By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 2nd February 2023. Welcome to our guide to personal injury claim payouts and personal injury compensation guidelines for UK claims. Successfully making a personal injury claim involves proving that someone else’s negligence led to your injury. Therefore, how much to ask for in a personal injury settlement may be a pressing question. You may be wondering what typical payouts for personal injury in the UK are and how compensation is calculated. Personal injury claim amounts purely depend on the nature and severity of the injury you’ve suffered. However, compensation tables for personal injury claims can give you a better understanding of your potential compensation. Here, we explore pain and suffering settlement examples in the UK.
We also talk about the Judicial College guidelines, a list of compensation payouts that could assist in working out compensation settlements. Legal professionals could use this list to calculate compensation for claims they are handling.
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Please read on to discover more about the different types of injuries you could claim for and how a personal injury lawyer could help you.
Select A Section
- What Are Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims?
- Key Factors Affecting Typical Payouts For Personal Injury UK
- What Could Be Deducted From My Payout?
- Personal Injury Compensation Guidelines – What Are Special Damages?
- Car Accident Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims
- Injury At Work Calculator
- Brain And Head Injury Compensation Payouts
- Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims – Back Injuries
- What Are No Win No Fee Agreements?
- Learn More About Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims
What Are Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims?
In the personal injury claims process, the list of compensation payouts UK solicitors check when valuing claims are also sometimes referred to as compensation tables. They are among other solicitors follow to determine the value of a claim. The personal injury compensation guidelines for the UK are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This publication includes personal injury compensation amounts calculated using past court payouts. The latest update of the JCG was in April 2022.
However, the compensation amounts in the JCG are not exactly what you may receive as compensation. They are not guaranteed and also, if you incurred financial losses due to your injury, these costs could be included in your claim even though they are not on this JCG list of payouts.
Using experienced solicitors to help you recover your losses may be useful. Our solicitors can give you an initial consultation and free legal advice about your options.
Key Factors Affecting Typical Payouts For Personal Injury UK
Key factors could affect your payout amount that wouldn’t be detailed in compensation tables for a personal injury claim. They also wouldn’t be detailed in devices such as a personal injury calculator. They include:
- The negotiating process between your solicitor and the defendant’s legal representation or insurer. For example, the defendant’s solicitors could begin proceedings by offering a lower compensation amount than you expected. It may require your solicitor to request more time to gather evidence in order to strengthen your claim.
- A potential discrepancy regarding the date you became aware of your injury being caused by negligence. The defendant’s solicitors could contest the date, which could affect how long the claim takes.
- The severity of your injury. This could be contested depending on the details from the medical assessment performed as part of the claims process. Again, the claim could take longer than expected.
What Could Be Deducted From My Payout?
Other aspects could result in amounts being deducted from the lump sum of compensation. This includes:
- Being partially responsible for the accident. You could still receive compensation, but it would revolve around negotiating the amount of blame that could be assigned to you. For example, if it’s deemed that you’re 30% responsible for the accident, you would receive 30% less compensation.
- A success fee deduction. This is the amount a No Win No Fee solicitor would deduct from the lump sum of your compensation to cover their fee.
- Costs of After the Event (ATE) insurance. Your solicitor may request that you take out this insurance. This is to cover you in case your claim is unsuccessful. It would pay for the defendant’s legal fees, which you could be liable for if the case is found in favour of the defendant. If your claim is successful, the cost of taking this policy out could be deducted from the compensation.
To know more about how deductions like this affect the typical payouts for personal injury in the UK, please contact our advisors. They are available 24/7, offer free legal advice and can be reached using the contact details above.
Personal Injury Compensation Guidelines – What Are Special Damages?
Compensation tables for personal injury may not include special damages. These tables typically address the physical pain and mental suffering caused by the injury. We look at personal injury compensation guidelines for pain and suffering (general damages) in the next section.
Special damages help to recover any expenses incurred as a result of the injury. Some claimants may not incur any expenses. In order to claim special damages, you might be asked to prove your losses or costs, such as with receipts or payslips.
Examples of what expenses can be recovered under special damages include:
- Medical expenses. This can include anything from prescription costs and bandages to cosmetic surgery.
- Loss of earnings. It may include the loss of present and future wages and pension contributions caused by time away from work due to the injury.
- Home help. For example, if you can’t carry out cleaning activities due to a fractured leg, you might hire a cleaner.
- Nursing assistance. If you need to employ a carer, for example, to change bandages, you could claim back the cost of this.
- Home and vehicle adaptations. For example, you may need a ramp installed.
