By Stephen Kane. Last Updated 17th May 2023. Welcome to this guide to calculating compensation with a personal injury claims calculator. In it, we look at the ways in which to answer a common question put to us by claimants, “how much is my personal injury case worth?”. We discuss how a multiple injury compensation calculator could be hard to find, and look at how strongly you could rely on the figure given by a work injury claims calculator.
If you’re involved in an accident that was caused by somebody else, you may be considering claiming compensation. One of the first things many people question is ‘How much compensation will I receive?’. For a personal injury solicitor, this is quite a straightforward thing to work out, but for everyone else it can be quite tricky, and a lot of people begin to search for a personal injury claims calculator.
This guide will explain how personal injury claims are calculated, what you should do in the event of an accident, how no win no fee claims work and what you can actually claim compensation for. It will also highlight the different types of incidents where you could potentially use an injury claim calculator.
If you’d like Advice.co.uk to take your case on today, then please call one of our team on 0161 696 9685. If you prefer, you can contact us through our website or use the Live Chat window now on your screen. If you’re not quite ready yet then please carry on reading this guide, which should provide all of the information you’ll need.
Select A Section
- A Guide To What A Personal Injury Is And How Much You Can Claim
- Compensation Payout Examples
- When Calculating Compensation What Is Taken Into Account?
- Am I Eligible To Make A Personal Injury Claim?
- What Evidence And Information Do I Need To Make A Personal Injury Claim?
- Example Of Common Types Of Personal Injury Claim
- How Accurate Is A Personal Injury Claims Calculator?
- What Are Multiple Injury Claims?
- How Are Criminal Personal Injury Claims Calculated?
- What Is A Success Fee And When Do I Pay It?
- How To Make An Accident Or Injury Claim
- No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
- Personal Injury Claims With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Where To Get More Advice On A Personal Injury Claims Calculator
A Guide To What A Personal Injury Is And How Much You Can Claim
Personal injury claims guide
There are many different examples of personal injuries that can lead to compensation claims such as accidents at work, slips and falls, accidents on the road, including motorcycle accidents, medical negligence and many more.
The one thing that makes it possible to claim compensation for any of these injury types is that the accident was caused by somebody else. You could use an accident at work claim calculator, for example, to review your potential compensation if you’re able to prove that your injury was caused by third-party negligence. If you’re unsure if you’re entitled to compensation, you can always seek legal advice.
Advice.co.uk offers free expert legal advice to anybody who is considering making a compensation claim and, once you’ve spoken to one of our team about your accident, we can offer an initial calculation of how much compensation you may be entitled to.
Compensation Payout Examples
Certain online resources may not be entirely accurate when you are seeking an estimate of your claim. For example, if you sustain a finger injury, a claim calculator you find online may not take certain factors into account.
Many factors, such as any financial losses, need to be considered when working out the value of the compensation for your injury; a calculator online is not necessarily capable of doing that.
Below, we have included some figures from a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Last updated in 2022, the JCG is used as part of the process of working out how much you should be awarded in general damages. This is the figure awarded for your physical pain and mental suffering.
The table below shows figures that are based on past court cases. They may give you an idea as to the potential value of a general damages payment, but your own claim needs to be assessed before a bespoke valuation can be made.
