Broken Hand Compensation Claims

A broken hand injury can range from a minor fracture to severe, multiple breaks with long-term or permanent consequences. This can be due to various causes, including road accidents, workplace accidents, slips, trips and falls and criminal assaults.

If the hand injury you’ve sustained was due to the negligence of another party, an experienced solicitor could help you claim compensation for your pain, suffering and related financial losses.

To find out if you can make a broken hand compensation claim, do not hesitate to call 0800 470 0474 today or request a call back. You will receive a free case assessment with a friendly legal adviser without having any obligation to proceed with a claim.

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Table of Contents

• Am I eligible to make a broken hand compensation claim?
• Common accidents that can cause a broken hand
• Signs and symptoms of a hand fracture
• Broken hand diagnosis and treatment
• Can a broken hand have long-term consequences?
• Evidence needed to support a broken hand injury claim
• Will I lose my job if I make a broken hand at work compensation claim?
• Can I make a claim for broken hand compensation on behalf of my child?
• Time limits to start a personal injury claim
• How much compensation for a broken hand could I receive?
• Will I be able to claim compensation on a No Win No Fee basis?

Am I eligible to make a broken hand compensation claim?

The easiest and quickest way to find out if you can make a personal injury compensation claim is through a free consultation with a legal adviser. They will assess the merits of your case by establishing whether:

• Another party owed you a duty of care legally.
• They breached this duty through negligence or wrongdoing and caused an accident.
• You broke your hand as a result of this accident.

A duty of care and liability will be established based on legislation relevant to the type of accident that caused your broken hand. This could be the Road Traffic Act 1988 if you were injured in a car accident, or the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 if you broke your hand from a fall in a supermarket.

Once a duty of care and liability is established, your personal injury solicitor will help you gather all the evidence you need to support your claim and secure the maximum amount of broken hand compensation possible.

Common accidents that can cause a broken hand

Many types of accidents can lead to a broken hand injury and a subsequent compensation claim. These typically involve a direct impact, twisting or crushing force applied to the hand. Some common scenarios include:

• Slips, trips, and falls. Falling onto an outstretched hand to brace a fall can cause fractures in the wrist or fingers, leading to a broken hand.
• Accidents at work. A hand crushed by heavy machinery or struck by falling objects at work can result in multiple bone fractures of the hand.
• Road traffic accidents. The impact of a road collision, whether it is a car, bicycle, motorcycle, or pedestrian accident, can break the bones in the hand.
• Sports incidents. A fall, collision or awkward landing during a sporting activity can result in fractures to the hand or fingers.
• Criminal assaults. Defending yourself against a physical assault or receiving a direct blow to the hand can easily cause a fracture.
• Repetitive strain. Continuous strain, repetitive movements or overuse in manual labour or sports can cause stress fractures in the hand over time.

Regardless of your accident, if someone else was at least partially responsible for it, you could be eligible to make a personal injury compensation claim.

Signs and symptoms of a hand fracture

A broken hand can present with various signs and symptoms, depending on the site of the fracture and its severity. These include:

• Sudden and intense pain at the site of injury, especially when moving or touching it;
• Swelling and bruising around the fracture site;
• Visible deformity, with the hand looking misshapen or out of alignment;
• The area feels tender to touch and sensitive to pressure;
• Stiffness or inability to move the thumb or fingers;
• Numbness or tingling in the fingers or hand;
• Difficulty moving the hand of fingers and limited mobility;
• Weak grip and difficulty holding or lifting objects;
• A visible bone or open wound;
• A popping sensation at the time of injury.

If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should seek medical care as soon as possible. If you have a hand fracture or any other type of hand injury, prompt treatment is essential to ensure proper healing and reduce the chance of complications.

Broken hand diagnosis and treatment

If you suffered a hand injury and suspect a fracture, you should visit the A&E or your GP as soon as possible to ensure adequate treatment and proper healing.

Diagnosing a broken hand involves a physical exam to look for signs and symptoms such as bruising, deformity and tenderness and imaging tests such as an X-ray or CT scan. The imaging tests will show the location and severity of the fracture, whether the bones are displaced and whether there are complications such as ligament or tendon damage.

The treatment plan for a broken hand will depend on its type and severity and could involve:

• Immobilisation with a splint or cast to prevent movement and allow the bone to heal;
• Closed reduction if your bones are displaced and need manual realignment;
• Medication to reduce pain and inflammation;
• Surgical repair if you have an open injury, a fracture that extends into a joint, damage to nerves or other complications;
• You may also need physical therapy and rehabilitation once the initial injury has healed.

Can a broken hand have long-term consequences?

A broken hand injury can impact your life during recovery but can also have various long-term effects, such as:

• Ongoing pain in the affected hand, particularly during activities that involve gripping, lifting or repetitive movements;
• Long-term stiffness and reduced mobility in the fingers, hand or wrist;
• Muscle weakness and loss of strength, especially if you were unable to use the hand at all during healing;
• Nerve damage, if the fracture affected areas near major nerves or you needed surgery;
• The development of post-traumatic arthritis;
• Permanent scarring or deformity in the hand or fingers.

