By Cat Swift. Last Updated 28th July 2023. In this guide, we discuss claiming compensation for a fingers caught in a door accident or similar injuries. If you’ve suffered a crushed finger, have had a finger trapped in a door at work, or want to claim for a trapped thumb in a car door, legal advice is included in this guide.
Door Injury Claim Guide
We also give guidance on the question ‘I slammed my finger in a car door, is it broken?’ Plus, we offer guidance on what injuries you could claim for if someone shut your finger in a car door on purpose. We discuss what could be included in a dominant hand injury settlement, and provide an alternative to a finger injury claim calculator.
To speak to an advisor about claiming compensation for a finger injury, then you could contact us through the following methods:
- Telephoning 0800 073 8801
- Contact us online
- Using the 24/7 live chat feature
Choose a section
- Can You Claim If Your Fingers Have Been Caught In A Door?
- Time Limits When Claiming For Your Fingers Being Caught In A Door
- Steps to take once your finger has been caught in the door
- My Child Got Fingers Crushed In A Door At School, Can I Claim?
- Crushed Fingers In A Door At Work Claims
- Common Symptoms Of A Smashed Finger
- Fingers Crushed In A Shop Door, Can I Claim?
- What Damages Can I Claim For?
- Finger Injury Compensation Amounts
- Claiming For Finger Injuries With No Win No Fee Solicitors
Can You Claim If Your Fingers Have Been Caught In A Door?
If you’ve suffered injuries when your finger was slammed in a door, you may wonder if you are eligible for compensation. Later on in this guide, we explore incidents that can lead to a finger injury.
All personal injury claims need to be supported with evidence. This evidence must show that you were owed a duty of care and it was breached, resulting in your injury. For example, if you are at work, your employer owes you a duty of care.
For example, if you slammed a finger in a car door, and your employer was responsible for maintaining the car, you might be eligible to claim. You would need to prove that your employer failed to carry out required repairs and this led to the door shutting on your finger.
You can ask our advisors about finger injury compensation amounts. In addition to providing free legal advice, they can discuss your claim eligibility. If they think you could recover compensation, they can put you in touch with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors. Call them using the number at the top of the page.
If Someone Shut My Finger In A Car Door, How Do I Prove It?
If someone shut your finger in a car door, you would need proof to make an injury claim. You would have to prove that someone breached a duty of care towards you, and your finger was trapped in a door because of this, causing injury. There are several pieces of evidence that could help a claim such as this. For example:
- Medical evidence – This can include doctor reports or hospital reports. You may also have to see an independent medical expert. A solicitor could arrange an appointment with such an expert for you.
- Evidence of a breach of duty of care – If anyone witnessed an incident where someone shut your finger in a car door, you could ask them for contact details. They could verify what happened in a statement. A solicitor could arrange to take a statement for you. CCTV footage could also be useful in proving such a breach occurred.
Crushed finger negligence claims
- Proof of costs and losses – When you successfully claim for a finger trapped in a door, you could receive general damages and special damages. Special damages compensate claimants for out-of-pocket costs and losses caused by their injuries. You would need to evidence these costs and losses, however. Bank statements and bills, as well as payslips showing loss of income could help with this.
Time Limits When Claiming For Your Fingers Being Caught In A Door
If you have had your hand slammed in a door and have suffered a crushed thumb or other finger injury, you may be eligible for compensation. However, you only have a certain amount of time to start a claim. The time limits for starting a personal injury claim can be found in the Limitation Act 1980 and generally are:
- 3 years from the date you were injured.
- 3 years from the date you realised your injury was caused by negligence.
There are certain exceptions to these time limits. For example:
- If your child had their finger slammed in a door, they will have 3 years to start a claim from their 18th. Alternatively, a court appointed litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf before this time. In this instance, the time limit is suspended.
- For someone who lacks the mental capacity to make a claim, they will have 3 years if they regain this capacity. Or a litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf.
Contact our advisors today if you would like more information on how to sue for a finger injury.
Steps To Take Once Your Finger Has Been Caught In The Door
An important part of making a personal injury claim after you’ve trapped your finger in a door is collecting evidence. There are multiple areas of your claim that require evidence, and the right kinds can help illustrate who is liable for your injury, how it occurred, and how your injury will affect your life going forward.
Some examples of evidence that may help your claim if your finger was trapped in a door could include:
- Medical records: Your medical records can offer more insight into your injuries and the treatment you have needed and will need in the future.
- Photographs: Taking pictures of both your injuries and the site of the accident, such as a broken hinge on the door, could help your claim.
- Witness statements: Taking the contact details of those who may have witnessed your accident allows their statements to be taken by a professional at a later date.
- CCTV footage: If your accident was recorded on a CCTV system, you may be able to request the footage, as this can help prove how your accident occurred.
- Accident book logs: If you were injured at work, you should log your injuries in the accident book. All workplaces with ten or more employees are legally obligated to have an accident book.
For more information on the kind of evidence that you could collect to help support a claim for a trapped finger, contact our friendly advisors today.
My Child Got Fingers Crushed In A Door At School, Can I Claim?
When our children are at school, we expect them to be looked after and cared for properly. It can, therefore, be very upsetting and disappointing to find out they have been hurt. Of course, accidents do happen. However, there are occasions whereby injuries occur because a teacher has not been watching over the children properly or because someone has acted negligently. If this has happened, and your child’s fingers have been crushed in a door at school, you will be able to make a claim for compensation.
