Hand Injury Claims – How Much Compensation Can You Claim?

Hand injuries can make it difficult to work, enjoy hobbies and simply carry out everyday chores at home. More severe hand injuries can be life-changing. Importantly, if you’ve injured a hand in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be eligible to make a hand injury claim for compensation.

In this guide to hand injury claims, we’ll explain when you might be compensated for a broken hand, tendon damage, carpal tunnel syndrome, burns, and other hand injuries.

To start a hand injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis right away, please call our team on 0800 6524 881. Otherwise, please read on to find out more about your options.

Am I Eligible To Make A Hand Injury Compensation Claim?

Generally, you may be eligible to make a hand injury claim for compensation if you can prove that:

• The defendant (the party at fault) owed you a duty of care; and
• They breached that duty by being negligent, which caused an accident to happen; and
• As a result of their negligence, you sustained a hand injury.

Proving a legal duty of care in a hand injury claim is not something you should be too concerned about. For now, it’s enough to say that this comes from legislation like the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which means employers have a legal duty to try and protect their staff’s welfare.

Similarly, the Road Traffic Act 1988 means there is a legal duty of care for road users to try to drive safely to avoid accidents. Your solicitor will explain which law applies if they take on your case.

Can I Claim For A Hand Injury That Was Partly My Fault?

Yes, it may still be possible to make a hand injury claim even if you were partially at fault, depending on the specific details of your case. However, the court may reduce the amount of compensation to reflect your degree of fault, following the principle of contributory negligence.

For example, if a malfunctioning machine caused a hand injury at work and you weren’t wearing the provided safety gloves, you might be found partially responsible. If the court determines you are 20% at fault, they may reduce any compensation awarded by 20% to reflect your share of responsibility.

If you’re unsure whether you can start a hand injury compensation claim, please reach out to us to consult with a claims advisor on our team who can provide specific advice tailored to your situation.

Common Causes Of Hand Injury Claims

Hand injuries can happen in many different accidents. Here are just a few of the more common causes of hand injury claims:

• Slips, trips or falls. You could injure your hand if you put it out to break your fall on a damaged pavement.
• Workplace accidents. Where your hand was crushed at work by faulty machinery, for example.
• Road traffic accidents. Hand injuries are particularly common when cyclists or motorbike riders are thrown from their vehicles.
• Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Caused by the use of vibrating tools for a prolonged period.
• Playground accidents. Commonly caused by damaged or defective playground equipment, such as swings and slides.
• Criminal assaults. Defensive actions from a violent assault can lead to severe hand injuries.
• Dog attacks. Protecting yourself from getting bitten by an uncontrolled dog.

Whatever type of accident has caused your hand injury, we could help you claim the compensation you deserve. Therefore, please contact our advisors about a hand injury claim today.

Common Types Of Injuries To Hands

Some of the most common hand injuries leading to a compensation claim include:

We could help you make a hand injury compensation claim, whether your accident or injury is listed above or not. So long as you can show that somebody else was to blame for your accident, you could be compensated for your suffering.

How Much Compensation Will I Get For A Hand Injury Claim?

There isn’t a fixed amount of hand injury compensation you’d get, as every case is different. What you could be awarded will depend on the nature and severity of your injuries and the extent of your financial losses. Personal injury solicitors base compensation claims on elements known as heads of loss. These are:

• General Damages. This is where your solicitor will seek damages for any pain or suffering you have endured, including psychological injuries. You will need a medical assessment to help prove this. Our solicitors can arrange appointments locally, so you won’t usually need to travel too far.
• Special damages. This part of your claim looks to recover any costs, expenses or monetary losses that have resulted from your injuries. For example, you could request reimbursement for lost income, medical expenses, travel costs, and care costs. Also, you could ask for the cost of replacing any personal property damaged in the accident.

If you’d like us to work out what amount of compensation your hand injury claim could be worth, please contact our team today.

Average Hand Injury Compensation Amounts

In this section, we will consider the level of compensation that may be awarded for a hand injury claim. To help us do so, we have included compensation amounts for injuries to the hand. They are based on amounts listed in the Judicial College Guidelines, as this is something that solicitors, lawyers, courts, and insurance companies use to determine what level of payout to award.

