Hand Injury Compensation Claims
When a hand injury wasn't your fault
Your hands matter for almost everything you do, so a hand injury can affect your work and daily life. If someone else was at fault, you may be able to make a hand injury compensation claim. We will explain your options clearly and never pressure you.
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Can you make a hand injury compensation claim?
You may be able to make a hand injury claim if you were hurt in the last three years and someone else was at fault, even in part. That might be an employer who did not keep you safe, another road user, or whoever was responsible for a public place where you were injured.
You can often still claim if you were partly responsible yourself; the compensation is usually adjusted to reflect that, rather than ruled out. If you are not sure whether you can claim, our hand injury solicitors can look into it for you, with no obligation.
Common causes of hand injuries
A hand injury compensation claim can follow almost any accident where someone else was at fault.
Accidents at work
Machinery, tools, crush injuries and cuts, often where guarding, training or protective gloves were missing.
Road traffic accidents
Hands are easily hurt in a collision, as a driver, passenger, cyclist or motorcyclist.
Slips, trips and falls
Putting a hand out to break a fall in a shop, on a pavement or in another public place can cause a fracture.
Faulty products or tools
A tool, appliance or piece of equipment that was defective and caused a cut, burn or crush injury.
Sports and leisure
A hand injury caused by unsafe equipment, premises or the fault of another person.
Assaults
A hand injury from a violent crime may be claimed through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
Hand, finger and thumb injury compensation amounts
The table below shows the guideline brackets courts work from when valuing hand, finger and thumb injuries. They come from the Judicial College Guidelines, the reference judges and solicitors use across England and Wales.The table below shows the guideline brackets courts work from when valuing hand, finger and thumb injuries. They come from the Judicial College Guidelines, the reference judges and solicitors use across England and Wales.
Two things are worth understanding before you read them. These brackets cover the injury itself, meaning the pain, the recovery and any lasting loss of function. They do not include your financial losses, such as lost earnings, treatment costs or care, which are claimed separately and are often the larger part of a claim. And where your injury falls within a bracket depends on medical evidence about your own recovery, so no figure here is a prediction of what any individual claim is worth.
| Injury | Guideline bracket |
|---|---|
| Hand injuries | |
| Total or effective loss of both hands | £120,040 to £171,920 |
| Serious damage to both handsPermanent cosmetic disability and significant loss of function | £47,550 to £72,150 |
| Total or effective loss of one hand | £82,040 to £93,540 |
| Serious hand injuryHand reduced to around 50 per cent capacity | £24,740 to £52,810 |
| Less serious hand injurySevere crush injury with significantly impaired function | £12,340 to £24,740 |
| Moderate hand injuryCrush injuries, penetrating wounds, soft tissue damage and deep lacerations | £4,780 to £11,330 |
| Finger injuries | |
| Amputation of the index and middle and/or ring fingers | £52,810 to £77,430 |
| Amputation of the terminal phalanges of the index and middle fingers | In the region of £21,320 |
| Amputation of the ring and little fingers | In the region of £18,620 |
| Severe fractures to fingersMay lead to partial amputation, deformity and impaired grip | Up to £31,350 |
| Total or partial loss of the index finger | £10,380 to £15,990 |
| Fracture of the index fingerGrip impaired after recovery | £7,780 to £10,440 |
| Serious injury to the ring or middle fingers | £12,700 to £13,940 |
| Loss of the terminal phalanx of the ring or middle fingers | £3,370 to £6,720 |
| Amputation of the little finger | £7,380 to £10,440 |
| Loss of part of the little finger | £3,370 to £5,000 |
| Thumb injuries | |
| Loss of the thumb | £30,300 to £46,780 |
| Very serious thumb injuryLeaving the thumb virtually useless | £16,720 to £29,860 |
| Serious thumb injuryImpaired grip and loss of dexterity | £10,750 to £14,310 |
| Moderate thumb injury | £8,250 to £10,750 |
| Severe dislocation of the thumb | £3,370 to £5,790 |
| Minor injuries | |
| Minor hand, finger and thumb injuriesIncluding fractures that have recovered within about six months, and scarring, tenderness or reaction to cold where recovery is complete | Up to £4,055 |
These amounts cover the injury only. Lost earnings, treatment and travel costs, care from family and any help you need at home are claimed on top, as special damages. For someone who works with their hands, that part of a claim is frequently the larger one.
