Who can claim finger injury compensation?

The severity of finger and thumb personal injury claims can vary drastically. Such injuries are particularly common within manual job roles and often include dislocations, soft tissue damage, breaks and in some cases, amputation is necessary.

You may be inclined to assume that a finger injury is classed as a very minor claim due to the fact it is not as obviously debilitating as a broken leg. Nonetheless, finger injuries can severely impact a persons work and personal life.

A common cause of workplace finger injuries often involves the operation of dangerous machinery. However, more long term injuries can be inflicted in a much less active role such as an office job. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome is becoming an increasing problem for those using a keyboard with an inadequate desk set up. Finger injuries also remain commonplace during road traffic collisions as we instinctively reach out our hands to protect other parts of the body from physical harm.

In addition to workplace injuries, there is an almost endless list of personal injury causes from playing sports such as football and rugby to slipping on ice or even falling over in the supermarket.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not actually the specific type of injury that influences the level of compensation awarded, instead it is the degree of impact on the claimants life.

The initial part of any finger injury compensation claim is to establish negligence and provide evidence as to the third party responsible.

What to do if you are interested in a finger injury claim

To get the ball rolling with a finger injury compensation claim you should seek out an experienced medical professional to establish an exact diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment.

For those with deep cuts, thanks to impressive medical advancements, a finger can often be saved from amputation when dealt with in a timely manner by highly trained doctors and surgeons.

If an injury has taken place in the workplace, or whilst carrying out work tasks, it should absolutely be recorded in the company’s accident book and the relative authorities should be made aware.

For all types of claims, photographs that depict the location, injury and any witness information can be recorded on the spot on a mobile phone and all of these details and images can help build a more sound case.

The period of limitation for finger injury cases is typically three years, that means claimants have three years from the date of the injury to claim their owed compensation. In some cases, this period cn begin at the point of knowledge, so when a diagnosis is confirmed further down the line. It is always better to initiate the claims process sooner rather than later for this reason but also to keep exact details fresh in your memory. A consecutive timeline of events that covers the time before and also after the injury helps add more reliable detail too.

Establishing liability

As an employee, It is the legal responsibility of your employer to protect you at work. In fact, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is one of the most cited when considering potential compensation for a broken finger at work.

To correctly establish liability, a claimant must be able to prove that the accident was actually caused by the negligence of a third party. In addition, it is also necessary to illustrate the accident itself caused the subsequent finger injury. Lastly, in certain circumstances, an accident must be solely responsible for the worsening of a previous injury.

If you believe multiple parties contributed to your accident and share liability, do not be overwhelmed by this factor and simply note all of this information. The job of the courts is to decide themself who is responsible and it is not uncommon for this to involve more than one third parties.

Finger injury compensation calculator

When it comes to the financial compensation of finger injury claims, each individual finger is valued individually. As a general rule, based on previous cases a minor fracture can obtain a payout of up to £4.750. With this in mind, a serious injury to the ring fingers or middle fingers can be as high as £16,000.

Despite the general guidance, no two cases are the same and for a reliable estimation it is best to complete a simple online tool provided by a reputable personal injury solicitor. You will simply need to input a few key details about yourself and your injury and any experienced firm should be able to provide a ball park figure.

Getting the maximum compensation for a major personal injury case is essential, and we understand this at Claims Bible.

Read more about Personal Injury claims on our Personal Injury page or read more articles about Personal Injury claims.

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