• £171,680 to £245,900 compensation for the total loss of both your hands would be advised.
• £117,360 to £133,810 for very severe hand injuries, such as the total or effective loss of one hand that has been crushed and then amputated, or most of the palm and all fingers have been amputated.
• £75,550 to £110,750 compensation for injuries where the hand has had index, middle, or ring fingers amputated, leaving little use.
• £68,070 to £103,200 for serious injury to both hands resulting in major loss of function.
• £35,390 to £75,550 compensation for serious hand injuries where the hand’s capacity may have been reduced to around 50%, or cases where several fingers were amputated and rejoined, but have left the hand hard to use, unsightly or clawed-like.
• £17,640 to £35,390 compensation for less severe hand injuries, such as severe crushing and impaired function.
• £6,910 to £16,200 for moderate hand injuries that might include penetrating wounds, crush injuries, and deep lacerations. The higher amount might be awarded if permanent hand disability remains, and the lower end being a hand injury that has permanent but non-intrusive symptoms.
• Up to £5,580 in compensation for minor hand injuries where the injuries might be similar to moderate hand injuries, but the hand is expected to, or has recovered, in a matter of a few months.

Importantly, the figures listed are only guide amounts. Therefore, you may receive more or less than the amounts specified if your hand injury compensation claim is successful. Should one of our solicitors agree to represent you, they will explain what amount they’ll claim once they have reviewed your case completely.

Evidence To Support A Hand Injury Claim

Before we move on to look at what time limits usually apply to hand injury claims, let’s look at the types of evidence you could use to help you prove what happened. You could use:

• Photographs and/or video: To show the accident scene, if possible, before anything is moved.
• CCTV footage. If a dashcam or CCTV recorded the cause of your hand injury, ask the owner to send you a copy.
• Medical records: From A&E or a minor injuries unit to help prove the full extent of your hand injuries.
• Witness details: A witness statement might help if the defendant denies liability for the accident or your injuries.
• Accident reports: If an accident occurs in a workplace, public place or on business premises, it should be documented in an accident report book. Your copy can help prove the date, time, and location of the incident that caused your hand injury.
• Financial records. For special damages, you’ll need evidence of your financial losses incurred due to your hand injury, for example, receipts for medication, receipts for travelling to treatment appointments, wage slips and bank statements for lost earnings, and so forth.

Gathering as much evidence as possible could make the claims process a lot easier. If you are interested in claiming compensation for a hand injury, we can review your evidence for free.

Time Limits For Claiming Hand Injury Compensation

We must point out that time limits usually exist for personal injury claims. Generally, for hand injury claims, this will be a 3-year period starting from the date of your accident.

An exception to this rule (among others) is when a child suffers a hand injury. In this situation, a parent, guardian, or responsible adult is able to make a claim as a litigation friend on the child’s behalf. The 3-year time limit won’t apply, and the claim can be made at any point before the child’s 18^th birthday. If no claim is brought, when the child becomes an adult, they’ll have 3 years to start their claim.

If you’re claiming for yourself or for your child, we’d suggest that it is easier if you begin the claims process sooner rather than later. That’s because you’ll find that everything is still fresh in your mind. Additionally, your solicitor will be grateful for the additional time because they will need to complete several tasks before they submit your claim.

To begin the hand injury claims process right away, please call today.

Do I Need A Personal Injury Solicitor To File A Hand Injury Claim?

Whether you injured your hand at work, in a shop, on the street, or in a road traffic accident, an insurance company representing the defendant will likely handle your claim. To secure the compensation you deserve, you must clearly show why their client is liable for your injuries and responsible for the accident.

For that reason, we would suggest using a personal injury solicitor to help you claim compensation for your hand injury. They will use their legal expertise and experience to prepare a concise claim on your behalf. Additionally, they’ll deal with the insurer’s questions and objections, so you won’t have to deal with any complex legal issues. Our solicitors will always work hard to try and ensure that your injuries receive the maximum level of compensation possible.

Starting The Hand Injury Claims Process

If you are ready to start the hand injury claims process with us today, please get in touch via our free advice line on 0800 6524 881. There’s no risk in reaching out as you’ll receive free advice during a consultation with no obligation, no matter what decision you make afterwards.

If your case has merit, one of our solicitors may be able to start working on it immediately. Should they proceed, you’ll benefit from their No Win No Fee service.

We’re available around the clock through live chat or by phone if you have any questions about making a hand injury compensation claim.