Finger Injury Compensation

Claiming for damage to the fingers

The fingers and thumb are essential instruments that help us go about our daily business. As such, any injury resulting from an accident where someone else was at fault can be the subject of claim for compensation.

Fingers classified

Finger injury includes not only what we strictly call the fingers, but also the thumb. There are tendons and ligaments in the fingers that move the many joints, and damage to these or to the bone structure and skin covering could cause severe pain and inconvenience. The names of the fingers beginning with and working away from your thumb are: thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger.

Finger injury compensation claims

If one or more of your fingers has been injured and the fault lies with someone else, you may want to sue for compensation. Your immediate action should be to find a personal injury solicitor to manage your claim. He or she will be able to help you with regard to the necessities of obtaining medical evidence as to the extent of your injury and proving that responsibility resides with someone else. Like many things in life and law there is also a hierarchy of the fingers, with the amount of compensation you receive depending on where the finger you have injured ranks in this hierarchy. The thumb and index finger are the aristocracy of the fingers, the middle and ring the bourgeoisie and the little finger the insignificant pauper. Apply that hierarchy to the range of figures accorded to each injury and you may get an idea of how much money may fall on you if you choose to seek compensation:

• fracture to one finger - £1,700 to £3,000 – full recovery within one year
• serious fracture to a single finger - £3,000 to £11,000 – this would cause permanent stiffness and perhaps a loss of grip.
• severance of part of a finger - £2,500 to £12,000
• complete severance of a finger - £5,500 to £58,000
• immediate pain that leads to no permanent damage – maximum of £1,500
• fracture with pain lasting 6 months - £1,500 to £2,500
• dislocation with tendon damage that requires surgery and limits the thumbs function - £2,500 to £8,000
• injury to multiple digits – this could affect the whole of your hand; refer to the hand injury page to find figures.