Broken Finger Compensation Claims In The UK

By Danielle Fletcher. Last Updated 26th January 2024. In this guide, we provide you with information about broken finger compensation. We explain what circumstances could make you eligible to make a personal injury claim for your broken finger tip.

We’ll also look at different daily situations where you could suffer an accident that may result in a broken little finger. Furthermore, we’ll look at the duty of care that you are owed in each of these situations. When this duty is broken, and you suffer a broken finger as a result, you could be eligible for compensation.

Additionally, we’ll look at what evidence you could submit in support of a personal injury claim as well as some figures that you could be awarded in a settlement.

Should you have valid grounds for a claim, you may like to instruct a solicitor to work on your case. We conclude with a look at what it means for a solicitor to provide their services under a No Win No Fee arrangement.

If you have any questions, or would like help getting your claim started, please contact an advisor from our team.

To speak to an advisor:

• Fill in our ‘claim online’ form and an advisor will call you back.
• Call 020 3870 4868
• Use our live webchat feature.

Services And Information

1. When Can You Claim For A Broken Finger Injury?
2. What Is A Broken Finger Injury?
3. Broken Finger Compensation Claims Calculator
4. What Is The Compensation Claim Limitation Period?
5. Do I Need Evidence To Support A Broken Finger Claim?
6. Claim Broken Finger Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis
7. Related Guides

When Can You Claim For A Broken Finger Injury?

In order to make a finger injury compensation claim, you first have to ensure that your case meets the personal injury claiming criteria. This means that you have to be able to prove that:

• You were owed a duty of care.
• This duty was breached.
• As a result, you suffered an injury. 

There are many situations in which you could be owed a duty of care. For example, these can include:

• At work: While you are at work, your employer owes you a duty of care. This is outlined under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), which states that employers have to take reasonably practicable steps to keep you safe while working. If they fail to do so, and you suffer a finger injury in an accident at work, you may be able to make a claim.

• On the road: While using the roads, all road users owe one another a duty of care to use the roads in a safe manner, which means they have to prevent themselves and others from coming to harm. To uphold this, they must comply with the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988. Failing to comply with both of these legislation could lead to a collision, for which victims of the crash could make a finger injury compensation claim.

• In public: While in a public space, the controller of the premises owes you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA). This means that they have to ensure your reasonable safety while you are using the space for its intended purposes. Failure to uphold this duty of care could result in a broken finger for which a claim could be possible.

Our team of advisors are here to help you find out if you can claim compensation. If you’ve suffered a finger injury because a responsible party breached the duty of care they owed to you contact a member of our team to find out if you can claim.

What Is A Broken Finger Injury?

Fractures of the bones can be categorised in a number of different ways. These include:

• Hairline fracture: A hairline fracture is a crack in the bone that does not separate it into two distinct pieces. A hairline fracture might not cause some of the symptoms we typically associate with a broken bone, like severe pain. In some cases, a person suffering from a hairline fracture may not even realise that they have broken a bone at all.
• Non-displaced fracture: This is a fracture where the bone has been broken into two distinct pieces, but these pieces have not moved out of position.
• Displaced fracture: Where the bones of the fracture have moved out of alignment. This could cause problems with the fracture healing, and the broken ends of the bone pose a risk of damaging the muscles, tendons and blood vessels around the break.
• Closed fracture: A closed fracture is one where the skin has not been broken.
• Open fracture: In an open fracture, the skin will have been broken. This could pose a greater risk of infection to the soft tissue and bone as it is exposed to the environment.

If you have suffered a finger injury, contact our team to learn more about how to claim compensation. Or, read on to find out more about making a finger injury compensation claim.

Broken Finger Compensation Claims Calculator

There are two main figures to consider when discussing broken finger compensation amounts. They are known as general damages and special damages. 

General Damages

This figure is worked out based on the pain and suffering that your injuries have caused you. It is calculated with the help of a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).

These guidelines are made up of an extensive list of injuries and what they could be worth in compensation. The severity of the injury and the recovery time are both things that are taken into account. For instance, a badly broken finger that requires surgery might attract a higher compensation award than a simple fracture that doesn’t require extensive treatment. 

The JCG is updated on a semi-regular basis. The guidelines were last reviewed in 2019. Below, we’ve included a table containing some figures from the latest edition of the JCG. 

