Last updated 11th March 2026. You could claim crush injury compensation if you were harmed as a direct result of another party’s negligent actions or failure to act. Crush injuries can have devastating consequences, often leaving those who suffer them facing long-lasting physical and emotional trauma. This can be compounded if the injury leaves you unable to work and facing mounting costs for physiotherapy, private surgery, and occupational therapy. Compensation can cover these costs, as you may be able to recover any losses associated with your injury.
Legal professionals will take time to consider the ways in which you have been affected mentally and physically to value personal injury compensation. They may inform their valuations using suggestive compensation brackets from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) publication. For instance, someone with a crushed hand injury that required some level of surgical amputation may receive between £117,360 and £133,810. If they suffer a moderate leg injury where one limb has been severely crushed, the compensation guideline is between £33,880 and £47,840.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that your compensation payout will be tailored to suit your unique experience of your crushing injury. If you have any questions about how compensation is calculated, feel free to contact our advisory team. They can further explain how compensation can provide financial relief and what factors are likely to impact your payout. You may also be given the option to work with one of our solicitors, who are experts in personal injury law. Enquire today to find out whether you can take the next steps.
4.8Frequently Asked Questions
- How Much Crush Injury Compensation Can I Claim?
- £85,000 Crushing Injury Compensation Case Study
- Calculating Compensation For Crush Injury Claims
- Can Crush Injury Claim Compensation Cover Other Damages?
- Who Can Make Crush Injury Compensation Claims?
- Examples Of How Crush Accidents Might Occur
- What Are The Different Kinds Of Crush Injuries?
- How To Bring A Crush Injury Compensation Claim
- Crush Injury Compensation With Accident Claims
- Frequently Asked Questions On Crush Injury Compensation
- Learn More
How Much Crush Injury Compensation Can I Claim?
How much crush injury compensation you or a loved one could claim would depend on the severity of the crush injury suffered, which part of your body was affected and how this will affect your daily life.
In successful claims, the crush injury itself and the pain and suffering it has caused would be compensated under general damages.
Compensation for general damages is typically calculated by a solicitor using a medical report in conjunction with the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG publication is often referred to by legal professionals, as it contains compensation guidelines for many different injury types.
All entries in the table below, aside from the first figure, have been taken from the JCG. Please note that they are merely guidelines and do not guarantee how much compensation you or a loved one could receive.
| Injury | Notes | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries with financial losses | More than one form of serious injury with special damages such as loss of earnings and medical expenses | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Paralysis - Tetraplegia (also known as Quadriplegia) | Such cases may involve a lack of awareness and a significantly reduced life expectancy, and will often involve significant brain damage. | £396,140 to £493,000 |
| Paralysis - Paraplegia | The level of award will depend on the extent of pain, depression and the impact on sexual function. | £267,340 to £346,890 |
| Loss of One Arm (iii) | Involving a below-elbow amputation through the forearm, often involving phantom pains. | £117,360 to £133,810 |
| Hand Injury - Total or Effective Loss of One Hand | The hand was crushed and therefore surgically amputated afterwards. | £117,360 to £133,810 |
| Amputation of One Foot | The level of award will depend on the effect on working life, mental health and involves the loss of the ankle joint. | £102,470 to £133,810 |
| Back Injury - Moderate (i) | Crush and compression fractures of the lumbar vertebrae. | £33,880 to £47,320 |
| Leg Injury - Severe (iv) Moderate | Severe crushing injuries to a singular limb. | £33,880 to £47,840 |
| Hand Injury - Less Serious Hand Injury | Severe crush injuries resulting in significantly impaired function | £17,640 to £35,390 |
To receive an in-depth compensation evaluation, please contact one of our friendly advisors today.
4.8£85,000 Crushing Injury Compensation Case Study
Miss Williams suffered a crushing injury while working on a construction site when a pile of bricks fell onto her foot.
She had not been given any personal protective equipment (PPE), including steel-toe cap boots. It is an employer’s duty to provide staff with the PPE required to perform their jobs safely. Due to the lack of PPE, her toes were crushed by the bricks. Two of the toes had to be amputated.
Miss Williams sought compensation with the support of a solicitor, who helped her gather evidence that proved the employer was at fault for her injuries. She received £85,000 in crush injury compensation. This payout comprised £25,000 in general damages for her injuries. Miss Williams also received £60,000 in special damages to cover the impact on her future employment (with restricted prospects) and the costs of home adjustments, private medical care, and therapy.
