This blog post will examine, “what is the average payout for a personal injury claim in the UK?” We explain how personal injury compensation is calculated, and why pinning down an average payout figure might not be beneficial for you.
The average value of compensation claims could be affected by whether a severe injury or a minor injury is being claimed for. Additionally, whether you require ongoing medical treatment, the overall prognosis for the injuries sustained, and what impact the injuries have on your lifestyle will impact your final compensation amount. In some personal injury cases, the claimant may also be entitled to claim for the financial impacts of the injuries. This can include reimbursement for lost earnings as well as the cost of medical treatment and other items.
In order to claim personal injury compensation, you will need to show that a third party owed you a duty of care and that their breaching of this duty caused you to be injured. A duty of care applies a legal responsibility on an individual or organisation to ensure the safety of others and prevent foreseeable harm. You will also need to provide evidence that the action or inaction of the third party resulted in the accident that caused your injury.
If you have good grounds to make a personal injury claim, you may wish to do so with the support of a solicitor. At the bottom of this post is a concise overview of the No Win No Fee agreement offered by our panel of solicitors and the benefits you can expect when instructing a solicitor under the terms of this type of contract.
If you have any questions about personal injury compensation amounts or would like to find out whether you could be eligible to start a claim, consult one of our advisors. They can also help value your potential compensation.
Use the contact information provided here to speak to a member of the team about your personal injury case and potential compensation amount:
- Call us on 0330 0433679.
- Complete our “Claim Online” form and a member of the team will call you back at a time that suits you.
Browse Our Guide
- What Is The Average Payout For A Personal Injury Claim In The UK?
- What Factors Can Impact Compensation Amounts?
- Can I Claim Personal Injury Compensation?
- More Resources Related To Personal Injury Claims
What Is The Average Payout For A Personal Injury Claim In The UK?
If you suffered an injury in a workplace accident, road traffic accident or in a public place, you may want to know ‘what is the average payout for a personal injury claim in the UK?’. However, knowing this information may not benefit you or your claim.
This is because personal injury compensation can vary significantly from case to case, influenced by a range of different factors. A serious injury claim, for example, will result in a much higher payout if it is successful than a minor injury will attract.
At the same time, there is no maximum compensation figure, as each case is decided on its facts. Also relevant are the knock-on effects of those injuries and what is required in terms of care, medical treatment and adjustments to your home.
When discussing personal injury compensation payouts, there are two heads of loss that damages can be paid out under. These are:
- General damages to compensate for physical as well as psychological injuries resulting from the accident.
- Associated monetary losses will be compensated under special damages.
When calculating a potential figure for your compensation claim, those responsible for this task can refer to your medical evidence in conjunction with the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
The JCG is a document that sets out guideline compensation figures for various injuries. We have selected a range of these figures to use in the table below.
Compensation Table
We must emphasise that the top entry is not from the JCG and that the compensation amounts given here are for guidance only.
| Type of Injury | Severity | Guideline Compensation Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Injuries With Significant Special Damages | Very Severe | Up to £1,000,000 + | Cases involving multiple very severe injuries in addition to significant financial losses including lost income, medical expenses and care needs. |
| Paralysis | Quadriplegia (a) | £396,140 to £493,000 | Paralysis of the upper and lower extremities. In the middle of this bracket are injured persons who have a life expectancy of 25 or more years, are not in physical pain but require help with bodily functions. |
| Paraplegia (b) | £267,340 to £346,890 | Paralysis of the lower body. Awards for paraplegia depend on the level of pain, the degree of independence, psychological impacts and the life expectancy of the patient. | |
| Brain Damage | Very Severe (a) | £344,150 to £493,000 | Little to no environmental response or language function, requiring full time nursing care. |
| Moderate (c)(ii) | £110,720 to £183,190 | Moderate to modest deficit in intellect with greatly reduced ability to work and some risk of epilepsy. | |
| Other Arm Injuries | Severe (a) | £117,360 to £159,770 | Injuries not involving amputations but with damage so severe they are awarded at a similar level. |
| Substantial and Permanent Disablement (b) | £47,810 to £73,050 | Serious forearm fractures that cause significant and permanent residual disability. | |
| Leg Injuries | Severe (b)(iii) | £47,840 to £66,920 | Serious comminuted or compound fracture, ligament or joint damage causing instability and the near certainty of arthritis. |
| Less Serious (c)(i) | £21,920 to £33,880 | Fractures from which there is an incomplete recovery or serious soft tissue damage. | |
| Elbow | Less Severe (b) | £19,100 to £39,070 | Injuries resulting in functional impairment but not significant disability. |
Special Damages
The financial impacts of your injuries can be reimbursed under special damages, the second of the two heads of loss. We’ve provided some more detailed examples in the sections below, but our list of possible examples is given here:
- Loss of earnings.