Guideline Compensation Brackets

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Injury	Description	Amount
Multiple Serious Injuries And Special Damages	Multiple serious injuries in combination with financial losses, such as lost earnings.	Up to £100,000+
Amputation of Index and Middle and/or Ring Fingers	Injuries of this nature will cause the grip to be very weak.	£61,910 to £90,750
Serious Hand Injury	The hand will have been reduced to 50% capacity and several fingers may have had to be amputated.	£29,000 to £61,910
Severe Fractures to Fingers	Injuries of this nature might result in an impaired grip and reduced function. It could also lead to partial amputation.	Up to £36,740
Total and Partial Loss of Index Finger	Total loss of the finger will likely result in an award at the top end of the bracket	£12,170 to £18,740
Serious Injury to the Thumb	Injuries may involve amputation of the tip of the thumb, damage to the nerves or a fracture that requires plates and pins be inserted	£12,590 to £16,760
Serious Injury to Ring or Middle Fingers.	Where the finger has been fractured or injured in a way that causes stiffness, deformity	£10,320 to £16,340
Fracture of Index Finger	The fracture will have mended quickly but the grip is still impaired.	£9,110 to £12,240
Severe Dislocation of the Thumb	This type of thumb injury could involve a minor loss of function that is permanent.	£6,340 to £7,780
Loss of Part of the Little Finger	The remaining tip of the finger will be sensitive.	£3,950 to £5,860

Special Damages

Special damages are calculated to account for any financial losses or additional outgoings caused as a direct result of your injuries. Because of this, the figure can vary greatly on a case to case basis.

For example, a fractured finger may mean that you have to take time off work as you recover. Therefore, part of the special damages you receive could reflect the loss of earnings you experience.

Examples of other things that could be included in special damages include:

• Travel expenses to hospital appointments or meetings with your solicitor
• The cost of medical treatment that you couldn’t get on the NHS
• Lost deposits for things like holidays that you’re no longer able to attend

It’s important that you keep evidence of any costs that you’ve incurred because of your injuries. This can be in the form of receipts, invoices and bills. Without evidence, it will be difficult for you to claim back special damages.

What Is The Compensation Claim Limitation Period?

Generally, you have three years to start a personal injury or medical negligence claim for compensation. This either runs from the date of the accident or the date that you became aware that you suffered avoidable harm as a result of negligence. The latter is known as the date of knowledge.

There are some exceptions to this, however. For instance, someone under the age of 18 cannot represent themselves in a claim. Instead, a litigation friend can pursue a claim on their behalf at any point until they turn 18. Once they turn 18, they have 3 years to start their own claim providing that one hasn’t already been made.

If someone lacks the mental capacity to pursue their own claim, a litigation friend can claim on behalf of them. While they lack the mental capacity to claim, the time limit is suspended. The three-year limit starts in the event that they regain their mental capacity.

If you would like to know more about the time limits associated with starting a personal injury claim, then get in touch with our team. One of our advisors will be happy to offer you free legal advice.

Do I Need Evidence To Support A Broken Finger Claim?

Collecting evidence is an essential part of claiming for a broken finger. Evidence can help you prove how your injuries occurred, who is responsible, and the severity of your injury.

Some examples of evidence that you could use to support a claim for a broken little finger, broken middle finger, or other finger breaks include:

• Medical records: Your medical records, x-rays, or other official medical documents can help verify the severity of the break and the treatment you will need to recover.
• CCTV footage: Footage of the accident can help illustrate who is responsible for your injuries and how they occurred.
• Witness contact details: By taking the contact details of any witnesses, a statement regarding the incident could be taken from them at a later date.

Additionally, if you decide to work with a solicitor for your claim, they could help you with gathering evidence.

To find out whether you could be eligible to work with one of the solicitors on our panel for your personal injury claim, contact our advisors today.

Claim Broken Finger Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis

If you meet the eligibility criteria to seek broken finger compensation, you may wish to have legal support during the personal injury claims process. One of the solicitors from our panel could help with your claim, provided you meet the eligibility requirements to claim. The solicitors on our panel offer their services under a type of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

If a solicitor works with you on a No Win No Fee basis, they generally won’t ask you to pay any fees upfront to begin working on your claim. They also aren’t going to take any ongoing fees for their services. Additionally, if your case isn’t successful, they will not charge for their work on your finger injury claim.

However, if you are awarded compensation following a successful claim, they will take a success fee from your compensation. This amount is a percentage that is legally limited.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about claiming compensation for a broken finger, please get in touch with a member of our advisory team. In addition to helping you with anything you would like to know about the claims process, if you are eligible, you could be connected to one of the solicitors from our panel. To get in touch today:

• Call us on 020 3870 4868
• Use the live chat feature at the bottom right of the page
• Fill out our online form on our website to see if you have a claim

Related Guides

Below, we’ve included some links to additional information you may find helpful.

1. How to report a doctor for medical negligence.
2. Information on the weight limit for manual handling.
3. Our guide to slip, trip and fall accident claims.
4. How Do I Claim If My Fingers Were Trapped In A Door At Work?

External information:

1. NHS information on detecting a broken finger.
2. How to request CCTV footage of yourself.
3. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. 

Guide by IB

Checked by NC