How much compensation for a crush injury claim could be awarded will depend on the severity of your injuries and any financial losses you have experienced. Injuries with a more severe impact on your life will be awarded more compensation than crush injuries that resolve with only minor remaining symptoms. At How Much Compensation, our panel of personal injury solicitors can help you understand what your claim may be worth and whether you could be eligible to seek compensation.
A crush injury can be physically painful and emotionally difficult to cope with. You may be facing surgery or rehabilitation, as well as time away from work and the financial pressure this can create. Severe crush injuries can cause extensive physical damage, including broken bones and nerve injury or trauma to internal organs. In some cases, surgical amputation may be necessary, potentially changing your day-to-day life permanently.
If your injury was caused by somebody else’s negligent actions, you may be entitled to claim compensation. A settlement could account for your physical and psychological injuries, as well as related financial losses. These could include lost income from time away from work or medical expenses to cope with the crush injury.
Our panel of solicitors can review the circumstances of your crush injury claim and explain how compensation may be assessed. Contact our advisory team today to discuss your personal injury claim.
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We are here to help you
Here at HowMuchCompensation.co.uk our expert advisors are on hand 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assess your compensation claim. Should you require free advice we can connect you to a specialist solicitor.
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- How Much Compensation For A Crush Injury Claim?
- What Financial Losses Could Be Recovered After A Crushing Accident?
- Could I Make A Crush Injury Claim?
- Starting A Crush Injury Compensation Claim
- Could I Make A Crush Injury Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis
- How Could Our Team Help With Your Crush Injury Claim?
- Learn More
How Much Compensation For A Crush Injury Claim?
How much compensation for a crush injury claim you could be awarded will depend on the injuries you suffered and how seriously they have affected your life. Crush injuries vary considerably, from fractures and damage to the hands or feet to severe injuries involving internal organs or the loss of a limb.
If your personal injury claim succeeds, your compensation may consist of general and special damages. General damages compensate for your physical and psychological injuries and the resulting effect on your quality of life. Special damages compensate for eligible financial losses caused by the injury.
Those valuing general damages can refer to medical evidence alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This provides compensation guideline brackets for different types of injuries in varying severities.
Because crush accidents can cause injuries to several different parts of the body, the following table provides a varied selection of relevant JCG brackets. These figures relate to general damages only and should be treated as a guide and not guaranteed awards. The first entry has not been taken from the JCG.
| Injury | JCG Guideline Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe crush injuries with associated financial losses | Up to £500,000+ | Compensation for suffering multiple severe crush injuries and for any associated financial losses such as physiotherapy fees, care costs and travel expenses to medical appointments. |
| Hand injuries - Total or effective loss of both hands | £185,840 to £266,200 | Extensive damage that leaves both hands effectively useless. |
| Hand injuries - Serious damage to both hands | £73,720 to £111,730 | Serious hand injuries resulting in significant loss of function and a permanent cosmetic disability. |
| Leg amputation - above the knee amputation of one leg | £138,490 to £181,610 | Loss of one leg above the knee, with factors such as pain, psychological effects and prosthetic use relevant to valuation. |
| Leg injuries - Severe (i) Most serious injuries short of amputation | £127,160 to £179,560 | Extremely serious leg injuries, which can include extensive degloving or gross shortening of the leg. |
| Leg injuries - Severe (iv) Moderate | £36,680 to £51,790 | Severe crushing injuries to single limb, with factors such as the extent of treatment affecting the amount awarded. |
| Arm amputation - Loss of one arm (ii) | £144,860 to £172,970 | Loss of one arm above the elbow. |
| Foot injuries - Severe | £55,450 to £92,520 | Injuries such as fractures of both feet or heels with a substantial restriction on mobility. |
| Back injuries - Moderate (i) | £36,680 to £51,230 | Including crush and compression fractures of the lumbar vertebrae. |
If you are wondering how much compensation for a crush injury claim you could receive, one of our advisors can estimate this. They can discuss how your injury has affected you and connect you with a solicitor from our panel who could assess your potential compensation.
What Financial Losses Could Be Recovered After A Crushing Accident?
Financial losses that could be recovered after a crushing accident include lost earnings, medical and rehabilitation costs, and expenses for care or mobility equipment, provided they were reasonably incurred because of your crush injury. If your personal injury claim succeeds, you may recover these losses as special damages.
The losses you can claim will depend on your circumstances and must be linked to the crush injury. Keeping evidence such as payslips, invoices and receipts can help demonstrate the expenses you have incurred.
A crushing accident can create financial pressures that continue long after the initial injury. If you are unsure which costs could form part of your crush accident claim, speak to our advisors. They can review the financial impact the accident has had on you and connect you with a solicitor from our panel who can help identify the losses that may be recoverable.
Could I Make A Crush Injury Claim?
You could make a crush injury claim if another party was responsible for your safety, failed to take reasonable steps to protect you, and this caused an accident in which you suffered a crush injury. This could arise in a workplace, on the road or in a public place.
To establish whether you may have grounds to claim, the following will need to apply:
- Whether another party was responsible for your safety. This will depend on how and where the accident happened. Responsibility could rest with an employer controlling workplace risks, a road user whose actions caused a collision, or a business responsible for the safety of premises used by the public.
- Whether appropriate safety standards were met. Once the responsible party has been identified, it will be necessary to establish whether they failed to take reasonable precautions. A crush injury may occur when a person becomes trapped by moving machinery or pinned beneath a load that was not properly secured. Dangerous driving may also lead to other road users suffering a crush injury.