If you have experienced something similar to this example case study*, speaking directly to an advisor will give you the chance to discuss your situation. Contact us today to determine whether you can proceed and how your compensation would be assessed.
Calculating Compensation For Crush Injury Claims
When calculating compensation for crush injury claims, various factors, such as the severity of the crush, will be taken into consideration.
You or a loved one could also be compensated for any loss of amenity as part of general damages. This essentially refers to the effect the injury has had on your hobbies and social life.
Moreover, the following factors will influence the value of crush injury compensation:
- The injury severity
- The prognosis period
- The impact on your quality of life
- Which part of the body was affected
To learn more about how compensation is calculated, you can contact our advisors.
Can Crush Injury Claim Compensation Cover Other Damages?
Yes, crush injury compensation can cover other damages, otherwise known as special damages. In essence, this award will reimburse you or a loved one for financial losses suffered due to the crush injuries suffered. For instance, you may have paid out of your own pocket for long-term physiotherapy sessions after experiencing a serious injury.
Please see the examples below of special damages that you could include in your claim.
Lost Earnings
If you or a loved one has taken time off work due to crush injuries, the following loss of earnings can be included in your claim:
- Any past or current loss of earnings
- Loss of a bonus
- Loss of overtime pay
- Loss of workplace benefits such as pension contributions and healthcare schemes
Moreover, a loss of earnings calculation for yourself or a loved one would consider the following factors:
- The total time off work
- Net income at the time of the accident
- Whether sick pay was offered, and if it was accepted
Future Loss Of Income
A serious crush injury could also result in permanent disabilities, causing serious effects on the ability to carry out work. In these cases, you could claim for a future loss of income. Therefore, the loss of earnings calculation will consider how long you are expected to be absent. Depending on the severity of the injury, this can differ from case to case.
In essence, the calculation will reflect what you should have earned for a specified time period if the injury had not occurred.
Medical Expenses
If an accident left you with crush injuries, you or a loved one may have sought private medical treatment to avoid long waiting times. As such, you could include the following in your claim:
- Prescription costs
- Mental health support, including counselling, therapy sessions and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Consultations for private medical care
- Private medical treatment
Care Costs
Oftentimes, crush injuries can lead to reduced mobility, prompting you to seek care from family members or professionals. Therefore, you or a loved one could claim for the following:
- Carer costs whilst you or a loved one recovered from the injuries. This may include cooking, cleaning and nursing.
- Indirect care costs, such as the loss of earnings of a family member who may have taken time off work to look after you.
- Childcare or elderly care costs you may have incurred if your injuries left you unable to care for family members.
Rehabilitation Or Recovery
You or a loved one could also include the costs of any rehabilitation or recovery sessions needed to aid the crush injuries. For instance, you could include the following expenses as part of your special damages:
- Physiotherapy sessions
- The costs of prosthetics
- Any suggested treatments to aid your injuries, such as bandages, ligament support, and ointments
- Mobility aids such as wheelchairs, crutches and walking sticks
Adaptations To Home
If a crush injury left you or a loved one with permanent or semi-permanent disabilities, home adaptations may have been required to accommodate the injuries. As such, the following costs could be included in your claim:
- The costs of home adaptations such as chairlifts, hoists and ramps
- If your home could not be modified, you may have relocated due to the crush injuries. You could therefore include any removal costs and installation fees in your claim.
Adaptations To Car
Due to reduced mobility caused by crush injuries, you or a loved one may have made car adaptations to cater for disabilities. Therefore, the following could be included in your special damages:
- The costs of vehicle adaptations such as hand controls, steering aids, swivel seats, person hoists and wheelchair roof boxes
Travel Expenses
You or a loved one may have incurred costly travel expenses from travelling to and from medical appointments and physiotherapy sessions. As such, the following costs could be included:
- Fuel costs
- Public transport costs
Crucially, any claim for special damages must be supported with evidence, such as:
- Invoices
- Receipts
- Payslips
- Bank statements
To learn more about how to claim for special damages, please contact our helpful team for assistance today.
Who Can Make Crush Injury Compensation Claims?
Crush injury compensation claims could be made by yourself or a loved one, provided that the negligent actions of another caused said injuries.
Essentially, you would need to prove your case meets the following criteria in order to have a valid claim:
- You or a loved one were owed a duty of care
- Another party breached this duty of care
- You or a loved one suffered crush injuries as a result of the breach
This is otherwise known as the principle of negligence. Moreover, you will typically have up to 3 years to make a crush injury compensation claim. In accordance with the Limitation Act 1980, the 3-year time limit begins from the date of the accident.
