If you were injured in an accident caused by somebody else breaching the duty of care they owed you, you may have grounds to seek personal injury compensation. If your claim is successful, you can receive compensation to cover any physical, emotional, and/or financial impacts caused by your injuries.
There are many different types of injuries you could potentially claim compensation for. These include injuries to the limb, nerve damage or psychological injuries. You may be wondering how much compensation you will receive. If so, you could use a compensation calculator which can help provide a potential personal injury settlement estimate. We discuss how calculators work and how they can help further in our guide, as well as how personal injury claim payouts are calculated and what they can comprise.
Additionally, we discuss the eligibility criteria for claiming and the evidence you could supply to build a strong claim. Also, you’ll read about the time limits that apply to personal injury claims.
Finally, we explain how a specialist solicitor from our panel could help you seek compensation on a No Win No Fee basis if your claim is valid.
For more information, please contact our team at a time that’s best for you. They are available 24/7 to offer free guidance and answer any questions you have. To reach out, you can:
- Call 020 8050 2736 to discuss your options.
- Make an inquiry about your potential claim online.
- Ask questions via our free live chat service.
Personal Injury Compensation Calculator Guide
Select A Section
- Compensation Calculator
- When Can You Make A Personal Injury Claim?
- What Is Needed To Claim Personal Injury Compensation?
- Is There A Time Limit When Making Personal Injury Claims?
- Seek Personal Injury Compensation Using A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- More Resources Related To Using A Compensation Calculator
Compensation Calculator
If you are injured in an accident caused by somebody who breached their duty of care, compensation could be awarded to address the impacts of your injury. Generally, settlements can comprise general damages and special damages, the two heads of loss that can make up a payout. General damages compensate for the pain and suffering of your injuries, physical and/or psychological, whilst special damages compensate for the financial losses incurred due to your injuries.
A compensation calculator can be a great way to get an idea of how much you could receive if you make a successful claim. It will ask questions about the nature of your injury and accident to provide a potential estimate.
Generally, calculators take amounts from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) which is a document that provides a list of guideline compensation brackets for different types of injuries all varying in severity. These brackets are often used to help calculate the value of general damages alongside an independent medical report which can be produced if you are required to attend a medical assessment as part of the claims process. Various factors are considered when determining how much you are owed for the physical and psychological impacts of your injuries. As such, you should use the figures as a guide only.
Calculators can also provide an estimate of the compensation you could receive for certain costs associated with your injuries, such as loss of earnings. However, it does not consider all costs awarded under special damages so you could potentially be owed more. Please call our team for further guidance.
Compensation Table
You can use the following table as an alternative to a compensation calculator. It uses figures from the JCG, except for the first entry.
| Injury Type | Severity Category | Valuation Brackets - Guidelines | Extra Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries With Financial Losses | Serious | Up to £1,000,000+ | Compensation for the physical and psychological impacts of multiple serious injuries plus financial losses, such as loss of earnings, the cost of home modifications, care costs and medical expenses. |
| Injuries Involving Paralysis | Tetraplegia (Quadriplegia) | £324,600 to £403,990 | Upper and lower body paralysis. The award given will depend on factors such as age and depression. |
| Injury from Brain Damage | Very Severe | £282,010 to £403,990 | Full-time nursing care is required. |
| Moderate (iii) | £43,060 to £90,720 | Concentration and memory are affected and the ability to work is reduced. There may also be a small epilepsy risk but any dependence on others is limited. | |
| Amputation of Arms | Loss of Both Arms | £240,790 to £300,000 | The person is fully aware of their injury. As such, they are reduced to a state of considerable helplessness. |
| Loss of One Arm (ii) | £109,650 to £130,930 | Amputation of one arm above the elbow. | |
| Back Injuries | Severe (i) | £91,090 to £160,980 | A combination of very serious consequences not normally seen in back injuries linked to a damaged spinal cord or nerve roots. |
| Moderate (ii) | £12,510 to £27,760 | Soft tissue injuries causing prolonged, by 5 or more years, acceleration and/or exacerbation of a pre-existing back condition. | |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (i) | In the region of £148,330 | Incomplete paraplegia from an associated neck injury. |
| Moderate (iii) | £7,890 to £13,740 | Moderate soft tissue injuries with a fairly protracted recovery period. |
Special Damages In Personal Injury Claims
As mentioned, special damages compensate for the financial expenses linked to your injuries. Examples can include:
- The cost of support or care.
- Medical expenses.
- Loss of income.
- The cost of home adaptations.
Evidence will be required to support these losses. As such, you should keep hold of any receipts, wage slips, and invoices.
For further guidance on using a compensation calculator or what personal injury compensation you could receive after a successful claim, please contact our team of advisors using the number above.
When Can You Make A Personal Injury Claim?
