Finger Injury Claims – How Much Compensation Can I Claim?

Many different types of accidents can lead to finger injuries. They can be extremely painful and have quite an impact on your usual activities, especially if you’ve injured fingers on your dominant hand. Importantly, if you injure your finger in an accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. Our guide on finger injury claims will look at the accidents that could lead to finger injury compensation and the types of injuries that could be claimed for.

We offer a no-obligation consultation for all finger injury claims. A specialist will review your chances of being compensated and give free advice on what to do next. If one of our personal injury lawyers agrees to represent you because they believe you’ve got a realistic chance of success, they’ll process your claim on a No Win, No Fee basis.

To speak to us today about making a claim, please call 0800 652 1345. Otherwise, continue reading to learn how to claim compensation for a finger injury.

Can I claim compensation for a finger injury?

In basic terms, in order to pursue a finger injury compensation claim, you will need to prove that:

• The accident was caused due to negligence by a third party.
• The accident directly caused the finger injury.
• The accident led to the worsening of a previous finger injury.

In terms of a finger injury claim, negligence means the defendant made some sort of mistake. Essentially, that could be because of something they did that caused the accident or something they failed to do to prevent a foreseeable accident. As you can imagine, you’ll need to prove how the defendant’s negligence caused your finger injury. As such, later on, we’ll explain what proof you could use to support a finger injury compensation claim.

Common types of finger injuries

The severity of finger and thumb injuries which occur both inside and outside of the workplace can vary significantly in severity. They take in injuries such as:

• Finger dislocations.
• Breaks and fractures.
• Amputation or partial amputation of a finger.
• Nerve damage.
• Ligament damage or tendon damage.
• Cuts and lacerations.
• Crushed fingers.

In some cases, there are not many treatment options for finger injuries other than using a splint or bandage to straighten the finger while it heals naturally. This can be cumbersome, especially on the dominant hand, and make it difficult to use a computer or phone which could make it difficult to work while you’re injured.

If you believe you have grounds to claim finger injury compensation, please contact one of our specialists today.

Common reasons for claiming finger injury compensation

In this section, we’ve listed some common causes of finger injuries. They include:

• Tendon, ligament and muscle damage as a consequence of dangerous machinery in the workplace.
• Repetitive strain injury caused by repetitive actions such as using a keyboard without relevant wrist supports and break time.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome relating to pressure on a nerve in your wrist.
• Vibration White Finger (VWF) – a condition caused by the use of vibrating tools, especially in cold or wet conditions.
• Broken fingers following a slip, trip or fall.
• Finger amputations when working with knives or dangerous machinery.
• Very often your first reaction, when involved in a road traffic accident, is to put your hands up to protect yourself which can lead to finger and hand injuries.
• Injuries in schools and nurseries are more commonplace than you might think as it is extremely difficult to keep an eye on individual children all of the time.
• Finger and hand injuries as a consequence of sporting activities such as football, rugby and cricket are extremely commonplace.

While many people assume that the type of finger injury will primarily dictate the level of compensation awarded, this is not necessarily the case. Any compensation awarded would be based on the severity of the finger injury and the long-term impact on the claimant’s life.

To establish this, you will need to have an independent medical assessment. During your meeting, a medical expert will examine the current state of your finger injury, read your medical files and talk to you about how you’ve been affected by the injury. A report will follow the meeting that sets out your prognosis. This will be used as a basis for any compensation you’ll claim.

Examples of negligence that might lead to a finger injury claim

As described above, your finger injury must have been sustained in an accident caused by somebody else’s negligence if you’re to be compensated. Some examples of when this might be the case include:

• If the tendons or ligaments in your fingers were damaged after being knocked off your motorcycle on a roundabout by a speeding driver.
• If your child fell from a damaged climbing frame in a playground accident and damaged their fingers.
• Where your fingers were crushed after a damaged chair collapsed.
• If you cut your fingers on the jagged edge of a damaged table on a train.
• Where you broke your fingers after tripping on a manhole that the council failed to inspect or repair.
• If you suffered tendon damage in your finger in a fall whilst playing on an unsafe football pitch.

If the type of accident you injured your finger in is not listed here, please feel free to call and we’ll review your options for free.

Finger injury at work

Your employer has a duty of care to try to keep you safe while you’re working. This means that you could claim for workplace finger injuries if they were caused by:

• A lack of regular risk assessments.
• Faulty, damaged or poorly maintained machinery.
• Inadequate workplace training.
• Damaged, inadequate or the wrong Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was provided, or none at all.
• Failure to provide low-vibration tools or somewhere warm to rest to prevent Vibration White Finger injuries.

You can speak to us about claiming compensation for a finger injury at work by calling our advisors on 0800 652 1345.

How much compensation for a finger injury can I claim?

If you claim compensation for a finger injury, you need to consider how you’ve already suffered and any future suffering as well. That’s important as you can only make a single claim for the same injury.

If your claim is successful, it could include compensation to cover:

• The physical pain and suffering caused by your finger injury.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychological injuries such as distress or depression.
• Loss of enjoyment of your usual hobbies and activities.
• Medical treatment costs.
• Care costs if your finger injury meant somebody else needed to support you.
• Travel expenses.
• Lost income. This could include future losses for more serious finger injuries.
• Adaptations to your vehicle or home to help you cope with permanent finger injuries.