As these expenses in addition to the nature of the injury can impact the value of claims, a list of compensation payouts may not be helpful. You can call our advisors for a free evaluation of your claim, which will consider any special damages you might be able to recover.
Car Accident Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims
We start our compensation tables for personal injury claims with examples of road traffic accident injuries and the associated guideline compensation brackets from the JCG.
Every road user has a duty of care towards other road users. They must use the roads in a manner that prevents causing harm or damage to themselves and others. Furthermore, to uphold this duty, they must adhere to the Road Traffic Act 1988 and follow the guidance and rules in the Highway Code.
Should they breach this duty of care, for example, by driving dangerously, or not paying due care and attention to road signs or traffic rules, they could cause an accident. If you were injured in such an accident, you could be eligible for compensation.
As there are so many different injuries that could result from a road traffic accident, we have selected a few injuries and their guideline compensation brackets to complete the table below. All figures, aside from the first figure, are from the JCG. However, this should only be used as guidance.
Compensation estimates
| Area of Injury | Severity | Amount of Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple injuries that are serious and cause financial expenses. | Serious | Up to £1,000,000+ | A combination of injuries that are serious resulting in financial costs and losses, such as loss of income. |
| Injuries to the Pelvis and Hip | (a) Severe (i) | £78,400 to £130,930 | Cases in this bracket include extensive pelvis fractures that involve a lower back joint dislocation leading to a ruptured bladder or a hip injury causing intolerable pain due to spondylolisthesis of a lower back joint, leading to spinal fusion. |
| Neck | (a) Severe (ii) | £65,740 to £130,930 | Serious fracture injuries or damage caused to cervical spine discs which cause considerably severe disabilities, like substantial loss of neck movement. |
| Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | (a) Severe | £59,860 to £100,670 | Cases in this bracket involve the injured person suffering permanent effects that result in them being unable to work or function in any way close to their pre-trauma level. |
| Severe Leg Injuries | (ii) Very Serious | £54,830 to £87,890 | Injuries that cause permanent mobility problems, leading to the need for crutches or mobility aids for the remainder of the injured person’s life. |
| Knee | (a) Severe (ii) | £52,120 to £69,730 | Leg fracture which extends to the knee joint leading to constant pain, which could be permanent, limiting movement and/or impairing your agility. |
| Wrist | (a) Resulting in complete loss of function | £47,620 to £59,860 | Injuries in this bracket are ones that lead to a complete loss of function in the wrist. |
| Chest | (c) Damage to chest and lung(s) | £31,310 to £54,830 | Damage to the lung(s) and chest which results in continuing disability. |
| Injuries to the Pelvis and Hip | (a) Severe (iii) | £39,170 to £52,500 | Many injuries fall into this bracket, such as an acetabulum fracture causing degenerative changes and the fracturing of an arthritic femur or hip resulting in the need for a hip replacement. |
| Foot | (e) Serious | £24,990 to £39,200 | Injuries in this bracket lead to continuous pain from traumatic arthritis or cause a risk of future arthritis, leading to extensive treatment and potentially needing fusion surgery. |
| Digestive System | (a) Damage Resulting from Traumatic Injury (ii) | £16,790 to £27,760 | Serious non-penetrating injury resulting in permanent and long-standing consequences, for instance, severe indigestion, exacerbated by physical strain. |
If your injury isn’t listed here, or you’d like to learn more about claiming for a road traffic accident, please contact an advisor. They would be happy to help answer any questions you might have about claiming for a car accident you were injured in.
Could The Whiplash Reforms Influence My Payout?
If you are an adult passenger or driver of a vehicle with whiplash or soft tissue injuries valued at £5,000 or less, you will need to make your claim via the Official Injury Claims portal. This is as per changes brought in by the Whiplash Reform Programme. The reforms have changed the way low value road traffic accident claims are made.
If you are required to claim through the government’s official portal, your whiplash and soft tissue injuries will be valued in line with the tariff outlined in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021.
However, this applies to all occupants inside a vehicle. As such, your injuries may still be valued in accordance with the tariff even if you are not required to claim through the government portal. Any other injuries you have sustained will be valued in the traditional way.
For more information on pain and suffering settlement examples in the UK and what they can tell you about your own claim, please get in touch on the number above.
Injury At Work Calculator
Every employer has a duty of care to their staff to provide them with a reasonably safe and secure work environment to ensure their physical and mental wellbeing.