Claiming On Behalf Of A Loved One
You could make a claim on behalf of a loved one by applying to the court to become a litigation friend. Essentially, the role of a litigation friend is to:
- Prioritise a claimant’s best interests throughout the claims process
- Manage court documents
- Hold court funds
- Assist in evidence-gathering efforts
- Keep the claimant as informed as possible throughout the claim
You could therefore assume the role of a litigation friend for loved ones who are unable to manage their own legal affairs. As such, you could claim on behalf of:
- A child
- A person lacking mental capacity
Fatal Crushing Accident Claims
Unfortunately, if your loved one has suffered a fatal crushing accident, you could make a fatal accident claim.. The Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 allows the estate of the deceased person to claim for the pain and suffering experienced by the fatality between the accident and the death. They can also claim on behalf of certain relatives of the deceased (referred to as the dependents).
It is important to note that the estate is the only party that can claim within the first 6 months following the death.
Moreover, dependants could claim for the impact of the deceased’s death on them under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, provided that the estate has not already begun a claim on their behalf within the first 6 months.
Under the 1976 Act, a dependant could be:
- Parents or ascendants of the deceased
- Children or other descendants of the deceased, such as stepchildren
- The husband or wife, or former husband or wife, of the deceased
- The current or former civil partner of the deceased
- A person living with the deceased in their household immediately prior to their death, or 2 years before their death, as a husband and wife or civil partners
To learn more about claiming for fatal accident compensation, please get in touch with our helpful team today.
Examples Of How Crush Accidents Might Occur
Examples of how crush accidents might occur may be due to the negligent actions of an employer, occupier (party in control of a public space) or road user.
Below, we explain in more detail how a crush injury could be suffered in each of these scenarios.
Crush Accidents At Work
All employers owe a duty of care to their employees to take practicable and reasonable steps to ensure the safety of their staff. This obligation is also outlined by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). In doing this, employers should carry out regular inspections of tools and provide staff with personal protective equipment (PPE) as part of their duty.
If you or a loved one suffered a crush injury due to an employer’s negligence, you could therefore make an accident at work claim. For example:
- An employer could fail to perform regular machinery checks and risk assessments in a factory. A drilling machine could malfunction due to a defect, causing an employee’s arm to become stuck and eventually crushed. This could result in the loss of an arm and psychological injuries such as PTSD.
- An employer could incorrectly stack heavy metal boxes on a high shelf in a warehouse. These boxes could fall on an employee, resulting in multiple crush and brain injuries.
Crush Accidents In Public Places
Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, occupiers of public places have a duty of care to visitors of their premises. As such, occupiers should take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of such visitors as part of their duty. For instance, occupiers should install safety barriers and clean up spillages to avoid slips and falls.
Therefore, if you or a loved one has suffered crush injuries due to an occupier’s negligence, you could make a public liability claim. For instance:
- A pub owner could fail to fix the structural damage of an old pub roof. As a result, a falling object from the roof could hit a customer whilst entering the building, causing severe crush injuries. In addition to this, the customer could require a leg amputation.
- An owner of a theme park could fail to perform regular maintenance checks on some of the rides. Consequently, a ride could malfunction with passengers on it, resulting in multiple crush and back injuries.
Crush Injuries From Road Traffic Accidents
All road users owe a duty of care to navigate the roads in a way that prevents harm to themselves and others. To adhere to this duty, they must also abide by the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988. This applies to all road users, such as:
- Drivers
- Motorcyclists
- Cyclists
- Pedestrians
Therefore, if you or a loved one has sustained crush injuries from another driver’s negligence, you could make a road traffic accident claim. To illustrate:
- A driver could fail to pay attention to the road due to using their mobile phone. Due to this, the driver might fail to see the vehicle in front braking, leading to a rear-shunt accident. The passenger of the other vehicle could therefore suffer crush injuries and require a toe amputation.
- A drunk driver could fail to stop at a zebra crossing, causing serious injury to a pedestrian walking across. The pedestrian could also suffer from severe leg crush injuries as well as depression and anxiety.
Please note that the above list is not exhaustive, and crush injuries could arise in many different circumstances. To discuss your personal experience with one of our friendly advisors, please feel free to contact our team today.
What Are The Different Kinds Of Crush Injuries?
