By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 8th January 2024. If you have injured your hand in an accident that was not your fault, you may be wondering if you could be eligible to claim compensation. This guide explains how a hand injury compensation calculator works, as well as explaining the hand injury claims process.
In the sections below, we will discuss when you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim, as well as information on what types of accidents could lead to a hand injury claim. Additionally, we discuss how an accident claim calculator could help you gain a better idea of how much compensation you could be owed. We will also explain how compensation is calculated in personal injury claims and the different forms of compensation you could be awarded for a successful case. Finally, we provide guidance on how to make a personal claim for a hand injury with one of our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors.
Please read on to find out more, or contact our advisors for a free case assessment, guidance and support. They can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via the following methods:
- Call 0800 073 8801
- Contact us online.
- Use the live chat.
Select a Section
- Ligament Damage In Hand – How Will Compensation Be Determined?
- Establishing Liability For Your Hand Injury
- How Long Do I Have To Claim For A Hand Injury?
- Evidence To Support A Hand Injury Compensation Claim
- Can I Make A Hand Injury Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
- Useful links Relating To Hand Injury Claims And A Hand Or Finger Injury Compensation Calculator
Ligament Damage In Hand – How Will Compensation Be Determined?
If your hand injury claim is successful, how much comepensation you could receive will be affected by the various factors of your case. However, your settlement could consist of general and special damages.
General damages is the head of claim that compensates for pain and suffering you have endured due to your injury.. Those calculating general damages payouts for personal injury claims could refer to a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for help with this. This document provides a range of guideline compensation brackets for different injuries at various severities. The table below contains figures from the 2022 JCG, aside from the top figure. This is only meant as guidance, however.
Injury Type | Notes | Amount |
---|---|---|
Multiple serious hand injuries with associated financial costs and losses. | Settlements for a combination of serious injuries with financial losses such as loss of earnings and care costs. | Up to £300,000+ |
Total or Effective Loss of Both Hands | Both hands have been severely damaged and has rendered them useless. | £140,660 to £201,490 |
Total or Effective Loss of One Hand | One hand was amputated after being crushed. Or all of the fingers and most of the palm were amputated. | £96,160 to £109,650 |
Serious Damage to Both Hands | A loss of hand function with a permanent cosmetic disability | £55,820 to £84,570 |
Serious Hand Injuries | The hand will be rendered to 50% capacity, and may involve cases were several fingers were amputated but rejoined to the hand leaving it deformed. | £29,000 to £61,910 |
Severe Fractures to Fingers | The fingers may need to be amputated which will impair the hand’s grip and result in a deformity. | Up to £36,740 |
Less Serious Hand Injury | Despite undergoing surgery, the hand’s function is significantly impaired following a severe crush injury. | £14,450 to £29,000 |
Serious Injury To Ring or Middle Fingers | Serious tendon injuries or fractures that result in a deformity and cause stiffness. | £10,320 to £16,340 |
Moderate Hand Injury | Soft tissue or crush injuries, or penetrating wounds. How much is awarded will depend on whether surgery was successful. | £5,720 to £13,280 |
In addition to receiving compensation for your pain and suffering, you could also receive compensation for costs and financial losses sustained as a result of your injuries. These are compensated for under the head of claim known as special damages. Under special damages, you could receive:
- Travel costs – For expenses incurred while travelling to medical or legal appointments, for example.
- Medical expenses – Such as prescription fees or over-the-counter pain medication.
- Loss of pay – For loss of income due to you being unable to work due to your injuries.
- Care costs – If you have needed care at home due to your injuries.
When making a claim for special damages, you will need to provide evidence of these financial losses. Examples of evidence could include payslips, bank statements and invoices.
For further advice on compensation payouts for hand injury claims, or how to use a hand injury compensation calculator, please contact an advisor.
Establishing Liability For Your Hand Injury
Before we explore hand injury compensation amounts in the UK, we should first explain how to establish whether you would be eligible to claim.
