Hand Injury Claims - When Could You Receive Compensation?

Are you looking for guidance on hand injury claims? This guide will seek to provide you with all the information you need to seek compensation.

Your injury must have been caused by a third party breaching their duty of care which lead to you being injured. A breach of duty of care that causes physical or psychological harm is called negligence.

Hand injury claims guide

If you have been subject to negligence, you may be wondering:

How do personal injury claims work?
Can I make a personal injury claim after 3 years?
How do I make a personal injury claim?

We will look to answer all of those questions in this guide as well as explore the different scenarios where negligence could arise. Additionally, we will examine the steps you can take to strengthen your claim, such as hiring a solicitor and gathering evidence.

However, if you would prefer to speak with an advisor from our team, you can do so. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer you free legal advice.

To get in touch:

Call the number at the top of the page
Use the live chat
Contact us via our website

Choose A Section

A Guide To Hand Injury Claims
Hand Injury Claims – When Are You Eligible To Make A Claim?
What Evidence Could Be Used In Personal Injury Claims?
What Compensation Could You Receive From A Hand Injury Claim?
Why Claim For A Personal Injury On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Learn More About Hand Injury Claims

A Guide To Hand Injury Claims

You could suffer a hand injury in many ways, but not all of them are claimable. For instance, you might be at fault, or the relevant party might have taken all reasonable steps to prevent you from being injured.

The key component of valid hand injury claims is a breach of duty of care leading to an injury. If this happens, you may be able to claim for negligence.

The compensation you could be awarded will be dependent on the severity of your injuries and the impact they have on your life. Because of the role of the hands as a functionally important part of the upper limbs, they have the potential to attract a high award in serious cases.

If you would like more information regarding hand injury claims, please get in touch with a member of our team.

Hand Injury Claims – When Are You Eligible To Make A Claim?

To emphasise, to be eligible to claim for an injury, you must be able to demonstrate that:

A third party had a duty of care towards you
They breached their duty of care
You were injured as a result

Generally, you must start your claim within the 3-year time limit outlined by the Limitation Act 1980. This may begin from the date of the accident or the date of knowledge, which is when you linked your injuries with negligence.

There are some circumstances in which exceptions to this time limit apply; if you would like to know more regarding hand injury claims, please contact our advisors.

Accidents In A Public Place

As per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957., the party in control of a space must take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of those using the space for the intended purposes.

There are many ways in which an accident in a public place may occur, for example:

A shelf in a supermarket was not fitted properly. As a result, it collapses, and you suffer a hand injury.
The council might not have done the required maintenance checks on a high street pavement area. Consequently, you slip and fall on a broken piece of paving and injure your hand.

Accidents At Work

There are also many scenarios that could lead to an injury at work claim. According to the Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), your employer must ensure the safety of the workplace, environment, equipment and facilities with the risk of employees being injured.

Below, we have included examples of accidents at work include:

Your employer might not have cleared or signposted a spillage despite being aware of the issue. Subsequently, you slip on a wet floor and injure your hand. This could lead to a slip and trip claim.
You could be involved in a factory accident that involves a machine you’re using. Because the equipment is faulty, it malfunctions and crushes your hand.

Road Traffic Accidents

Another place you may encounter negligence is on the road. As outlined by the Road Traffic Act 1988 in conjunction with The Highway Code, road users must ensure their own safety as well as the safety of all other road users. The Road Traffic Act is a piece of legislation. While the Highway Code is not itself law, it contains some guidance that must be followed because it’s elsewhere backed up in legislation.

Examples of incidents that may lead to a road traffic accident claim include:

Another driver might not carry out the necessary checks when merging at a junction. Consequently, they T-bone your vehicle and you suffer a hand injury in the car accident.
The driver of a lorry is unfit to drive because of the influence of drugs. As a result, they fail to stop in time and you are involved in a rear-end collision due to this.

If you have been invovled in a situation similar to the examples provided above and would like more details on hand injury claims, please contact an advisor.

What Evidence Could Be Used In Personal Injury Claims?