If you decide to work with one of our solicitors, they’ll find out exactly how your finger injury has affected you before submitting your claim so that you’re compensated fully for your suffering.

Average finger injury compensation amounts

It may surprise many people but different fingers are given different values when looking at compensation claims. Guidelines published by the Judicial College summarise past finger and thumb injuries and past compensation awards which are often used as a basis for new finger injury compensation claims. These guidelines have no legal standing but they are recognised as extremely useful by law firms, the insurance industry, and the courts.

The following guidelines will give you an idea of the general levels of finger injury compensation.

• A minor fracture to a finger could see a compensation payout of up to £4,750.
• £3,950 – £5,860 compensation for the partial loss of a little finger.
• £8,640 – £12,240 compensation for the amputation or loss of a little finger.
• £9,110 – £12,240 compensation payout for a fracture of an index finger where grip function is impaired.
• £12,170 – £18,740 compensation for partial loss of an index finger where grip or dexterity is impaired.
• £10,320 – £16,340 for a serious injury to either ring fingers or middle fingers.
• Around £21,810 compensation for the amputation or loss of ring fingers and little fingers.
• Around £24,990 compensation for the amputation or loss of the terminal phalanges of the index or middle fingers.
• Up to £36,740 compensation for severely fractured fingers that might result in an impairment of grip.
• £29,000 – £61,910 compensation where several fingers may have been amputated.
• £61,910 – £60,750 compensation for the amputation of middle, index, and ring fingers.
• £96,160 – £109,650 compensation where all fingers have been lost or amputated.

While these figures are not set in stone they are widely respected by the courts and insurance companies and reflect historic payments for similar finger injuries in relation to general damages.

Establishing liability for a finger injury compensation claim

The defendant in any type of finger injury claim will usually refer the claim to their insurance company. It’s fair to say that their first response is usually to deny liability for the accident and your injury. As such, you must supply proof to show how your finger was injured, who was responsible and how you’ve been affected. The types of proof that could help include:

• Medical records. Finger injuries should be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional to ensure they heal correctly. If you visited your GP or a hospital, x-rays and medical records could be used to prove the extent of your injury.
• Accident report forms. Legally, most organisations need to record accidents on their premises in an accident report book. A copy of the report about your accident could prove when and where you were injured.
• Witness statements. Should liability for the accident be rejected by the defendant, your solicitor could contact your witnesses for a statement of what happened.
• Photographic proof. Photos of any visible injury to your finger can help to demonstrate how you’ve suffered. Additionally, pictures of the accident scene can go some way to proving what caused you to be injured.
• CCTV footage. If your accident was captured by CCTV cameras or a dashcam, you should ask for a copy of the relevant footage before it is deleted.

As well as the information listed above, you may wish to keep records of any costs you’ve incurred as a result of your finger injury. Also, keeping a diary of the dates you couldn’t work or attend family events because of your injury can also be a useful exercise.

Claiming compensation for a child

Legally, your child cannot claim compensation themselves until they turn 18 years of age. However, the litigation friend process allows responsible adults (parents, guardians, relatives etc) to claim on behalf of a child so that compensation can be paid earlier.

So, if your child has injured a finger in an accident that was not their fault, please get in touch to see if they could be entitled to compensation. As their litigation friend, you’ll be able to deal with the claim on their behalf and instruct their solicitor for them.

If the claim is settled in your child’s favour, a court will need to approve the settlement amount. Any payment will then be held in trust by the court until the child’s 18th birthday. However, you’ll be able to request payments from the trust account so long as they benefit the child directly.

Finger injury claim time limit

When making a personal injury claim, you should be aware of the relevant time limit. As such, the limitation period for a finger injury claim is 3 years from:

• The date your finger was injured; or
• The date the finger injury was diagnosed by your doctor.

For child finger injury claims, the time limit won’t start until their 18^th birthday so claims can be made by a litigation friend at any time before then.

To make it easier to gather proof and medical reports to support your case, we suggest starting the claims process as soon as possible.

While straightforward finger injury claims can be settled within around 6 months, others can take longer. In these cases, your solicitor may be able to arrange interim payments from the defendant to help with medical costs or income loss before the claim is finalised.

No Win, No Fee claims

To reduce the stress and financial risk associated with using a solicitor to handle your claim, ours work on a No Win, No Fee basis. As a result, you don’t need to pay legal fees in advance and you won’t pay any whatsoever if the claim fails.

To formalise this, you’ll be sent a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) if your claim is taken on. Once signed, your solicitor can begin working on your case. They will:

• Review the claim in detail with you.
• Collect supporting evidence and medical reports.
• File the claim with the defendant.
• Deal with all communication so you won’t need to talk directly to the defendant.
• Negotiate on your behalf.
• Try to secure the highest amount of finger injury compensation possible.

You’ll only need to pay for this work if you receive a compensation payment for your finger injury.

Start a finger injury compensation claim today

To find out if we could help you to claim compensation for a finger injury, please call on 0800 652 1345 today. By doing so, your claim will be reviewed by a specialist advisor who’ll offer free  advice on your next steps.

Where a claim is taken on by a solicitor on our panel, everything will be dealt with on a No Win, No Fee basis.

If you have any immediate concerns or questions about the finger injury claims process, you can connect to our free live chat service at any time.