The thumb is an important part of your hand. It helps you to grasp and manipulate objects as well as provide precision and dexterity in hand movements. Suffering a thumb injury could have a serious impact on the use of your hand. This could include affecting your ability to work, participate in hobbies and even go about your daily life. In this guide, we look at how thumb injury compensation amounts in the UK may be calculated.
Our guide begins by looking at when and how you may be eligible to claim for a thumb or finger injury. Next, you can find information on what injuries you could claim for before looking at how compensation may be calculated. In our case study, you can find out more about how claims work before looking at the overall claims process. Finally, at the end of this guide, there is information on No Win No Fee personal injury claims.
Get in contact with a personal injury lawyer from our panel by first speaking to an advisor and if you are eligible to claim, they can connect you immediately:
- Phone an advisor on 0800 408 7825.
- Talk to us over our live chat.
- Or, contact us using our online form.
Browse Our Guide
- Am I Eligible To Claim For A Thumb Injury?
- Types Of Injuries You Can Claim For
- Average Thumb Injury Compensation Amounts In The UK
- Case Study: £12,000 Thumb Dislocation Compensation
- How To Claim For A Thumb Injury
- Finding The Right Solicitor For You
- More Information
Am I Eligible To Claim For A Thumb Injury?
Thumb injuries could be caused by a variety of different accidents. Whilst below we will look at examples of different types of accident you could be injured in, the most important factor in a finger injury compensation claim is being able to show it was caused by someone else’s negligence.
To be eligible to claim compensation:
- The party you are claiming against had a duty of care to you.
- This party breached their duty of care.
- You were injured as a result of this.
- You claim within the applicable time limit.
Road Traffic Accidents
All road users have a duty of care to all other road users. They must drive or otherwise use the road in a way that does not harm themselves or others. While doing so, they must comply with rules set out in both the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988.
An example of a road traffic accident could be a driver ignores a giveway junction and crashes into the side of a vehicle established on the road. This causes a significant thumb fracture.
Accidents At Work
Whilst in the workplace, your employer owes you a duty of care. They must take steps to ensure that you are kept reasonably safe and that they adhere to all legislation relevant to your workplace. The main legislation conferring a duty of care on employers is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
An example of an accident work could be a piece of machinery that has no guard rail, and this is not picked up in a risk assessment. A worker, whilst using the machine, slips, and as there is no guard rail, their thumb is amputated by the machine.
Public Liability Accidents
Whilst in public places you are owed a duty of care by the party in control of that space, called the occupier. They have to take reasonable steps to ensure your safety. Their duty of care is set out in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Public places may include parks, restaurants and shopping centres.
An example of a public liability claim could be there is a spillage in a restaurant that an employee is aware of. They do not clean it up or place a warning sign, and a customer slips over, landing heavily on their hand, tearing a tendon in their thumb
Learn more about when you could claim for an injury in a car accident, a workplace accident or an accident in a public place by contacting our team.
Types Of Injuries You Can Claim For
The fingers and thumbs are complex body parts. They are made up of several bones, as well as joints, nerves and tendons. As a result, there are a variety of different types of finger injury or thumb injury you could suffer.
Potential types of injury include:
- Crush injuries. These may cause damage to the bones as well as soft tissues.
- Thumb or finger fractures where the bone is broken.
- Lacerations, cuts and bruising.
- Dislocation injuries.
- A thumb is severed, resulting in a partial or full amputation.
- A minor thumb injury, such as a sprain or strain.
If you suffered any of these types of thumb injury due to someone else’s negligence actions you could make a thumb or finger injury compensation claim. Please contact us for more information about thumb injury compensation amounts in the UK.
Average Thumb Injury Compensation Amounts In The UK
If you are eligible to claim, you may wish to know how much compensation for a broken thumb or other injury you may be owed. Compensation for thumb injuries may be awarded in two heads of claim. These are called:
- General damages are awarded for non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering, loss of amenity, and psychological injury.
- Special damages are awarded for economic losses and expenses related to your accident.
To estimate your entitlement to general damages, your solicitor may consult figures taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document provides guidelines on compensation for different types of injury. Please note the JCG only applies to cases in England and Wales.
Below is a table with examples from the JCG. The initial figure is not from the JCG and represents what you could be awarded in general and special damages in a case of serious injury.
| Type Of Injury | Severity | Damages |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple types of injuries and special damages | Serious or severe | Up to £200,000 or more. |
| Thumb injury | (R) Loss of the thumb. | £43,350 to £66,920 |
| (S) Very serious thumb injury | £23,920 to £42,720 | |
| (T) Serious thumb injury | £15,370 to £20,460 | |
| (U) Moderate thumb injuries | £11,800 to £15,370 | |
| Fingers | Severe fractures | Up to £44,840 |
| Total and partial loss of index finger | £14,850 to £22,870 | |
| Psychiatric damage | (B) Moderately severe | £23,270 to £66,920 |
| (C) Moderate | £7,150 to £23,270 | |
| Hand | Less serious crush injury | £17,640 to £35,390 |
Special damages could be awarded for out of pocket expenses such as:
- Loss of earnings – if you are unable to work, you may be compensated for lost wages. This could include lost future earnings.