In order to start a personal injury claim, it needs to be proven that:
- You were owed a duty of care by a third party, such as an employer, road user, or occupier.
- This duty was breached.
- You experienced physical and/or psychological harm as a result.
Below, we have provided guidance on the duty of care owed to you in different scenarios and examples of how an accident could occur if this duty is breached.
Accidents at Work
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a duty of care on employers to take reasonable as well as practicable steps to try and prevent workplace accidents. Failure to do so could result in an employee becoming injured in an accident at work.
For example, your employer failed to replace a missing safety guard on a cutting machine in a factory, despite reports being made about the hazard. As a result, you sustained a hand amputation when instructed by your employer to still use the machine.
Accidents In A Public Place
Those in control of public places owe a duty of care to members of the public. This duty is outlined in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 and requires steps to be taken to ensure the reasonable safety of those using the space for its intended purpose. A breach of this duty could lead to an injury being sustained in an accident in a public place.
As an example, the owner of a shop puts off fixing a broken handrail on a flight of stairs within the shop that had been reported several times. While using the stairs, you fell from a height after the handrail broke away from the wall and sustained a broken leg along with a serious back injury.
Road Traffic Accidents
Road users, including drivers, riders, and pedestrians, owe a duty of care to one another. They are required to operate the roads in a way that prevents harm or damage from being sustained. They need to follow the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988 to uphold this duty. Failure to do so could lead to a road traffic accident in which another road user sustains harm.
An example can include a rear-end collision caused by another driver failing to stop behind stand-still traffic waiting at a set of lights because they were using their mobile phone. This could result in the driver in front sustaining a neck injury.
To discuss your specific case and find out whether you’re eligible to pursue compensation for your personal injury, please contact our team on the number above. An advisor can also provide a free estimate of your potential settlement by assessing your case as an alternative to using a compensation calculator.
What Is Needed To Claim Personal Injury Compensation?
In order to strengthen your case and prove that you’re eligible to claim personal injury compensation, you will need to gather evidence. This can help demonstrate how the accident occurred, who was liable for it, and the extent of your suffering.
The following are examples of what evidence is needed for a personal injury claim:
- Medical records, such as letters from your doctor, test results, or hospital reports.
- The contact details of anybody who witnessed the accident. They can be contacted later on for a statement.
- CCTV, dashcam, or mobile phone recordings of the accident.
- Photographs of your injuries and the accident scene.
If your claim is accepted by a solicitor from our panel, they can assist you with gathering and building a strong body of evidence to strengthen your case. To find out more about their services and whether you’re eligible to have them represent you, please call an advisor using the number above.
Is There A Time Limit When Making Personal Injury Claims?
The personal injury claims time limit is generally 3 years from the date of the accident. This is stated in the Limitation Act 1980 and means you have 3 years from this date to initiate legal proceedings.
However, a couple of exceptions exist:
- If the injured party is a child, the time limit does not start until their 18th birthday. They will then have three years from this date to start legal proceedings themselves, provided no claim has already been made for them.
- Where the claimant does not have the mental capacity to claim, the time limit is frozen indefinitely. If they recover their mental capacity, and no claim has already been made for them, they will have three years from the recovery date to begin their own claim.
In both cases, somebody else could act as the claimant’s litigation friend and start a claim on their behalf while the time limit is paused.
For further guidance on the time limits for personal injury claims, please contact an advisor on the number above.
Seek Personal Injury Compensation Using A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you are eligible, you could instruct an expert personal injury solicitor from our panel to represent you. They provide a No Win No Fee service under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
Under the typical terms of a CFA:
- No upfront payment for your solicitor’s work is needed.
- There are no fees required for your solicitor’s services during the claim or if it fails.
- A success fee will be deducted from any compensation you’re awarded. The percentage that can be taken as a success fee is capped by The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013.
To check if you could work with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel, you can contact our team. They can assess your case for free and if you want to proceed with your claim with our help, they could connect you with a solicitor from our panel to begin working on your case.
Alternatively, an advisor can answer any questions you have regarding claiming personal injury compensation and how a compensation calculator works. To reach out, you can:
- Phone us on 020 8050 2736.
- Make an inquiry about your potential claim online.
- Ask questions via our free live chat service.
More Resources Related To Using A Compensation Calculator
Here are more of our personal injury claims guides:
- Learn how to use a car accident compensation claim calculator following a road traffic accident.
- Information on how an injury at work compensation calculator can help.
- Guidance on compensation amounts for a car park accident claim and how they are calculated.
Finally, here are some external links that may also help:
- Government advice on getting CCTV footage of yourself.
- NHS information on getting copies of your medical records.
- Advice on instructing a solicitor from the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.
If you have any other questions about how a compensation calculator could help you, please call today.