Can I claim for a finger injury from broken glass? I feel bad about making a claim for what others may view as a minor injury, but it has made life very difficult for the past 6 weeks and I have lost a lot of money due to my injury.
First of all, you should not feel bad about making a claim for a finger injury from broken glass. An accident victim should not be made to suffer financially due to negligence of someone else, and it is only fair that compensation be claimed for pain and suffering and losses suffered due to an accident. Provided you sustained your injury in an accident which was not your fault, you should be well within your rights to make a personal injury claim.
For the majority of accident victims, making claims for ‘relatively minor’ injuries is a necessity to recover the cost of treatment and to recoup considerable loss of earnings; in addition to receiving some recompense for the pain and suffering caused.
Although it is possible to claim compensation for cutting a finger on broken glass, in some cases it may not be worth while taking legal action. It is possible to claim a cut to a finger of any severity provided the cut was severe enough to have warrant medical treatment being sought. However, the amount of general damages that can be claimed may not be particularly high if the injury did not cause considerable loss of amenity.
General damages for injury claims for finger cuts covers pain, suffering and any deterioration in quality of life including recompense for lost opportunities. In your case, since you appear to have suffered considerable ‘loss of amenity’ for 6 weeks, it should be worth your while to make a claim. You have also suffered financial losses due to the cut to your finger, so you will also be entitled to make a cut finger compensation claim for special damages.
A cut finger compensation claim for special damages can include reclaiming a shortfall in your salary or financial losses from turning down work if you are self employed. Medical treatment costs may be relatively low for cut to the finger, but any cost can be included under special damages provided it can be justified (and substantiated by receipts or invoices), from prescription costs and bandages to medical treatment charges for surgery to repair a cut ligament or tendon.
The best course of action to take now is to speak with a personal injury solicitor about making a claim for a finger injury from broken glass. It is important that eligibility to claim personal injury compensation is confirmed and your case is assessed, along with any evidence of negligence which you have been able to collect. Once your right to claim compensation has been confirmed, and the probability of successfully being able to recover compensation for cutting a finger on broken glass has been determined, a solicitor will calculate the amount of general and special damages which can be recovered by making injury claims for finger cuts.
You can then decide if you want to proceed with a legal claim once you are fully aware of what the claims process will involve and the level of damages which should be recoverable.