| Body Part | Severity | Notes | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back injuries | Severe (i) | Serious damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots which may result in incomplete paralysis with other serious consequences. | £91,090 to £160,980 |
| Neck injuries | Severe (ii) | Fractures or damage to the cervical spine discs that result in a significant loss of movement in the neck. | £65,740 to £130,930 |
| Knee injuries | Severe (i) | The knee joint has been disrupted with the development of osteoarthritis, that will require lengthy treatment and cause significant pain. | £69,730 to £96,210 |
| Wrist injuries | (a) | A complete loss of the wrists function, potentially due to an arthrodesis being performed. | £47,620 to £59,860 |
| Arm injuries | (b) | One or both forearms have suffered serious fractures that will result in a cosmetic or functional disability. | £39,170 to £59,860 |
| Hand injuries | Severe Fractures to Fingers | These may require partial amputations which will result in a deformity with the hands grip being impaired. | Up to £36,740 |
| Elbow injuries | Less Severe | The elbow's function will be impaired, but it will not result in a significant disability and will not require major surgery. | £15,650 to £32,010 |
| Foot injuries | Moderate | Continuing symptoms and a permanent foot deformity due to displaced metatarsal fractures. | £13,740 to £24,990 |
| Ankle injuries | Modest | Sprains, undisplaced fractures and ligamentous tears. Whether a complete recovery has been made will affect how much is awarded. | Up to £13,740 |
| Leg injuries | Less Serious (iii) | Simple fibula or tibia fractures, or soft tissue injuries that have ongoing minor symptoms such as a dull aching. | Up to £11,840 |
As you can see from the table, there is a range of compensation for each different type of injury, beginning with minor injuries and through to severe injuries. Your personal injury solicitor will need to prove, by providing medical evidence, where your injuries fit in the range so that you get the correct level of compensation.
When Calculating Compensation What Is Taken Into Account?
When your personal injury solicitor makes a compensation claim on your behalf they can claim for different ‘Heads of Loss’ which are made up of a number of elements. The two main heads of loss are special damages and general damages.
General Damages
These cover non-tangible things that may be different for each claimant as everyone has a different level of pain and suffering that they can deal with. The solicitor will use medical experts, medical records and other information to prove how the injuries impacted on the claimant. General Damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Disability
- Mental health loss or impairment
- The reduction in enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
- Any disfigurement
- Physical capacity loss or impairment
- Loss of consortium
As you can imagine, some of these are difficult items to prove and so Advice.co.uk only use solicitors that specialise in personal injury claims and have a proven track record in successfully claiming the right level of compensation.
Special Damages
These are much easier to determine as they are the things that caused the claimant to be out of pocket and can be proven by things such as bank statements or credit card receipts. The idea here is that the claimant is, financially, back in the same position as they were prior to the accident happening. Special damages include:
- Prescription fees
- Loss of earnings and future loss of earnings
- Care costs
- Adaptation of the home
- Rehabilitation costs
- Future losses such as pensions or job opportunities
Your personal injury lawyer needs to understand exactly what impact your accident has had on you, including any out of pocket expenses, prior to submitting your claim so it’s important you provide them with as much information and supporting evidence as possible.
Am I Eligible To Make A Personal Injury Claim?
In order for personal injury claims to be viable, a claimant must be able to establish the following:
- A duty of care was owed.
- This duty of care was breached.
- This breach was directly responsible for causing injury.
The duty of care can apply to many different areas. For instance, when you are visiting a park, whoever is responsible for managing the area owes a duty of care to visitors to take reasonable steps to protect them from any foreseeable and avoidable harm.
You can contact our team of advisors online or on the phone to learn more about whether you are eligible to make a claim or if you want advice on how to calculate a personal injury claim’s value.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Personal Injury Claim?
You must also be aware of the limitation period that applies to starting a claim. Under the Limitation Act 1980, the standard time limit for beginning a personal injury claim is three years from when the incident that hurt you occurred.
There are only a small number of circumstances where the time limit may work differently for certain personal injury claims. If the potential claimant was a child at the time they were injured, then the three-year time limit will not start for them until the day they turn 18 years old. The time limit may also be frozen if the potential claimant lacks the mental capacity to make decisions independently.
In either circumstance, a litigation friend could potentially be appointed to start a claim on their behalf.
For more advice on time limits or other matters related to making a claim, such as using a personal injury claims calculator, feel free to contact our advisors today.
What Evidence And Information Do I Need To Make A Personal Injury Claim?
If you decide you’d like to make a compensation claim, then there are a number of things you can do prior to calculating the amount of compensation you’ll receive that will really improve the chances of the claim being successful.
Remembering that claims can only be made if somebody else was to blame for your accident, following any accident you should try and do the following:
- Seek medical treatment for your injuries at a doctor or hospital as this will ensure medical records are created which will prove your injury happened and will detail its severity. Obviously, your doctor will treat you for your symptoms at the same time. If you’re trying to calculate compensation against the NHS, it may not be appropriate for the doctor you’re trying to claim against to treat you so you should seek a second opinion.
