Solicitors for Arm and Hand Injuries

Function. The value of a hand injury claim turns less on how the injury looks and more on what it prevents the person from doing. Loss of grip strength, reduced dexterity and altered sensation are what affect the ability to work and manage daily tasks, and the medical evidence should measure those rather than simply describe the injury.

Yes, it generally does. An injury to the dominant hand has a greater effect on daily life and on the ability to work in most jobs, and compensation reflects that difference. The medical evidence and the claim should make clear which hand was affected and what that has meant in practice.

Yes, and these are among the more serious workplace claims. Employers are required to guard dangerous machinery, provide adequate training and ensure safe systems of work. Where those requirements have not been met, the employer's failure is usually the central issue in the claim, and the absence of guarding or training is telling evidence.

It depends on the recovery and the treatment needed. A fracture that heals well may settle within six to twelve months. Where there has been reconstructive surgery, nerve damage or an amputation, the claim takes considerably longer, because the outcome and the effect on work need to be established before the claim can be valued.

Yes, where the scarring is significant. Compensation can reflect both the visible scarring and any effect on sensitivity or movement. Where further treatment such as scar revision or skin grafting is needed, that also forms part of the claim. Photographs taken over time help document how the scarring has changed.

Where the injury means you cannot return to your previous work, the claim can include the difference in earnings over the longer term, and the cost of retraining for other work where that is appropriate. This is often the largest element of a serious hand injury claim, and it needs evidence about both your injury and the work you were doing.

The process is broadly the same, but the scope of the evidence is different. Serious injuries of this kind need evidence on prosthetics, equipment, care and future needs, alongside the evidence on the injury itself. Where the injury is life changing, we also look at whether rehabilitation can be arranged early and whether an interim payment may be available.

For most claims in England and Wales the limit is three years from the accident. Where the injury developed gradually through repetitive work, the three years usually runs from the date you knew or ought to have known that the injury was connected to the work. Different rules apply to children and to people who lack capacity.