By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 29th January 2024. Welcome to our guide on finger amputation claims, where we’ll look at the process of claiming finger amputation compensation payouts for claims. In it, we explore how full and partial finger amputation compensation claims work, and what you could claim for the impact on your life after a finger amputation, whether it’s a severed index finger, a middle finger amputation, or a partial thumb amputation accident you’ve experienced.
We hope our tips on claiming compensation for a finger amputation or an amputation of a thumb will assist you in deciding whether to go ahead with a claim for an index finger amputation or another serious injury to the finger. Whatever your case, we could work with you to ascertain whether you could be eligible for a finger amputation payout.
Finger amputation injury claims guide
Our fingers are our primary tools for performing our everyday tasks, as well as more specific tasks such as part of our job or profession. When finger injuries happen, every aspect of your day to day life is affected, and this is even more true if your injury results in an amputated finger.
We hope that this finger amputation claims guide gives you all the information you need if you consider making a personal injury claim for a finger injury. Still, if you have further questions, you can contact our legal team today on 0800 073 8801 for free, no-obligation legal advice. Alternatively, you can use our online contact form to have us contact you at a time that suits you best.
Select A Section
- Am I Eligible To Claim For A Finger Amputation?
- Time Limit For Finger Loss Compensation Claims
- What Evidence Do I Need To Claim Compensation For Losing A Finger?
- Loss Of Finger Compensation
- Claim For A Loss Of Your Finger With One Of Our No Win No Fee Solicitors
- Essential Resources Relating to Finger Amputation Compensation
Am I Eligible To Claim For A Finger Amputation?
Not every accident involving amputated fingers would automatically lead to a personal injury claim. To make claim:
- You would need to prove that a third party owed a duty of care to you.
- They must have breached that duty of care.
- As a result of them breaching their duty of care, you experienced a physical and/or psychological injury.
There are various third parties that owe a duty of care towards you. These include:
- Employers – Per the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must take reasonable and practicable steps to ensure the safety and health of their employees while they are in work and completing work-related tasks.
- Occupiers of public places – Per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, parties in control of public places must make sure they take the necessary steps to ensure the reasonable safety of those using that space for its intended purposes.
- Those on the road – They must use the roads in a manner that avoids causing harm or damage to themselves and other road users. To uphold this duty of care, they must adhere to the rules set out for them in the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code.
To check your eligibility to claim, you can contact an advisor at any time.
Time Limit For Finger Loss Compensation Claims
If you are eligible to make a personal injury claim for your amputated fingers, you would only have a limited period to do so. Under the Limitation Act 1980, you would typically have three years to file a claim. This three-year period would begin from the date of the accident. However, there are some exceptions to this.
For example, if a child were injured, the limitation period would only begin on the date of their 18th birthday, meaning they could not start their won claim prior to this date. From their 18th birthday, they would then have three years to begin the claiming process. However, before they reach adulthood, a litigation friend could start a claim on their behalf.
Those lacking the required mental capacity to make their own claim would have the limitation period frozen. It would only be reinstated if they were to regain this capacity. They would then have three years to begin legal proceedings running from their recovery date. Alternatively, a litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf while the time limit is frozen.
To learn more about time limits in loss of finger compensation claims, please contact an advisor.
What Evidence Do I Need To Claim Compensation For Losing A Finger?
If you are seeking compensation for losing a finger, you will need evidence to back up your claim. Evidence can help strengthen a number of areas of your case by proving the severity of your injuries, who is responsible for them, and how they will affect your life going forward. Useful evidence in a finger amputation claim could include:
- Medical evidence – This could include your medical notes, copies of any scans or X-rays and details of your treatment.
- Evidence of the accident – This could be CCTV footage, an accident report, and photographs of the scene or your injuries.
- Witness details – Should someone have witnessed the incident that caused your amputated finger, take down their contact details so they can be approached for a statement at a later date.
To get help with gathering evidence from one of our No Win No Fee solicitors or to check your eligibility to claim compensation for the loss of a finger, please contact an advisor.
Loss Of Finger Compensation
A successful finger amputation compensation claim would compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by your injury. This compensation would be awarded under the head of claim known as general damages.
Those calculating such damages could look to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for reference.