They are guideline brackets, not a valuation. Where an injury sits within a bracket depends on medical evidence about how well you recover and how the injury affects your daily life and your work. Two people with the same fracture can have very different claims.
They do not apply to criminal injuries. If you were injured in an assault, an application through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is assessed under a separate government tariff, and the deadline is normally two years rather than three.
Figures are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 15th edition (2019). The Guidelines are revised periodically and later editions have increased these brackets, so the amounts shown are a guide to the structure of an award rather than a current valuation. Awards are assessed on the medical evidence in each case. This page is general information, not legal advice. For an up-to-date view of what your own claim may be worth, speak to our team.
How much for hand injury compensation claim?
Every hand injury claim is different, so it is not possible to promise a figure or a meaningful average. What matters is the injury itself, how it has affected your work and daily life, and the financial losses it has caused.
For the injury, the courts use the Judicial College Guidelines, which set out bracket ranges by severity as guidance, not a promise. A hand that has fully recovered and one with permanent loss of function sit far apart. The right figure depends on an independent medical assessment.
- The pain, suffering and effect on your daily life
- Lost earnings, now and in the future
- Treatment, physiotherapy and travel costs
- Aids, adaptations and help at home
Hand injury compensation is usually made up of general damages, for the injury and its impact, and special damages, for your financial losses. Your solicitor will explain what your claim may be worth once the medical evidence is in.
Evidence that supports a hand injury claim
You do not need everything before you get in touch. Here is what tends to help, and we can arrange the rest.
No records to hand? That is fine. With your permission we can request your medical notes and arrange an independent examination of your hand.
No Win No Fee hand injury claims
Where a claim can be taken on this basis, you can start without paying anything upfront. If the claim is not successful, you will not pay a fee for our work, subject to the terms of your agreement.
If the claim succeeds, an agreed success fee is deducted from your compensation, and insurance is usually put in place to cover the other side’s costs. Your hand injury solicitors will explain all of this clearly, in plain English, before you commit to anything.
You will see the full terms in writing before your claim begins.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most, answered plainly.
How do you make a hand injury claim?
Get your hand looked at, make sure the accident is reported, and then speak to a solicitor. From there we gather your medical records and evidence of how the accident happened, arrange an independent examination of your hand, and put the claim to the insurer of whoever was at fault. Most hand injury claims settle by negotiation without a court hearing.
How much can you claim for a hand injury?
There is no set amount, and no online calculator can value a hand injury properly. A claim is worked out in two parts: general damages for the injury itself and its effect on your life, and special damages for financial losses such as lost earnings, treatment and help at home. Courts use the Judicial College Guidelines as a guide to the first part, based on severity and recovery. Your solicitor will explain what your claim should include once the medical evidence is in.
Who actually pays my compensation?
Usually the insurer of whoever was at fault, such as an employer’s or a driver’s insurer, not the individual personally. If the injury was caused by a violent crime, a claim may instead go through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. We will identify the right route for you.
Can I claim for a hand injury from an assault?
You may be able to, through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which handles claims for injuries from violent crime in Great Britain. The rules and time limits are different from an ordinary injury claim, so it is best to talk it through with us early.
How long do I have to make a claim?
Usually three years from the date of the accident. There are exceptions: for someone under 18 the three years runs from their 18th birthday, where a person lacks the mental capacity to claim there may be no time limit, and CICA claims have their own separate deadline. It helps to ask us early, as evidence is easier to gather sooner.
What are interim compensation payments?
An interim payment is an early part-payment of compensation, made before the claim fully settles, where liability is accepted and there is a clear need. It can help with lost income or treatment while your claim continues. Whether one is available depends on the case, and we will tell you if it is an option.
Check if you can claim, free and in confidence
Tell us a little about what happened, and we will look into it and get back to you. There is no pressure and no obligation, and a first conversation is free.
- Free, confidential and without obligation
- No Win No Fee available
- SRA-regulated solicitors
Check if you can make a claim
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Other claims we handle
Start your hand injury claim
If your hand was injured in an accident that was not your fault, you have every right to ask whether you can claim. A first conversation is free, confidential and without any obligation.
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