For most people it’s fair to say that the loss of a finger can have a substantial impact on their life. That being said, the amounts you can be awarded for a finger loss injury claim can be perceived as very low when it comes to the injury payout alone.
It is important to understand the differences between the injury payout and a claim for losses and expenses though – so read on for a better understanding in how this works.
Difference between injury payout and losses / expenses payout
The injury payout, known as General Damages, is based on the extent and severity of the suffering endured. When it comes to a finger loss, it’s fairly ‘set’ when it comes to payouts, given that the suffering is usually easy to identify.
Ultimately you’ve lost a finger and it isn’t going to grow back; and that’s that.
So the amounts you can claim for are largely ‘fixed’ and unfortunately very low. Using the official guidelines, I will outline below the typical payouts for a finger loss compensation claim. But before you potentially get angry about the generally low amounts you can claim for, make sure you read the rest of this article, because the losses and expenses bit can be the important part.
Guideline payouts
The guidelines we use to value a claim for losing a finger are as follows:
- Total Loss of Index Finger: In the region of £13,400
- Partial Loss of Index Finger: £8,700 to £13,400
- Total Loss of Middle Finger: In the region of £11,150
- Loss of the Terminal Phalanx of the Ring or Middle Fingers: £2,800 to £5,600
- Loss of Little Finger: £6,175 to £8,700
- Loss of Part of the Little Finger: £2,800 to £4,200
You do get more for the loss of several fingers. To give you a few examples:
- Loss of Ring and Little Fingers: In the region of £15,650
- Loss of the Terminal Phalanges of the Index and Middle Fingers: In the region of £17,850
- Loss of Index and Middle and/or Ring Fingers: £44,200 to £64,800
In case you’re wondering, a loss of thumb claim is worth between £25,400 to £39,150.
So, as you can see, payouts for losing individual digits can be very low. It’s quite common for accident victims to question why this is so, but these are taken from the official guidelines as to how much these sorts of injury claims are worth.
BUT – and this is a big but – there are factors that can push the value of the claim up considerably.
Losses and expenses – Special Damages
In addition to claiming for the injury alone where the payout can be one of the above examples, you are also entitled to claim for Special Damages which covers losses and expenses incurred as a result of the accident and injuries. These can be quite high depending on how the loss of finger is going to affect the rest of your life.
So, if you are an office worker, the loss of a finger is likely to have less of an impact on you than if you are a professional pianist. If you are a professional pianist then the loss of finger will likely have a significant impact on the rest of your life, your ability to play, and as such, your occupation.
If the loss of finger results in you being unable to work in the same capacity of the rest of your life, you could claim for future lost earnings and the loss of opportunity in continuing in your career path. This can push the value of the claim up considerable when the losses and expenses claim is huge because of factors like a person’s occupation.
This is something to bear in mind when making a finger loss compensation… Call us 0800 634 7575 to get your claim started today!