The JCG provides compensation guidelines for a range of injuries at various severity levels. Below, you will see a table containing figures from the 2022 publication of the JCG, aside from the first figure. However, this should only be used as guidance.
| Injury | Comments | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries with associated financial expenses. | A combination of severe injuries to include special damages such as medical costs and loss of earnings. | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Total or effective loss of one hand (c) | The hand has been crushed and needed to be amputated. Or all the fingers and the majority of the palm have been amputated. | £96,160 to £109,650 |
| Amputation of index and middle and/or ring fingers (d) | The hand’s grip will be very weak and will be of little use. | £61,910 to £90,750 |
| Loss of the thumb (r) | This bracket includes injuries that have resulted in complete amputation of the thumb | £35,520 to £54,830 |
| Severe fractures to fingers (f) | This could potential result in a deformity with grip impairment due to partial amputations. | Up to £36,740 |
| Amputation of the ring and little fingers (d) | This bracket includes complete loss of the little and ring finger. | In the region of £21,810 |
| Total and Partial Loss of Index Finger (i) | The top end of this bracket would more likely be awarded for total loss of the index finger. | £12,170 to £18,740 |
| Serious Injury to Ring or Middle Fingers (k) | Permanent loss of grip, stiffness and deformity due to a serious injury to the tendons or fractures in the fingers. | £10,320 to £16,340 |
| Fracture of index finger (j) | Despite the fracture healing quickly, the person still suffers with grip impairment and osteoarthritis is likely. | £9,110 to £12,240 |
| Amputation of Little Finger (m) | This bracket includes complete loss of the little finger. | £8,640 to £12,240 |
| Serious Injury to the little finger (n) | The finger will require surgery and time in plaster due to a fracture. | In the region of £6,000 |
Additionally, you may also be able to receive compensation for the financial costs and losses you have suffered due to your injury. This would be awarded to you under the head of claim known as special damages.
Costs and losses that could be claimable could include:
- Travel expenses – These could include train fares or parking charges when travelling to hospital appointments, for example.
- Medical costs – you may have incurred costs relating to prescription medicines, for example.
- Care costs – If you’ve needed to be cared for at home because you couldn’t look after yourself, this may have cost you money.
- Loss of income – If your partial finger amputation has left you unable to work and you have lost out on your usual income because of this.
Documents that could help support your claim for costs and losses could include credit card receipts, bills and payslips, for example.
To get a personalised estimate of your compensation payout, or to ask further questions about making a claim, please contact an advisor.
Claim For A Loss Of Your Finger With One Of Our No Win No Fee Solicitors
One of our specialist No Win No Fee solicitors could assist you when making a personal claim for a loss of your finger. Using their experience and specialist knowledge, they’ll be able to collect evidence on your behalf and ensure that your personal injury claim is submitted in full.
Whether you have suffered a partial amputation or lost the tip of your finger, compensation may be easier to secure with the help of our expert solicitors. Our solicitors work under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement.
The benefits of this type of agreement typically include:
- No service fees to pay upfront.
- No ongoing service fees to pay.
- Not having to pay your solicitor for their work if your claim does not succeed.
If your finger injury claim is successful, your solicitor deducts a success fee from the compensation awarded to you. There is a legal cap in place for the percentage this fee can be.
For any further questions about finger injury compensation amounts in the UK, or if you would like to connect with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors, get in touch. Our advisors will be happy to assist where they can.
Below are just some of the ways you can reach out to us:
- Call 0800 073 8801
- Request a call back using our contact form.
- Use our free live chat service.
Essential Resources Relating To Finger Amputation Compensation And Life After A Finger Amputation.
Accident At Work Claims – Read this article on knowing your rights when you have had an accident at work.
Road Traffic Accident Claims – This guide covers the process of claiming compensation for a road traffic accident claim.
Wet Floor Accident Injury Claims – Our online guide takes you through the process of claiming for an accident on a wet floor.
Medical Resources
NHS Broken Finger Or Thumb – See this NHS article for more information on what to do if you get a broken finger or thumb.
NHS Amputation – See this NHS guide to amputation and the reasons why it may be needed.
Soft Tissue Injury To The Finger – This NHS article discusses the symptoms and treatments associated with soft tissue damage.
Thank you for reading our guide on finger amputation claims. We hope you have learned a lot about claiming for full or partial finger amputation compensation. Whether you’ve suffered a severed index finger, and are learning to cope with life after a finger amputation, or you’ve only just suffered a full or partial amputation accident, we could assist you with your claim.