You can claim on your child’s behalf, and if child accident claims are successful, the money will typically be placed in a trust fund until they turn 18-years-old. Alternatively, if you do not claim, your child has the option to do so once they turn 18.
Contact our advisors to learn more about applying to be a litigation friend, and for more information on injuries following fingers being crushed or trapped in a door.
Crushed Fingers In A Door At Work Claims
If you got your fingers crushed in a door while at work, and another colleague is to blame, you may have grounds for an accident at work compensation claim. However, as we mentioned above, you must be able to prove that your injuries following having your finger trapped in a door occurred as a result of negligence. It can be very helpful if you have witnesses to back you up. You should also make sure that the incident is recorded in the accident book at work.
If your workplace has ten or more employees, they are required to have an accident and injury book by law, and so it is important for there to be an official record of the incident in this book.
Common Symptoms Of A Smashed Finger
When it comes to a crushed finger, NHS guidance shows that a smashed finger that occurs through injury or trauma can be very painful. Some of the most common symptoms for someone who closed a finger in a car door or shop door are as follows:
- Severe finger pain, especially throbbing and aching pain
- Stiffness in your finger
- Colour change and bruising of the skin and fingernail
- Loss of sensation in the fingertip
- Difficulty using the fingertip
- Inflammation – pain, swelling, and redness
Fingers Crushed In A Shop Door, Can I Claim?
The duty of care owed to you by the occupiers of a public space is outlined in the Occupiers’ Liability Act (OLA). As such, if the occupier of a public space breaches their duty of care, and you are injured as a result, you may be able to make a claim following getting your finger trapped in a door in a shop.
If you were not paying attention or carelessly jammed your own fingers in a door, you won’t have grounds for compensation. However, if your injuries occurred as a result of third-party negligence, you may have grounds for a claim. For example, if there was a fault with the sliding doors, or you were injured due to another person’s action.
What Damages Can I Claim For?
When making this type of compensation claim, there are two distinct types of damages you can claim for. These are as follows:
General Damages
General damages is the form of compensation you may receive to cover the injuries you have sustained or the harm caused to your crushed finger by medical negligence. It is designed to compensate you for the accident you have been through, as well as the ongoing symptoms and treatment you may be subject to.
Special Damages
Special damages is the term that is used to describe compensation you may receive to cover the expenses caused by your injuries. These include loss of income, travel costs, medication expenses, the cost of counseling, and such like. You must be able to provide proof of these expenses to claim. Evidence of expenses could include receipts, payslips or invoices.
Finger Injury Compensation Amounts
Finger injury claims could be made when an injury was caused by another road user’s negligence.
Your finger injury claim may consist of both general damages and special damages. General damages compensates for the pain and suffering caused by your finger injury. On the other hand, special damages will compensate for the financial losses you incurred because of your injury. The financial losses could include loss of earnings, prescription costs, transportation costs and other out-of-pocket costs directly related to your injury.
The finger injury compensation amounts UK solicitors calculate is determined by various factors. Your finger injury compensation will depend on the severity and impact of your injury. Solicitors also use compensation amounts from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to value your claim. The table below contains compensation amounts from the April 2022 edition of the JCG. These amounts are used as guides and may not be the same as the finger injury compensation you may receive.
| Injury | Notes | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amputation of Middle and Index and/or Ring Fingers | The injury means that the hand is deemed to be of little use. | £61,910 to £90,750 |
| Loss of Thumb | The thumb is amputated. | £35,520 to £54,830 |
| Severe Fractures to Fingers | This could potentially lead to a partial amputations with grip impairment and a deformity. | Up to £36,740 |
| Total and Partial Loss of Index Finger | The higher end of this bracket is applicable where the finger has been amputated. | £12,170 to £18,740 |
| Serious Injury to the Thumb | The tip of the thumb may need to be amputated. Injuries also include fractures and nerve damage. | £12,590 to £16,760 |
| Serious Injury to Ring or Middle Fingers | Serious tendon injuries or fractures that result in deformity and cause stiffness. | £10,320 to £16,340 |
| Moderate Injuries to the Thumb | Damage to the tendons or nerves that may lead to a cosmetic or functional deformity. | £9,670 to £12,590 |
| Fracture of Index Finger | The fracture will have mended quickly but the person experiences pain and grip impairment. | £9,110 to £12,240 |
| Amputation of Little Finger | The little finger is lost. | £8,640 to £12,240 |
| Serious Injury to Little Finger | The finger may require time in plaster due to a fracture. | In the region of £6,000 |
Claiming For Finger Injuries With No Win No Fee Solicitors
If you lose your claim, you won’t pay anything when you work with us. This is because our claims are 100 per cent No Win No Fee. This means you receive legal representation without any ongoing or upfront costs to pay to your solicitor, and you will only pay their success fee if you win.
Our No Win No Fee approach under a Conditional Fee Agreement ensures you are able to get legal representation with reduced financial risk. Not only this, but it ensures our solicitors are accountable, so you know they are always committed to your case. Plus, you know we won’t waste your valuable time. If your case isn’t strong, we will tell you!
For more advice on claiming for finger injuries, you can contact our advisors by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8801
- Contacting us online
- Using our 24/7 live chat
Helpful links Relating To A Fingers Caught In A Door Accident
This link will take you to the NHS page for broken fingers, where you will read information on symptoms of a broken finger, treatment, aftercare, where to get medical help, and what to do.
You can use this page to check your symptoms in an effort to try and diagnose the injury you have sustained. For example, if you’re asking ‘I slammed a finger in a car door, is it broken’ this site could provide useful advice.