- Whether that failure caused your crush injury. A claim can only proceed if the safety failure resulted in the accident and the harm you suffered. For example, this could mean being trapped beneath a falling load or sustaining a serious crush injury after becoming pinned during a collision.
If you want to know how much compensation for a crush injury claim could be available following an accident like these, get in touch with an advisor. They can consider who was responsible and connect you with a solicitor from our panel if you have grounds to proceed.
Starting A Crush Injury Compensation Claim
Starting a crush injury compensation claim involves showing how the accident happened and who was responsible. You will also need to prove the injuries you suffered along with the losses these caused. Evidence can help establish these points, while the applicable limitation period determines how long you have to begin your claim.
What Evidence Could Support Your Compensation Claim?
Photographs or footage can help show how you became trapped or compressed, while your medical records can document the harm caused by the crush injury. Depending on the circumstances, useful evidence could include:
- Medical records. Hospital records along with X-rays and scans could document multiple fractures, nerve damage or internal injuries caused by compression. Records of surgery could also be relevant if a severe crush injury resulted in amputation.
- Photographs and CCTV footage. Photographs could show the items involved in the accident, such as collapsed shelving or an unsecured load. CCTV could capture the moment a person became trapped or struck by an object.
- Accident reports and workplace records. An accident report could record that you were trapped by machinery or injured by a falling load. In workplace crush injury claims, maintenance logs or inspection records could provide information about the equipment involved.
- Witness details. A colleague might have seen a forklift strike and trap a worker, while another road user could have witnessed a collision in which an occupant became pinned inside their vehicle.
- Evidence of financial losses. Payslips could demonstrate lost earnings if your crush injuries prevented you from working, while receipts and invoices could evidence eligible treatment, rehabilitation or travel expenses.
Our dedicated guide to negligence explains more about establishing another party’s responsibility for an injury.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For A Crush Injury?
You will generally have 3 years to claim for a crush injury. Under the Limitation Act 1980, this runs from the date of the accident.
Different rules apply to children and people who lack the mental capacity to conduct their own claim. You can read more about these rules in the dedicated guide to the limitation period.
If you are concerned about proving how your crushing accident happened or how much time you have left to claim, call our advisors today. They can review the information you already have and explain what may still be useful. They could also help you understand the next steps towards seeking crushing injuries compensation.
Could I Make A Crush Injury Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Yes, you could make a crush injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis if a solicitor from our panel agrees to represent you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This means you would not pay solicitor service fees upfront, while your claim is ongoing or if your claim is unsuccessful.
If your claim succeeds, your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation. The percentage that can be taken as a success fee is legally capped, and the terms of the agreement should be explained to you before your claim begins.
A CFA can make legal representation more accessible if you are concerned about legal costs, particularly if your injury has already affected your ability to work or placed additional pressure on your finances.
If you are asking how much compensation for a crush injury claim you could receive but do not want legal representation costs to become another worry, one of our advisors can help. They can check whether a solicitor from our panel could offer you a CFA and explain the terms before you decide whether to proceed.
How Could Our Team Help With Your Crush Injury Claim?
Our team could help with your crush injury claim by assessing what happened, and, if your case appears suitable, connecting you with a specialist personal injury solicitor from our panel, who could:
- Establish who should be held responsible. Crush accidents can involve several parties, particularly on or near construction sites or following serious road traffic accidents. Your solicitor can determine who should answer the claim and deal with them or their insurer on your behalf.
- Build a clear picture of your injuries and prognosis. Where a crush accident has caused multiple fractures or other serious injuries, our panel can arrange appropriate medical assessments to understand your recovery and any lasting effects.
- Assess your future needs. A severe crush injury may leave you with lasting physical limitations. Your solicitor can account for the support you are likely to require in the future when calculating the value of your claim.
- Value the complete impact of your injuries. Your solicitor can bring together the medical and financial aspects of the case to calculate an appropriate compensation figure, including the effect on your ability to work and live independently.
- Seek interim payments where appropriate. Serious crush injuries can leave someone unable to work or needing rehabilitation before their claim concludes. Where liability has been admitted or the relevant legal requirements are satisfied, your solicitor may seek an interim payment before the final settlement.
- Negotiate the claim and manage court proceedings if required. Your solicitor can assess whether a settlement offer properly reflects the effects of your crush injury and negotiate on your behalf. If an agreement cannot be reached, they can continue the claim through court proceedings.
Speak With One Of Our Advisors
You do not need to work out the legal details of your case before contacting How Much Compensation. If you are wondering how much compensation for a crush injury claim you could receive, one of our advisors can discuss how the injury has affected you and answer your initial questions about making a claim.
If your circumstances appear suitable, our team could then connect you with a specialist solicitor from our panel to discuss taking your case forward. If your crush injury has affected your ability to work or left you needing greater day-to-day support, call today for a free, no-obligation discussion about your next steps.
- Call us on 0800 408 7826
- Contact us online
- Use our live chat
We are here to help you
Here at HowMuchCompensation.co.uk our expert advisors are on hand 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assess your compensation claim. Should you require free advice we can connect you to a specialist solicitor.
Learn More
Read more of our guides:
- See how much compensation could be awarded in housing disrepair claims.
- Advice on claiming compensation for a car accident.
- Guidance on accident at school compensation claims.
Resources:
- Guidance on when to go to A&E via the NHS.
- Advice from GOV.UK on claiming compensation after an accident or injury.
- Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive on managing crushing hazards in the workplace.
Speak to an advisor now for an estimate of how much compensation for a crush injury claim.