- Medical costs.
- Domestic and childcare.
- Home modifications.
- Travel expenses.
Be sure to keep copies of your payslips and other documents, such as receipts and travel tickets, as evidence of your monetary losses.
To learn more about how personal injury claims are valued or to find out if you’re eligible to begin a claim in your specific circumstances, contact our team today using the details given below.
What Factors Can Impact Compensation Amounts?
While we discussed how personal injury compensation is calculated above, this section looks more specifically at how a settlement can be reached and what factors are considered when calculating it.
The Type And Severity Of The Injury
A more serious injury, such as a severe head injury, spinal or nerve damage, or another injury that causes permanent disability, will warrant greater compensation. As well as the injury itself, the financial impacts in terms of care, lost wages and home adjustments must also be factored into the compensation calculations. More serious injuries that affect your mobility or require significant care, such as brain damage, will attract higher compensation awards.
Psychological Impact
The distress caused by an accident can impact your ability to work, perform in education and affect your social life. Even if you don’t sustain physical injuries or only sustain minor ones (such as soft tissue injuries) in the accident, you could suffer a psychological injury. A psychological injury, such as post traumatic stress disorder can be claimed for on its own or as part of a multiple injury claim. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a JCG bracket in its own right.
Loss Of Earnings And Future Loss Of Earnings
You could be reimbursed for lost earnings as part of your special damages payments. If your injuries mean you have to take time off work to recover, that lost pay could be quite substantial. Furthermore, you can also claim for future loss of earnings if your ability to undertake work has been impacted.
Adjustments To Your Home
If your mobility has been affected, such as from paralysis or broken bones, then you may require home modifications. Examples can include access ramps, modified showers or a stairlift. All of these items can affect how much compensation you could be awarded.
Medical Expenses And Care Costs
Medical costs that you incur, such as prescriptions or the cost of private healthcare, will be factored into compensation calculations. Your care needs will also be considered. Your injuries may leave you unable to carry out domestic tasks safely on your own such as food preparation, caring for children, maintaining outside space and cleaning your home.
Instead of searching for ‘What is the average personal injury claim payout in the UK?’, you can call an advisor from our team. They can discuss what factors will go into calculating compensation in your circumstances and help value your claim.
Can I Claim Personal Injury Compensation?
If our advisors think you might have a valid claim, they can put you in touch with one of the personal injury solicitors from our panel who can help with your case. You could then be offered a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), a type of No Win No Fee contract that presents claimants with substantial benefits. This includes the following:
- You will not pay any fees for the personal injury solicitor to begin working on your case.
- There will also be no fees for this work during the claim itself.
- Lastly, if your case is lost, you will not pay any fees for the work done on your personal injury compensation claim.
In the event your claim is a success, your solicitor will take a success fee from the compensation awarded to you. A legislative limit applies to this percentage. Since this fee is legally capped, you will keep the majority of any compensation you receive.
Contact Us For Free To Check Your Eligibility
To find out if you are eligible to claim compensation, or to ask any questions about No Win No Fee personal injury claims you may have, use the contact information provided here:
- Call us on 0330 0433679.
- Complete our “Claim Online” form and a member of the team will call you back at a time that suits you.
More Resources Related To Personal Injury Claims
You can view some of our other personal injury claims guides using these links:
- Find out about the average payout for an injury at work with this guide.
- Learn more about making a swimming pool accident claim here.
- Read our guide to making a motorbike accident injury claim by following this link.
We have also included these external resources, which you may find useful:
- Read the NHS guidance on head injury and concussion here.
- You may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) following an accident. Learn more on the Government Website.
- See the latest road safety campaigns from THINK! here.
Thank you for reading our post. We hope we have adequately answered the question, “What is the average payout for a personal injury claim in the UK?” For further guidance or a free assessment of your eligibility, contact our team today using the details given above.