If you’ve suffered any long-term consequences that affect your quality of life and ability to function, your solicitor will include these in your claim to ensure you are fairly compensated.

Evidence needed to support a broken hand injury claim

To make a successful broken hand injury compensation claim, your solicitor will work hard to gather as much evidence as possible to support it. This must prove how the accident occurred and how it has affected you. The evidence available could include the following:

• Photographs or videos that show the accident scene before anything is moved or replaced;
• Pictures of your injured hand and your recovery process;
• If available, CCTV or dashcam footage can show precisely how the accident occurred;
• A copy of an accident report that you should file with the responsible party as soon as possible if you were injured at work or in a public place;
• Statements from witnesses who saw what happened can help you prove liability if the defendant denies it;
• Your testimony about how you were injured and how this has affected your life;
• Medical records such as X-rays and treatment plans will prove the type and extent of your fracture;
• You also need financial records to prove the losses you incurred while recovering, such as lost wages and expenses for private medical treatments.

Will I lose my job if I make a broken hand at work compensation claim?

While at work, your employer has a legal duty to protect you and keep you as safe as possible from injuries such as a broken hand. Their responsibilities are mainly set out by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and include:

• Carry out risk assessments to identify hazards that could lead to a fractured hand at work, such as tools, machinery or unsafe work practices;
• Take all reasonable measures to eliminate or mitigate such risks;
• Maintain a clean working environment that is free of slip, trip and fall hazards;
• Ensure that all equipment and machinery are maintained and safe to use;
• Provide you with adequate protective equipment such as gloves, handguards or shields;
• Ensure you receive proper training on how to use the tools, equipment and machinery safely.

If you fractured your hand due to a breach of any of these duties, you are entitled to make a broken hand at work compensation claim. Under unfair and constructive dismissal laws, your employer cannot sack you or take any other punitive measures against you if you exercised your right to claim. If they do so, a specialist lawyer can help you make a further claim at an employment tribunal that can order your employer to reinstate you or compensate you financially.

Can I make a claim for broken hand compensation on behalf of my child?

If your child broke their hand due to someone else’s negligence, you could start the injury claims process on their behalf. To do this, your solicitor will help you apply to the court to be named as their litigation friend.

You will have to fill in and file some forms stating that you can make fair decisions about the case and have no conflict of interest with the child. Once approved, you can start the claiming process, and you will have several duties, which include approving settlement offers from the defendant and signing legal documents.

If you win the personal injury claim, you must also go to court because a judge must approve the awarded compensation amount. The funds will be kept in a court bank account and released to the child on their 18th birthday, together with any interest that has accrued. Alternatively, you can set up a personal injury trust to manage the money until your child becomes an adult.

Time limits to start a personal injury claim

You usually have three years to claim compensation starting from the date of your accident. This time limit is imposed by the Limitation Act 1980 and cannot be extended except in rare circumstances. If you miss the deadline, your case will likely be statute-barred and no longer valid.

There are a few exceptions that may apply when making a claim for broken hand compensation, such as:

• A parent can make a child injury claim at any time before the child’s 18th birthday, regardless of when the accident took place.
• If you were injured due to a criminal assault, you have two years to make a claim for compensation through the CICA.
• You have seven years to claim through the AFCS if you were injured during military service.
• The personal injury claims time limit is suspended if you are unable to handle your case due to a lack of mental capacity. This could apply to people with conditions such as Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s or Schizophrenia.
• If you were injured abroad, different time limits may apply based on the country in which you were injured.

How much compensation for a broken hand could I receive?

The amount of compensation you could receive for a broken hand injury will depend on its severity and the way it has affected your work and daily life. Your solicitor will consider two types of damages when calculating your compensation claim amount :

• General damages compensate for the non-financial, subjective damages associated with the injury, such as physical pain, emotional distress and loss of ability to enjoy activities and hobbies. The amount awarded for general damages is based on the guidelines from the Judicial College and could be up to £84,570 for severe damage to both hands.
• Special damages compensate for financial losses and expenses you have incurred due to your fracture. These could include lost wages during time off work, medical treatments, care costs during recovery, and travel expenses for medical appointments.

Feel free to try out our online compensation calculator to find out how much your broken hand compensation claim could be worth. Alternatively, get in contact to speak to a trained legal adviser.

Will I be able to claim compensation on a No Win No Fee basis?

If you have grounds to make a claim for a broken hand injury, your solicitor will help you on a no win no fee basis. They will not ask for any upfront fees and will only receive a success fee if you win the claim. This fee is agreed upon from the beginning and cannot exceed 25% of your settlement. If you lose, you do not have to pay them anything.

With no win no fee, After the Event (ATE) insurance is also available. This legal expenses insurance policy will cover all the litigation costs if your claim fails, including the defendant’s. You only pay the price of the ATE premium if you make a successful claim; otherwise, you will not incur any out-of-pocket expenses.

To find out if you are eligible to make a broken hand claim, call 0800 470 0474 today or enter your details here to request a call back.

Last edited on 7th Aug 2025

With over 15 years’ experience in the legal sector, Nicholas Tate (LLB Hons, LLM in Health Law) has extensive experience across all areas of personal injury and medical negligence claims.