To make a personal injury claim, you would need to be able to evidence that a third party had breached a duty of care that they owed you. You would also have to prove that the breach caused you to suffer injury.
There are various parties that may owe you a duty of care in day-to-day life. These may include:
- Those in control of public places: Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, when you are in a public place, the controller of the space must ensure your reasonable safety while visiting. This could apply to spaces such as parks, supermarkets, and gyms.
- Employers: Your employer has a duty of care towards you under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Under this legislation, they must take reasonably practicable steps to prevent you from suffering harm at work.
- Road users: Road users owe each other a duty of care to use the roads in a manner that prevents harm to themselves and others. Furthermore, to uphold this duty, they must comply with the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the mandatory rules in the Highway Code.
If any relevant third-party breaches a duty of care towards you, leading to your hand injury, you may be able to claim compensation.
If you would like to speak to our experts in hand injury claims to check your eligibility, please speak to an advisor. They could also answer questions about how to use an accident claim calculator to see how much you could claim.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For A Hand Injury?
If you do not want to miss out on hand injury compensation amounts in the UK, you will need to be mindful of how long you have to file your claim. Under the Limitation Act 1980, you will typically have three years from the date of the accident to do so.
However, some exceptions to this may apply to certain hand injury claims. For example, if a minor under the age of eighteen is injured due to someone else’s negligence, they would not be able to file their own claim until their eighteenth birthday because the time limit is frozen. However, during this time, a court-appointed litigation friend could file a claim on their behalf.
The time limit is also frozen for those who lack the mental capacity to make a claim for themselves. In this case, a litigation friend can claim on their behalf. Or, if they regain the appropriate capacity, then the time limit will begin on the date of their recovery.
Read on to find out more about personal injury claims, including where to find an accident claim calculator. Otherwise, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to call an advisor.
Evidence To Support A Hand Injury Compensation Claim
Before using a hand injury claims calculator, you should concentrate on gathering evidence to support your case. This is vital in winning your claim and should show that your injuries were caused in an accident that happened due to somebody else’s negligence.
Therefore, at the time of your accident, you should:
- Capture the accident scene in a photograph or video. If possible, always attempt to photograph the root cause before it is repaired or removed from the scene.
- Ask anybody who witnessed the accident for their details. They may be contacted at a later date by your solicitor to provide a witness statement.
- Always seek medical treatment for your injuries. Rather than relying on first aid, we’d suggest you seek professional care at A&E or from your GP. By doing so, you could request a copy of medical records to show the initial extent of your injuries.
- Report the accident where possible. By doing so, you could request a copy of the accident log to help confirm that the accident took place.
Can I Make A Hand Injury Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
If you are eligible to make a hand injury claim following an accident at work, then you could seek support from a solicitor. If you contact our team of advisors, then they may connect you with one of our solicitors.
One of our No Win No Fee solicitors may offer to represent you in your claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under this type of agreement, you won’t have to pay upfront or ongoing fees for your solicitor’s services. You also won’t need to pay your solicitor for the work they have provided if your claim is unsuccessful.
If your claim proves successful, then the solicitor who supported your claim can subtract a legally capped percentage from the compensation awarded to you. This is referred to as a success fee.
To see if you could be eligible to work with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors for your hand injury claim, you can get in touch with our advisors. To reach them, you can:
- Call 0800 073 8801
- Fill in the website’s contact form.
- Send a message through our 24/7 live chat.
Useful links Relating To Hand Injury Claims And A Hand Or Finger Injury Compensation Calculator
Accident At Work Compensation Claims Guide
Get free legal advice on workplace accident claims and calculate the amounts of compensation you could claim.
This link takes you to the NHS website. Here, you will find a lot of helpful information relating to hand pain
This link takes you to the Health & Safety website where you will find some useful information related to work-related injuries and time off work
This link takes you to the NHS website which offers lots of helpful information on tendon injuries and pain.
Other Helpful Guides
- Head Injury Compensation Claims Guide
- Burn Injury Claims Guide
- Learn about eye injury compensation claims and get more information on personal injury claims process with our article.