- Medical costs – this may include the cost of medical care, rehabilitation and any recovery needs.
- Care costs – expenses related to care or assistance needed in the home following your injury.
- Prothesis – a prosthetic thumb may be required in cases of amputation.
- Travel expenses – the expense of travelling to and from medical appointments.
- Damage to personal property – this could include the cost of replacing and/or repairing personal property damaged in the accident.
Please contact us for more information on how much compensation for a broken thumb or other injury you could claim.
Case Study: £12,000 Thumb Dislocation Compensation
Here, we look at a compensation case study. In this case, the claimant was an office manager. Their office was based in a multi-storey block with 24-hour access. They lived with their partner and two dogs.
One evening whilst working overtime (beyond their usual 9am – 5pm hours) the claimant was preparing to leave work. The claimant was halfway down their staircase when a handrail became loose. This caused her to fall, striking her right hand. The claimant realised her right thumb was facing an unusual direction and was painful.
The claimant was in pain for the rest of the evening. Eventually, she decided to go to her local A&E department. She was examined and diagnosed with a severely dislocated thumb. The thumb was put back into place, and she was given a splint to wear and was prescribed daily painkillers. The doctor advised that she rest the thumb as much as possible, recuperating at home for many weeks.
Subsequently, the claimant required physiotherapy as well as help around the house by both a cleaner and a professional carer.
The claimant sought legal advice and filed a thumb injury compensation claim. She was awarded £8,300 for her physical pain and suffering and £ 3,700 for special damage, for a total settlement of £12,000.
Get in touch to learn more about thumb injury compensation amounts in the UK.
How To Claim For A Thumb Injury
When making a finger or thumb injury compensation claim, you should expect to follow the injury claims process. The first step will be seeking medical attention if you have not already done so but feel that you need to. This may include visiting a doctor or other healthcare provider.
Visiting a healthcare professional ensures you get the medical care you need and helps you start to create evidence that could support your case.
In the next sections, we further look at aspects of the compensation claims process.
Collect Evidence
You must provide sufficient evidence to show that your thumb injuries were caused by another party. Types of evidence which could help you to do so may include:
-
- Accident reports – this may include official reports such as police reports for road traffic accidents or records from an accident report book for workplace or public space.
- Medical evidence – you may submit records of your medical treatment from a GP surgery, hospital or other medical practice. These should show what injury you suffered and what degree of recovery you are expected to make. You can request copies of your medical records from the NHS.
- Independent medical assessment – you may be asked to attend an independent medical assessment in which your thumb or hand injury is assessed and a report created.
- Photo and video evidence – photos of the scene of an accident, your thumb or finger injury or CCTV footage showing the accident take place may all be submitted as evidence.
- Witness details – you can request the contact details of anyone who witnessed your accident. They may subsequently be asked to provide a witness statement.
Time Limits And How Long Claims Can Take
It is important that you are aware of what time limit may apply to your personal injury claim.
- The standard time limit applicable is three years taken from the date of the injury or the date you became aware of the thumb injury.
- The time limit for claims involving children does not begin until their eighteenth birthday.
- The time limit does not apply to claims involving those with reduced mental capacity, but will start to run from the date they recover capacity.
In cases involving children or those lacking capacity, a litigation friend may act on behalf of the person harmed.
How long a claim may take depends on several factors. Without being able to assess your thumb injury claim, we can not say how long it could take to conclude. However, factors which could influence this include,
- If the defendant accepts liability for your accident and injuries.
- If parties to the claim can negotiate and agree upon a settlement.
- The complexity of injuries suffered as well as the time it takes to recover from them.
- The legal issues in the case.
Please contact our team for more information on the time you have to claim for thumb injuries.
Finding The Right Solicitor For You
If you have a valid thumb injury claim, one of our panel of personal injury solicitors could assist you on a No Win No Fee basis. To do so, they could handle your claim through a Conditional Fee Agreement. This allows your solicitor to help you without charging anything for their services unless your claim is successful.
The benefits of claiming on a No Win No Fee basis include:
- No solicitors fees are paid in advance to begin your case.
- No solicitors fees are payable whilst the claim is ongoing.
- Any solicitors fees will not be levied in the event of an unsuccessful claim.
Instead, if you are awarded compensation for an injury, your solicitor will deduct a success fee. There is a legal restriction on the percentage of your award, which may be charged as this fee. This means you will keep the majority of the compensation.
Get in touch with our team today:
- Tell a member of our team what happened using our live chat.
- Contact us to send the details of your claim.
- Or, call our team now on 0800 408 7825.
More Information
Here, you can find related guides from across our site now you have finished reading about thumb injury compensation amounts in the UK.
- Here, we look at how to sue your employer for a slip and fall.
- Read more about the hand injury claims process in this guide.
- Learn more about making a tendon injury, such as for a torn Achilles tendon, in this guide.
In the following resources, you can learn more about dealing with a hand injury:
- Find out more about first aid in this NHS guide.
- Read more about accident at work statistics from the Health and Safety Executive.
- You may be able to claim Statutory Sick Pay if you lost earnings due to taking time of work to recover.
Thank you for reading our guide on how thumb injury compensation amounts in the UK may be calculated. Get in touch with our team for more information on how your No Win No Fee claim may be calculated.
