Valuing Compensation For A Hand Injury Claim

Have you suffered a hand injury as a result of someone else’s negligence? If so, you may be eligible to seek compensation. This guide is designed to help you understand the process of claiming and the steps you can take to build a strong case.

Hand injury claims guide

Our advisors are on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer you free legal advice and to answer any of your questions. They may also be able to connect you with a personal injury solicitor from our panel.

You can get in touch with us by:

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Choose A Section

How Can I Make A Hand Injury Claim?
Scenarios Where You Could Injure Your Hand
What Is The First Step To Take After An Accident?
Using A Compensation Calculator For A Hand Injury Claim
What Is The Eligibility For A No Win No Fee Agreement?
Find Out More About Hand Injury Claims

How Can I Make A Hand Injury Claim?

You could claim compensation for a hand injury if it was caused by someone breaching the duty of care they owed you. There are various situations in which you are owed a duty of care, such as at work, on the road or in a public place.

To prove negligence has occurred then you would need to show:

That you were owed a duty of care
This duty was breached; and
That you were injured or made ill as a result

If you can show this, you could be eligible to make a claim for compensation for a hand injury.

Statistics For Hand Injuries

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) undertakes detailed research into injury and illnesses within the workplace. It also publishes the health and safety at work statistics for Great Britain.

The HSE records all of the statistics reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). These statistics show that for the year 2020/21 there were 3,200 people who had suffered a non-fatal injury to the hand. Another 5,181 people suffered a non-fatal injury to one or more finger/thumb(s).

However, these statistics do not exclusively relate to negligence. Therefore, we cannot say how many of these could form the basis of a successful personal injury claim.

Scenarios Where You Could Injure Your Hand

There are a number of different scenarios in which you are owed a duty of care. And as a result, there are a number of different ways in which the duty of care that you are owed could be breached, causing you injury.

We have included examples of some of these below:

At work. While you’re in the workplace, your employer owes you a duty of care. They should take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure your safety while in the workplace. If they fail to do so, you could be injured in an accident at work. For example, your employer might fail to give you safety gloves that you need to do your role safely. As a result, you could sustain a laceration injury at work. The duty of care that employers owe their employees is set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
In public. When you’re in a public place, the occupier of the space (the person in control) owes you a duty of care as set out in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. If, for example, a wet floor was left without a sign and without being cleaned in a reasonable timeframe, you could slip and fall, breaking your hand.
On the road. All road users owe one another a duty of care according to the Road Traffic Act 1988. They should take all reasonably practicable steps to reduce the risk of a road traffic accident causing injury from occurring. If, for example, you were involved in a cycling accident where the negligence of a driver caused you to be knocked from your bike, you could be entitled to claim.

For more information on the circumstances in which you could make a hand injury at work claim, speak with our team.

What Is The First Step To Take After An Accident?

The first step to take after you have been involved in an accident is to seek out medical attention. This will ensure that you get the treatment you need for your injuries. However, it could also generate medical records that can then be used to assess your claim.

You could also start to gather information and evidence. This might include:

Photos of the accident site
Photos of the injury
Contact details of witnesses
CCTV footage of the accident
A written record of the accident, for example, from an accident book

While it is not mandatory, it can also be helpful to get legal advice while you are preparing to claim. This can also help you understand the process of claiming with greater clarity.

For further advice on hand injury claims, our advisors are happy to help. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Using A Compensation Calculator For A Hand Injury Claim

The Judicial College publishes guidelines that set out bracket compensation amounts for different injures. Your solicitor could use these guidelines when valuing your claim.

Types of Injuries	How Much?	Description
Moderate Hand Injury	£5,260 to £12,460	Lacerations, penetrating wounds and any crush injuries.
Less Serious Hand Injury	£13,570 to £27,220	Severe crush injuries that results in impaired function.
Severe Fractures to Fingers	Up to £34,480	Injuries resulting in grip impairment, partial amputations and reduced function.
Fracture of Index Finger	£8,550 to £11,480	Where there has been a fracture that has mended quickly but the effect has resulted in the grip being impaired.
Amputation of Little Finger	£8,110 to £11,490	Where the little finger has been amputated.
Serious Hand Injuries	£27,220 to £58,100	Injuries within this bracket will see the hand reduced down to 50% capacity.
Serious Damage to Both Hands	£52,310 to £79,360	Loss of function and a permanent disability.
Amputation of Index/Middle and/or Ring Finger	£58,100 to £85,170	The hand will have been rendered almost useless and there to be a weak grip.
Serious Injury to Ring or Middle Fingers	£13,970 to £15,330	Fractures or serious injury to tendons, resulting in stiffness or loss of grip.
Total or Effective Loss of Both Hands	£132,040 to £189,110	Where both hands are damaged to an extent where they are little more than useless.

The term general damages refers to the part of your compensation that covers the pain and suffering you have experienced as a result of your injuries. You may also be assessed by an independent medical professional as part of your claim, and they will then make a report of their findings. This report will be used to value your claim.

Special damages, on the other hand, is the part of your compensation that covers the financial expenses that you have incurred as a result of an injury. Both past and future losses incurred as a result of your injuries could be claimed under special damages, provided that you have evidence. For example, payslips could be used to show any loss of earnings that were incurred as a result of you being unable to work while recovering.

Types of financial losses that could be considered a part of special damages include:

Childcare costs
Loss of wages
Travel expenses
Prescriptions or medical treatment

If you have any further questions about making a hand injury claim, don’t hesitate to contact us via our live chat feature.

What Is The Eligibility For A No Win No Fee Agreement?

No Win No Fee agreements are an arrangement between your and your personal injury solicitor. It contains the understanding that if you win the case, then you will have to pay a success fee. What’s more, the percentage of the fee is capped by law. Your solicitor will discuss this with you before the claim starts.

On the other hand, if your case is unsuccessful then you wouldn’t have to pay the success fee to your solicitor.

You do not need a solicitor to begin the claim process. However, it may be useful to obtain a solicitor’s knowledge and advice.

Our advisors can put you in touch with our panel of personal injury solicitors. This service is available 24/7 so feel free to contact us about your questions.

Call Us To Start A Hand Injury Claim

If you have any further questions about making a hand injury claim, speak with an advisor today.

Feel free to contact us by:

Using our live chat feature
Calling us on the number at the top of the screen
Contacting us through our website

Find Out More About Hand Injury Claims

Here are some additional resources for you to have a look through.

The NHS website has a helpful guide on what to do if you have suffered hand pain.

The HSE also offers a guide on reportable incidents.

Learn how to request CCTV footage that you appear in.

Check out more of our personal injury claims guides below:

To find out more about claiming for hand injury claims caused by employer negligence, reach out to our advisors.

Find Out If You Can Claim?