- Photograph the scene of the accident and any injuries to yourself as soon as possible following the accident.
- If the accident happened at work or in a public place, then report the accident so that it is entered into an accident report book. If possible, ask for a copy of what was written for your records but if that isn’t possible then take a note of the name of who you reported it to.
- If there were any witnesses to your accident, ask them to provide a written statement of what they saw and how the accident happened. Remember to collect their contact details as well.
- In the event of a road traffic accident, ensure that insurance details are swapped and that you report the accident. If any other vehicles, or your own, has dashcam recorders then ensure you get a copy.
If you’re wondering ‘how much compensation do you get for medical negligence?’ or ‘What is the average pay out for a personal injury claim?’ then, as mentioned earlier, this can only really be gauged once we’ve spoken to you but we’ll be in a much better position to answer those questions if the steps above have been undertaken as soon after the accident as possible.
Example Of Common Types Of Personal Injury Claim
There are some types of accidents and injuries which are more popular than others but Advice.co.uk can help with any type of UK accident claim so long as another person was responsible.
The most common accident types we help with include:
- Slip, Trips and Falls: These can happen just about anywhere in daily life from work, to the gym and even in a supermarket or on the pavement. So long as there is a reason that you tripped beyond your control like a wet floor with no warning signs, uneven flooring or damaged handrails then you could ask us to calculate how much compensation your injuries are worth.
- Industrial illness and disease claims: These are actually different to most claims as they could’ve been caused many years ago. These are workplace accidents caused by repetitive working conditions. The common industrial diseases that can lead to claims include: Acoustic shock; Vibration White Finger; Occupational Asthma; and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
- Workplace Accidents: These very often lead to claims because all employers have to provide a safe working environment, train staff fully, maintain equipment and repair any damages quickly. If you’ve been injured at work, then call us to discuss whether you could claim.
- Road Traffic Accidents: There are numerous road traffic accidents in the UK every day and, if you’re not the person responsible for the accident, you could claim compensation if you were injured as a pedestrian, passenger or driver.
- Criminal injuries: You may be wanting to use a criminal injuries compensation calculator if you’ve been the victim of a violent crime. We go into more detail about how we can help with this further down the article.
Again, these are just the more common types of accidents that clients claim compensation for but if you’re involved in any other no-fault accident then we can help you to make a claim.
How Accurate Is A Personal Injury Claims Calculator?
Personal injury compensation calculator
Many websites offer a personal injury claims calculator and have done for many years but, often, they don’t provide the full picture when making their calculations or may use out of date information.
If you do use a personal injury calculator you should be aware that:
- They only provide you the upper and lower range of compensation for your injury (they don’t actually assess the exact severity of your injury).
- They don’t include any special damages such as loss of earnings, travel costs or the costs to replace any personal property damaged in your accident.
- They don’t take into account any deductions that you may have to pay such as a success fee when using a no win no fee agreement.
- They might be using old data.
- They don’t actually let you know if your claim is valid or not.
Online calculators should only be used as a very rough indication of what you may receive. It is far better to speak with one of our specially trained advisers and give them all of the details of your injuries. This will allow them to formulate a much more accurate estimate of what compensation you could actually receive.
What Are Multiple Injury Claims?
Are you wondering, ‘what are multiple injury claims?’. If you have suffered more than one injury in an accident that occurred following a breach of duty of care, you may have grounds for a valid multiple injury claim. If there is an overlap between injuries, your compensation award should reflect this.
An example might be that you are involved in a car accident and suffer a serious injury such as a broken leg. Additionally, the trauma of the incident might also lead to you experiencing a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) injury.
As with any type of personal injury claim, you’ll need to provide evidence that someone else’s negligence caused your injuries. After obtaining evidence, a solicitor can assess your claim and let you know what personal injury claim amounts could be awarded.
If you have any other questions, for example, ‘how much is my claim worth?’ Please don’t hesitate to speak to our advisors and they could connect you with an expert personal injury solicitor from our panel. They’ll be able to offer insight into the value of your claim.