For instance, if you’ve suffered a work-related injury that has also affected your mental health due to your employer’s negligence, you may be able to claim. You could also claim if an accident at work that wasn’t your fault has only affected you physically or mentally.
An employer’s duty of care is illustrated in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The most common causes of accidents in the workplace include:
- Slips, trips or falls
- Manual handling-related accidents, such as handling, carrying or lifting injuries
- Being struck by a moving object
- Falls from a height
Compensation estimates
Please see below a table containing relevant injuries and their relative compensation brackets. The amount of compensation you could receive can depend on the severity and type of injury.
| Area of Injury | Severity | Amount of Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple injuries that are serious in nature and that cause financial expenses and losses. | Serious | Up to £1,000,000+ | A combination of serious injuries that causes financial losses and costs, which could include loss if income, care costs and travel expenses, for example. |
| Lung disease | (a) Serious | £100,670 to £135,920 | For a young person with a serious disability which will most likely lead to a progressive worsening of their condition, causing premature death. |
| Knee | (b) Moderate (i) | £14,840 to £26,190 | Injuries in this bracket include injuries like torn cartilage or dislocation causing minor instability and weakness in the joint. |
| Shoulder | (c) Moderate | £7,890 to £12,770 | Frozen shoulder causing limitation of movement and discomfort. Symptoms last for around two years. |
| Foot | (d) Severe | £41,970 to £70,030 | Fractures to both heels or feet, leading to substantial restriction on mobility or permanent, considerable pain. |
| Toe | (d) Serious Toe Injuries | £13,740 to £21,070 | This bracket includes serious injuries to the great toe or multiple fractures, such as crush fractures, to at least two toes. |
| Psychiatric Damage Generally | (c) Moderate | £5,860 to £19,070 | Where problems have been created in relation to factors like the ability to cope with life but where there has been a marked improvement. Due to this, the prognosis is good. |
An injury at work calculator can provide you with a good idea of the compensation you could receive from claiming due to an accident at work. However, our advisors can assess the nuances of your claim that calculators can miss and give you a free estimate, if you’d like to get in touch today.
Brain And Head Injury Compensation Payouts
Head injury compensation payouts can vary depending on the severity of the injury. Common causes of head injuries include:
- Falling from a height. This could be caused, for instance, by falling from a faulty ladder while at work.
- Road traffic accidents. The speed of the vehicles involved in the collision can determine the amount of damage caused.
- Suffering an injury from a slip, trip or fall on the same level. You could damage the back of the head due to colliding with the floor.
Head injury compensation guidelines
Below is a list of injuries and their potential head injury compensation payouts.
| Area of Injury | Severity | Amount of Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious head or brain injuries leading to serious costs and losses. | Serious | Up to £1,000,000+ | Serious combinations of injuries that cause significant financial losses, such as loss of earnings, medical expenses and suchlike. |
| Brain | (a) Very Severe Brain Damage | £282,010 to £403,990 | In severe cases within this bracket, the injured person might have some ability to follow simple commands, such as the ability to open their eyes and have sleep and waking patterns. However, there will most likely be no evidence of meaningful response to environment, no ability to use language and double incontinence. |
| Brain | (b) Moderately Severe Brain Damage | £219,070 to £282,010 | This bracket is for when the injured person is severely disabled. As such, there will be frequent and consistent dependency on others and a need for constant professional and medical care. |
| Brain | (c) Moderate Brain Damage (i) | £150,110 to £219,070 | Cases in this bracket usually involve moderate to severe intellectual deficit, a change in personality, a negative effect on speech, senses and sight with a significant epilepsy risk and no ability to ascertain or maintain employment. |
| Brain | (c) Moderate Brain Damage (ii) | £90,720 to £150,110 | Cases in this bracket include ones where there is a moderate to modest intellectual deficit. The ability to work, if not entirely removed, is significantly reduced and the injured person is at some risk of epilepsy. |
| Brain | (c) Moderate Brain Damage (iii) | £43,060 to £90,720 | This bracket is for when the injured person has issues with memory and concentration, their work capabilities are reduced, there is a small epilepsy risk and the dependence on others is limited. |
| Brain | (d) Less Severe Brain Damage | £15,320 to £43,060 | The injured person will have a good recovery. As such, they will be able to take some part in normal social life and be able to return to work. However, there may not be a full restoration of all normal functions. |
| Brain or Head | (e) Minor Brain or Head Injury | £2,210 to £12,770 | Brain damage, if any, will be minimal in these cases. |
| Epilepsy | (a) Established Grand Mal | £102,000 to £150,110 | The injured person will suffer from established grand mal seizures due to epilepsy. |
| Epilepsy | (b) Established Petit Mal | £54,830 to £131,370 | The injured person will suffer from established petit mal seizures caused by epilepsy. The level of the award will be affected by factors like whether the attacks are successfully controlled by medication and how continually the medication will be needed. |
| Epilepsy | (c) Other Epileptic Conditions | £10,640 to £26,290 | Cases in this bracket will mean that the injured person suffers from other epileptic conditions, where there are one or two discrete epileptic episodes or a temporary re-occurrence of epilepsy. |
Though compensation tables for personal injury can be helpful, if you can’t see your injuries in any of those provided, why not reach out to our advisors for a free estimate of what you could claim?
Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims – Back Injuries
Typical payouts for personal injury in the UK can depend on many factors, such as the scale of the injury, your ability to function after it and if there are any prolonged or permanent symptoms. With that in mind, back injury compensation payouts can be relatively high due to how serious back injuries can affect your mobility and quality of life.
Some causes of back injuries include:
- Road traffic accidents
- Manual handling injuries
- Falling from a height
Back injury payout guidelines
A compensation table for this personal injury is below. This table specifically relates to potential back injury compensation payouts for general damages that you could receive.
| Area of Injury | Severity | Amount of Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries with financial expenses. | Serious | Up to £1,000,000 | Serious combinations of injuries resulting in financial losses such as care costs, loss of income and medical expenses, for example. |
| Back | (a) Severe (i) | £91,090 to £160,980 | This bracket contains very severe injuries, involving damage to the nerve roots and the spinal cord causing a combination of very serious conditions, such as severe pain with a significantly impaired bladder and bowel function, not normally found in back injury cases. |
| Back | (a) Severe (ii) | £74,160 to £88,430 | Cases that contain special features such as nerve root damage with consequences like loss of sensation, impaired mobility and unsightly scarring. |
| Back | (a) Severe (iii) | £38,780 to £69,730 | Soft tissue injuries in this bracket can lead to chronic symptoms where disabilities remain despite treatment. |
| Back | (b) Moderate (i) | £27,760 to £38,780 | Injuries in this bracket lead to residual disability that is less severe than the bracket above. It contains injuries like traumatic spondylolisthesis causing continued pain which may lead to spinal fusion and a prolapsed intervertebral disc that requires surgery. |
| Back | (b) Moderate (ii) | £12,510 to £27,760 | This bracket includes many frequently encountered injuries, such as ligament and muscle disturbances which cause backache. |
| Back | (c) Minor (i) | £7,890 to £12,510 | Minor sprains, strains, disc prolapses, soft tissue injuries or fracture injuries where a full recovery or a recovery to where the injury is only a nuisance within two to five years without a need for surgery. |
| Back | (c) Minor (ii) | £4,350 to £7,890 | Same type of injury as the bracket above but a full recovery takes place without surgery between three months and two years. |
| Back | (c) Minor (iii) | Up to £2,450 | Same type of injury as above but a full recovery is made within three months. |
What Are No Win No Fee Agreements?
Now we have explained how to use an injury compensation chart, let us look at some of the various benefits of working with a solicitor on your case.
A solicitor can help guide you through the claiming process with ease. They can also assist you with gathering evidence, ensuring your claim is filed in full within the limitation period and negotiating a compensation settlement on your behalf.
Our solicitors also generally offer their services to their clients on a No Win No Fee basis under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under such an agreement, you are not required to pay any upfront or ongoing service fees to your solicitor. Additionally, you will not have to pay them for their work if your claim is unsuccessful.
Your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation if you are successfully awarded it. This is typically a small percentage that is subject to a legal cap.
To learn whether one of our solicitors could take on your case under a No Win No Fee arrangement, please contact an advisor. They will gladly provide free advice and check your eligibility to claim.
- Call today on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us by completing our online form.
- Live chat with an advisor.
Learn More About Compensation Tables For Personal Injury Claims
For more useful information, please refer to the links below.
- Do you think you may have broken a bone? If so, please visit the NHS website.
- Want to learn more about health and safety at work? If so, visit the HSE website.
- In certain instances, you can claim on someone else’s behalf by becoming their litigation friend. To learn more about doing this, visit this Government website.
- Are you wondering what steps you should take if you’ve been injured at work? If so, read our guide to find out more.
- You can also potentially claim for medical negligence leading to brain damage if you’ve suffered this unnecessarily through substandard medical care.
- To learn about how to claim for facial scar disfigurement, read our guide.
