less severe wrist injuries where there is still serious damage causing permanent disability. |
There are also special damages for any financial losses incurred as a consequence of someone else’s negligence. You claim for special damages by showing evidence in support.
You may be able to claim compensation for:
- Medical expenses, physiotherapy, or other care costs, including private medical treatment.
- Domestic help or care costs.
- The cost of travel to and from treatment.
You may also be able to make a compensation claim for loss of earnings.
Claiming For Loss Of Earnings
You can claim special damages for loss of earnings if you can present evidence of them. For example, you could provide:
- A letter from your employer confirming that you didn’t work for a certain period.
- Payslips that show the loss of earnings.
- Bank statements (again, that would show the loss).
- Invoices for work missed if you are self-employed.
- Medical evidence to show that your time away from work was due to your injuries.
Altogether, this evidence would show that your hand injuries prevented you from earning your usual wages. You can also claim for potential future loss if your injuries affect your ability to work in future.
Feel free to call our advisors directly. Whether your injuries are complex or you want to claim for medical expenses, they can discuss your prospects for a compensation award with you and connect you to a personal injury solicitor from our panel if you are eligible. Their details are at the top of this page.
Common Causes Of Hand Injuries
The following examples show common accidents that can lead to hand injury claims. They all feature a breach of a duty of care and, as a consequence, harm that could have been prevented.
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- Your employer causes a factory accident by failing to test equipment regularly. A defective machine seriously crushes your hand, and you require an emergency hand amputation.
- You trip and fall on a step at work that management knew was defective. This results in you dislocating your thumb.
- Whilst you are cycling a car hits you whilst attempting to overtake you. You fall from your bike and break bones in your hand.
- A driver collides with your car when they try to pull out of a junction when it is unsafe to do so. You to fracture your hand against the dashboard.
- You trip over pavement the local council was supposed to fix several weeks earlier and sprain your wrist.
- Your local gym does not regularly check its equipment. As a result, you fall on an unstable treadmill and suffer a hand injury.
Don’t worry if you don’t see your circumstances here. These are only examples designed to explain, in general, how personal injury claims work. To discuss your particular case, call our advisors via the details at the top of this guide.
How To Claim For A Hand Injury
To make a compensation claim, you must meet the criteria set out earlier in this guide. You do not need to use a personal injury solicitor to begin your case, but you may wish to do so, as there are rules about how your claim should begin and be conducted depending on the type of accident that you have and also the value of your claim.
Compile Evidence
You will need evidence to support your case. This could include:
- Medical records that show your injuries.
- Accident reports or footage of the incident from CCTV or dash cams, if possible.
- Pictures of the accident scene.
- Logs of your hand injury from an accident book.
- Witness contact details so a legal professional can take a statement if needed.
- Invoices or receipts to verify any financial losses you intend to claim.
How Long Your Claim Can Take
There is no set time frame for hand injury claims. Several factors influence how long it could take, which include:
- The complexity of the legal issues.
- The severity of the injuries and the need for medical evidence.
- Whether the other party accepts fault.
- How both parties conduct negotiations.
- How busy the court time table is if proceedings are needed.
Our panel of solicitors can help you through every step of the claims process, so why not contact us today to see if you are eligible to claim?
How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help
Our panel of solicitors are experts in seeking hand injury compensation and offer decades of experience negotiating settlements on behalf of clients. They can:
- Fight for the best compensation payout possible in your circumstances.
- Explain any legal terms or concepts.
- Negotiate with the other party or their insurer.
- Gather evidence, including witness statements, using tried and tested methods.
- Support you throughout the claims process with clear explanations and compassion.
- Efficiently complete your case.
They can also help you on a No Win No Fee basis by offering you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). A CFA is a type of No Win No Fee agreement and usually means that:
- There are no upfront solicitor fees to pay to start your case
- As your case continues, you do not need to pay your solicitor’s ongoing fees.
- If your case does not win, you do not have to pay your solicitor for their work.
- A small and legally capped percentage of the compensation is paid to your solicitor as a success fee.
If you would like a free case assessment and to see if you could be connected with one of our panel solicitors, you can:
- Call us on 0333 000 0729.
- Make an enquiry online.
- Speak to us right now using the Live Chat below.
More Information
The following resources will allow you to keep reading about hand injury compensation claims.
Here are some related guides from Legal Helpline:
- Learn when you potentially can get an interim payment as part of a claim.
- Read here about the time limits (known as the limitation period) for claiming compensation for a hand or finger injury.
- Our guide to arm injury claims.
Here is some further reading from elsewhere:
- Resources about litigation friends and how to claim on behalf of a child or vulnerable person.
- Do you know when you can claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)?
- Guidance on the UK Government if you require disability benefits.
Thank you for reading our guide about hand injury claims.
