If a hand injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward
Hand injuries can be particularly disabling, impacting your ability to work and perform daily tasks.
If your life has been affected by a hand injury, we can help. If your injuries were caused by someone else's actions or negligence, you may be entitled to claim compensation to cover a range of treatments, from emergency care to rehabilitative therapy, and for any financial losses or expenses you incur.
You can make a compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.
In this article
With over 80,000 hand injury admissions each year, you are not alone
There were 82,189 hospital admissions for hand and wrist injuries in 2021-22, according to NHS England (digital.nhs.uk).
Around 10% of all Accident & Emergency department visits are due to hand injuries. The most frequent types of hand injuries are lacerations, contusions and fractures.
Where the actions of a negligent party have affected you ability to manipulate objects or otherwise use your hand, you may be able to make a hand injury claim. This is the case whether your symptoms are temporary or permanent.
Depending on the nature of the hand injury, your compensation will take into account cosmetic factors, pain and suffering and loss of function.
If you decide to make a hand injury claim, your personal injury solicitor will take you through every step of the claims process. Your solicitor will be with you until you win your claim and get the compensation you deserve.
For information on hand pain symptoms and treatment, see: hand pain (nhs.uk).
Types of hand injury
Quittance's network of specialist solicitors can assist with claims for any of the following types of hand injury:
- Breaks, fractures and crushing of bones in the hand - The hand is made up of a number of different bones. Accidents which cause damage to any of these bones can extremely painful and severely inhibit the ability to manipulate the hand. It may be impossible to operate tools, machinery, or use the hands for everyday purposes until the injury is fully healed.
- Strains, sprains and tears of muscles, ligaments and tendons in the hand - The muscles, ligaments and tendons in the hand enable you to grasp and release. Injury to these soft tissues can severely impact on the functioning capability of the hand.
- Damage to nerve fibres in the hand - The fingertips of the hand have numerous nerve endings which enable your sense of touch. If these nerve fibres are damaged the sense of touch can be diminished. Lack of sensation in the hands can make work and everyday tasks impossible, or extremely difficult.
The circumstances of the hand injury, whether as a result of a road traffic accident, an accident at work, or medical negligence, will not usually have a bearing on how much compensation can be claimed. If negligence and legal responsibility can be established, it is the nature and severity of the hand injury that will be considered.
Your lawyer will arrange for an independent medical report to detail the extent of your hand injury and a prognosis for recovery. This report is required to support your hand injury claim.
See also:
Fractured or broken bone claims
Who is liable? for a hand injury
To make a hand injury claim it must be proven that your hand injury is the result of another's fault or negligence. Quittance's panel of solicitors have assisted with many hand injury claims, including:- Bicycle accident claims and motorbike accident claims - a hand if often thrown out as an instinctive response when an individual is thrown off a bike. The party responsible for the accident which caused the hand injury will be liable in your hand injury claim.
- Claims for slips, trips and falls - the liable party for hand injuries caused by damaged, cluttered or slippery floors will be owner of the premises. If the accident happened in your workplace, your employer may be held liable.
- Work accident claims - employees using work machinery and tools may sustain hand injuries in the course of their work. If your employer has failed in their health and safety practices, resulting in your hand injury, you may be able to claim compensation from your employer.
If you do not know who is responsible for your hand injury, your solicitor will help in identifying the liable party.
Do I have a hand injury claim?
If you've been injured in an accident that was caused another person or organisation in the last 3 years, you will be entitled to make a claim for financial compensation.
Find out online if you can claim with our injury claim calculator. Alternatively, you can speak to a claims advisor on 0800 376 1001 and find out if you have a claim in minutes.
Claiming when you're partially at fault
Personal injury claims often involve circumstances where there is some degree of blame on each side.
We found that, in our 2023 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents were unsure as to which party was legally liable for their injuries.
Claiming compensation is still an option even if you were partly at fault. These contributory negligence cases are typically resolved with a split-liability agreement.
Read more:
Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?
How long do I have to claim hand injury compensation?
In most cases, you have 3 years from the date of your accident or injury.
If you were injured when you were under 18, a parent, guardian or adult 'litigation friend' can make a claim on your behalf. Once you turn 18, you have until your 21st birthday to start an injury claim.
How much compensation can I claim for a hand injury?
The amount of money you could claim for your injury will depend on:
- the seriousness of your injury, and
- any financial losses or costs you have incurred.
At the start of your claim, your solicitor will consider the many ways your injuries have affected your life. Your solicitor will take these considerations into account to calculate the correct compensation award.
Hand injury
compensation calculator
Get an accurate compensation estimate (including for multiple injuries), confirm your legal position, and check if you have a No Win, No Fee claim.
Updated December 2023
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General damages
General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA).
Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.
How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?
Special damages
Special damages are awarded to compensate you for any costs or losses you've incurred or might incur as a result of your accident. These costs might include lost wages, bonuses, benefits and other perks, or any other out of pocket expenses.
Special damages may also be awarded for medical treatments or procedures that you might need to treat your hand injury, including splinting or casting, pain medication, physiotherapy and surgical repair.
Read more:
A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim
Average hand injury general damages compensation
The following hand injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, Sixteenth Edition by the Judicial College.
These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).
| Injury | Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand injury | |||
| Hand injury | Serious | Serious hand injury | £13,140 to £26,360 |
| Hand injury | Very Severe | Loss of both hands | Up to £127,870 |
| Hand injury | Very Serious | Very serious hand injuries | £13,140 to £26,360 |
| Hand injury | Severe | Severe hand injury | £26,360 to £56,280 |
| Hand injury | Moderate | Moderate hand injury | £5,200 to £12,070 |
| Hand injury | Severe | Serious damage to both hands | £50,750 to £76,880 |
| Hand injury | Severe | Loss of one hand | £87,420 to £99,680 |
| Hand injury | Minor | Minor hand, finger or thumb injury | Up to £4,320 |
Claiming compensation for psychological injuries
If you have experienced psychological issues in addition to physical symptoms, you are not alone.
Our 2023 Personal Injury Claimant Survey found that 29.03% of claimants reported a psychological injury, with 70.97% of these relating to a physical injury.
Hand injuries often lead to anxiety and distress about loss of function and impact on daily life and work.
Psychiatric harm is less obvious than physical injury, but the consequences can be just as difficult to deal with.
Our compensation calculator can estimate your compensation for psychological injuries. Or you can call us on 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor.
How did your injury happen?
The process for a hand injury claim depends the circumstances of the accident. To learn more, click the icons below:
FAQs
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No win, no fee hand injury compensation claims
With no win, no fee, you can claim hand injury compensation without financial risk. If your claim isn't successful, you pay nothing. If you win, you only pay a pre-agreed percentage of your compensation.
How we can help you with your injury claim
Your solicitor will fight for the best possible compensation settlement for you, and the highly-experienced panel of solicitors have an excellent track record of winning injury claims.
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Author:
Chris Salmon, Director
About the author
Chris Salmon is a co-founder and Director of Quittance Legal Services. Chris has played key roles in the shaping and scaling of a number of legal services brands and is a regular commentator in the legal press.