The different kinds of crush injuries include compartment syndrome, crush syndrome, hypovolemic shock and skin degloving. We explain what each of these are in more depth below:
- Compartment syndrome. This condition can arise due to swelling in a muscle compartment, leading to an increase in pressure. This can lead to decreased blood flow and even tissue death of the affected area; depending on the severity, surgery may be required to relieve the pressure.
- Crush syndrome. This condition can develop due to the release of pressure following a crush injury. For instance, the release of muscle breakdown products into the bloodstream can lead to sepsis, kidney failure and cardiac arrest.
- Hypovolemic shock. This can result from a significant loss of blood after a crush injury, leading to a low blood volume with life-threatening consequences.
- Skin degloving. Where a crush injury causes the twisting or rolling of skin, it may separate from the underlying tissue. This can cause severe blood loss and serious infections.
Depending on the severity of the crush injury, the symptoms can vary.
To discuss making a crush injury compensation claim, please feel free to contact one of our advisors today.
How To Bring A Crush Injury Compensation Claim
To bring a crush injury compensation claim, it’s essential that you provide evidence to support your version of events. In essence, you or a loved one must demonstrate that another party breached their duty of care, directly resulting in the crush injuries.
Please see the following examples of evidence that you could provide:
- A copy of your or your loved one’s medical records, detailing the crush injuries.
- Dashcam footage of the accident.
- Contact details of any potential witnesses who could support the claim at a later date.
- CCTV footage of the incident. You have a legal right to request CCTV footage of yourself.
- Photographs of any visual injuries
- A copy of an accident report form that details the accident
- Contact and insurance details, and vehicle plate number if involved in an accident with a driver.
If you’re connected with one of our specialist No Win No Fee solicitors, they could help to gather evidence on your behalf. To learn more about the different types of evidence you could provide, please contact one of our friendly advisors today.
Crush Injury Compensation With Accident Claims
Here at Accident Claims, one of our expert solicitors could help you with claiming crush injury compensation. Our dedicated team of advisors are available around the clock to answer any questions you may have about the claims process. Moreover, you could be connected with one of our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors to make your claim for crush injury compensation. Our solicitors operate under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which provides the following benefits:
- No upfront or ongoing solicitor service fees
- No solicitor service fees in the event that your claim is unsuccessful
- If your claim is a success, you’ll be required to pay your solicitor a success fee. The percentage of this fee will be legally capped and deducted from your compensation. Due to this, you’ll always receive the majority of your payout.
At Accident Claims, you could also enjoy the following:
- Regular claim updates
- Arrangements of physiotherapy sessions to aid any ongoing injuries
- Help with signing legal documents
- Explanations of key legal terminologies
- Assistance with evidence-gathering
- Negotiating a settlement on your or your loved one’s behalf that reflects the pain and suffering experienced
Contact Our No Win No Fee Solicitors
To start a claim for crush injury compensation today, please contact one of our advisors:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Use our free live chat feature
Frequently Asked Questions On Crush Injury Compensation
Read this section for answers to some questions we often receive regarding crush injury claims.
What Is A Crush Injury Compensation Claim?
A crush injury compensation claim is a type of legal action for seeking compensation for the physical, mental, and financial harm caused by a third party’s negligent actions.
Can I Claim If Faulty Machinery Caused My Crush Injury?
You can claim if faulty machinery caused your crush injury, on the condition that the party responsible for its maintenance was aware of the issue but failed to repair or replace the equipment in a timely manner.
Can I Claim If The Accident Was Partly My Fault?
Yes, you can claim if the accident was partly your fault, provided someone else still shared blame for your injuries. This is known as a split liability claim, and the amount of compensation you receive will reflect your share of responsibility for the incident.
Can I Claim For Lost Earnings After A Crush Injury?
You can claim for lost earnings after a crush injury, but you will need to prove that the loss was the direct result of being harmed.
Will I Need A Medical Assessment For My Claim?
You may need a medical assessment for your claim to confirm the extent of the harm you have suffered. Your solicitor can arrange this for you at a location convenient to you.
Learn More
To learn more about personal injury claims, please see some of our other guides:
- Learn about spinal accident claims
- Get help with forklift accident claims
- See the following advice about chemical burn compensation claims
Additional external resources:
- Get hep with applying for statutory sick pay from Gov.UK
- See the following advice on manual handling at work from the Health and Safety Executive
- Learn when to call 999 from the NHS.
Thank you for reading our helpful guide on how to claim for crush injury compensation, together with our *illustrative case study.