Personal Injury Compensation Guide

Compensation for personal injury is paid out as a monetary award of damages which is designed to compensate the victim for the injury and losses that they have sustained. The compensation that can be won for a claimant falls into two broad categories:

Injury Compensation 

This is known as general damages and is designed to re-numerate the injury victim for the pain, suffering and inconvenience caused by the injury itself. An example of this would be an award of compensation given to the victim of a car accident because he/she had suffered back pain for 2 years as a direct result of the defendants careless driving. The amount of damages received would be in relation to the pain and discomfort suffered. It is basically a subjective test and depends entirely upon the victim

Financial Compensation 

Financial Compensation known as special damages which compensate the victim for any past or future financial losses sustained as a direct result of the accident in question. These include loss of earnings and the cost of medical care. A good example would be a factory worker who because of his injuries was unable to work for 3 months. If he was not paid in full by his employers in his absence then the defendant will be responsible for paying his backdated wages. His medical bills would also be paid in full. This section does not deal with this type of compensation in any detail as any losses depend on each individual claim and would need to be supported by documentary evidence to prove these losses.

Personal Injury Compensation Awards:

Below are examples of the range of damages that can be recovered in relation to the more common injuries that are sustained. We have not included awards which relate to the most serious injuries in each category. Our panel solicitors will be able to advise on these where necessary. Each injury claim is unique and awards will differ in each particular case. The figures below are presented as a range based upon recent case law as well as the official guidelines that are used by solicitors and judges alike when assessing compensation awards.

Neck/Back Injury Compensation
	Minimum	Maximum
whiplash	£2000	£23000
Back injury claim	£1500	£20000
Pelvis/Hip	£2000	£32000
Upper Limb Injury Claim
Shoulder injury	£1000	£25000
Broken Arm	£3500	£31000
Broken Elbow	£3000	£28000
Broken Wrist	£2000	£31000
Hand Injury Claim
Hand(s)	£3250	£40000
Finger(s)	£1500	£29000
Lower Limb Injuries
Broken Leg	£4750	£50000
Leg Strain	£1000	£5000
Broken Ankle	£2000	£35000
Ankle Ligaments	£1000	£15000
Broken Foot	£2000	£50000
Facial Injury Compensation
Broken Nose	£750	£12000
Broken Cheekbone	£1250	£8250
Broken Jaw	£3350	£23750
Scarring	£1000	£25000
Skin Complaints/Scars
Scar (disfiguring)	£4000	£8000
Scar (Superficial)	£1250	£3000
Dermatitis	£1500	£10000
Chest Complaints
Asthma	£2500	£34000
Asbestosis	£5000	£60000
Lung Disease	£2600	£70000
Psychiatric Damage
General	£2000	£60000
Post Traumatic Stress	£2000	£52000