How Are Criminal Personal Injury Claims Calculated?
If you’re injured in a criminal act, such as an assault, there is a fund called the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) which will pay a specific amount of compensation for certain injuries.
If the crime against you results in multiple injuries then a claim can still be made and CICA will pay 100% of the most severe injury, 30% for the next most serious and 15% for the third.
If you’ve suffered from this type of incident, you may be wanting to use a criminal injuries compensation calculator. However, this can be quite a difficult claim to make so please contact our team if you’ve been injured by any type of criminal act. The solicitors we provide are all specialists and understand how to claim under CICA guidelines.
What Is A Success Fee And When Do I Pay It?
When you take out a no win no fee agreement with a solicitor you don’t have to pay them if they lose the case, but if they win you pay them a success fee.
Success fees are limited to a maximum of 25% of your compensation but could be less and when your solicitor wins your case, they simply keep their success fee and send the rest of the compensation directly to you.
Even though you can’t ask the defendant to pay for the success fee, compensation amounts under General Damages were increased in 2013 by 10% to reduce the impact of paying the success fee.
How To Make An Accident Or Injury Claim
To begin your own personal injury claim you’ll need to collate all of the evidence that you’ve gathered so far (medical records, witness statements, photographs etc) and then give Advice.co.uk a call. We can give you a reliable compensation estimate at no charge whatsoever which you may prefer to using an accident at work claim calculator.
We offer a free, no obligation, consultation where one of our team will listen to the details of your accident: where it happened, how it happened, who was to blame etc and then assess the evidence you’ve provided as well.
Once we’ve had a chance to understand your accident fully, how the injuries were caused and the impact they had on you, we will be a position to advise you if there is a good chance that you will win the case and be compensated.
It’s at this point that we can offer some sort of calculation of how much compensation you may receive and then connect you with one of the panel of personal injury solicitors that we use who will begin your claim.
Personal Injury Claims With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you have a valid personal injury claim, one of our could connect you with a solicitor on our panel. Our panel of solicitors have years of experience working on various personal injury claims. One of them may offer you a type of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When working with a solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis, you won’t be required to pay any legal fees upfront. Also, you won’t need to pay any fees while your case is being processed. Additionally, if your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t need to pay for your solicitor’s services.
Alternatively, if your claim is successful, then your solicitor will deduct a success fee from the compensation awarded to you. The percentage your solicitor can take as a success fee is legally capped.
Contact our advisors today if you have any questions, such as “How much is my claim worth?” They are available 24/7 to help you and offer free advice.
Contact our advisors by:
- Calling 0161 696 9685
- Filling out the online contact form
How To Contact Us
Advice.co.uk can help with personal injury claims for accidents that have happened anywhere in the UK and are happy to offer a compensation calculation for you once we’ve assessed your claim.
We only work with solicitors who offer a no win no fee agreement to make claiming as easy as possible.
If you’d like us to take your case on, then we can be contacted by:
- Telephone: Call us on 0161 696 685 – one of our team will be available to answer any questions right away.
- Online: Fill in this online form and will contact you at a convenient time.
- Email: Send us brief details of your claim to [email protected]
Remember, before we begin your claim, we’ll provide you with a free consultation where you can explain exactly what happened in your accident, who you think was to blame and how the injuries have affected you. You can also ask us any questions that you may have, and we’ll provide free legal advice, even if you decide not to proceed with your claim.
Ultimately, we can provide you with more useful information than you can get from simply using a personal injury claims calculator.
Where To Get More Advice On A Personal Injury Claims Calculator
Hopefully, this guide about our personal injury claims calculators has given you all of the information you require. For further reading we’ve provided the following useful guides and websites which may help you further:
Medical Negligence Claims – A guide from Citizens Advice about making a claim for medical negligence against the NHS.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – the specific piece of legislation that protects employees from accidents at work and can help when making a compensation claim.
Regardless of whether you’re wanting to use a work injury claims calculator or a criminal injuries compensation calculator, you may find speaking to our team more beneficial. Please get in touch with our team today.