Hand injury claims will only be successful if the injuries were due to the negligence of a third party. One way to prove this is to gather as much evidence as possible.

Your first priority should always be to seek medical attention. Not only does this ensure you receive treatment for your injury, but it also generates medical records that can be used as evidence.

Then you could:

Gather the contact details of anyone who saw the incident occur for a witness statement to be taken
Gather CCTV footage of the incident
Take pictures of your injuries as well as the scene
Complete the accident book (if relevant)
Keep a diary of symptoms, treatments and the impact they have had on your life

Finally, you could seek legal advice. Our advisors are available to answer any questions you may have about hand injury claims at all times.

What Compensation Could You Receive From A Hand Injury Claim?

The compensation you could be awarded in a successful personal injury claim may comprise two heads of claim. Firstly, you could receive general damages for the pain and suffering, both physically and mentally, you suffer due to your injuries.

For example, you might receive compensation after sustaining a hand injury at work. If the accident caused you to develop depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this could be taken into consideration in conjunction with the physical impact of the injury when your claim is valued.

We have put together a table of compensation figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) as an alternative to using a claims calculator. Despite legal professionals using the JCG when valuing claims, these figures should only be used as guidance. This is because each hand injury claim is unique, and the settlement you receive could differ.

Body Part	Compensation Bracket	Details
Hand	£140,660 to £201,490	Total or effective loss of the use of both hands.
Hand	£96,160 to £109,650	Total or effective loss of the use of one hand.
Hand	£61,910 to £90,750	Amputation of the index and middle and/or ring fingers.
Hand	£55,820 to £84,570	Serious damage that results in permanent cosmetic disability in conjunction with a loss of functionality.
Hand	£29,000 to £61,910	An injury such as a finger amputation that has been rejoined but reduces the hand to around 50% capacity.
Hand	Up to £36,740	Causes partial amputations that result in symptoms like a hindered grip.
Hand	£14,450 to £29,000	A less severe hand injury, for example a major crush that significantly decreases function but does not need surgery.
Hand	£5,720 to £13,280	Moderate injuries such as crushes, penetrating wounds, deep lacerations and impact to soft tissue.
Hand	£12,170 to £18,740	Total and partial loss of the index finger.
Hand	£9,110 to £12,240	A fracture to the index finger that has made a quick recovery but symptoms such as a lack of grip and pain still remain.

When Could You Receive Special Damages Compensation?

In addition to general damages, you could receive special damages for the financial damage you endure as a result of your hand injury.

For instance, you may be unable to drive due to your injury. Any money spent on travelling may be reimbursed by special damages.

It can also cover:

Home adaptations
Care costs
Medical expenses
Loss of earnings

To prove that you have suffered financial damage, it is advisable to keep a record of all losses. This can be done via receipts, invoices, or bank statements.

If you would like more information regarding hand injury claims, please contact an advisor from our team.

Why Claim For A Personal Injury On A No Win No Fee Basis?

The solicitors from our panel can work under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) which is one of the agreements that comes under the No Win No Fee umbrella.

If you are covered by a solicitor on this basis, you generally won’t have to pay any legal fees upfront or while your case is ongoing. Furthermore, if your case is lost, you usually won’t pay any legal fees.

However, if your claim is successful, you will have to pay a legally capped success fee. This will be subtracted from the compensation you are awarded by your solicitor.

If you would like more information on hand injury claims with legal representation, please get in touch.

Contact Us For Free 24/7 To See If You Could Receive Compensation For A Hand Injury

Claiming through one of the solicitors from our panel can be very beneficial .

They could make the claims process significantly less daunting by providing guidance and support. They can also use their expertise to make sure that all aspects of your claim are covered.

To get in touch with an advisor:

Call the number at the top of the page
Use the live chat
Contact us via our website

Learn More About Hand Injury Claims

Here we have included some of our own guides that may be helpful regarding personal injury claims:

We have also included some additional reading that could be of use:

Thank you for reading our guide on hand injury claims. If you still have any queries, please contact an advisor from our team.

Writer Beck Perch

Publisher Fern Styles