SETTLEMENT VALUE OF HAND INJURY CASES
How Much is Your Hand or Finger Injury Worth in an Accident Case?
Valuing Hand & Finger Injuries in Accident Cases
This page will look at average compensation payouts for hand and finger injuries in a lawsuit. The hands, wrists and fingers are one of the most frequently injured parts of the body in auto accidents. Nationally, the average verdict in hand injury cases is $630,000, while the median verdict is only $70,000.
This wide gap between the average and median reflects the fact that there are a small percentage of very serious hand injury cases that result in large multi-million dollar verdicts. But these cases probably make up less than 5% of the total, since more than half of hand injury payouts are less than $70,000.
Common Types of Car Accident Hand Injuries
Hand fractures are one of the most serious type of hand injuries that can occur in a car accident. The hand and fingers are comprised of 27 individual bones. These bones are delicate and can be easily broken or crushed in an accident. Hand & finger fractures also have a higher tendency to result in long lasting impairments. Not surprisingly, fractures of the hand are at the highest end of the settlement value range for hand injuries.
The various bones in the hands and fingers are connected together by a complex mesh of ligaments. The ligaments in the hands are critical to enabling the unique functionality of the human hand. Ligaments in the hand can be badly damaged from stretching or hyper extension in a car accident. Ligament injuries can be classified as sprains or tears based on how severely the ligament tissue damaged. Ligament injuries tend to be a lower end of the value range in accident cases.
Joint dislocations of the fingers is another common type of hand injury in auto collision. This type of injury usually occurs when the hand and fingers impact against the steering wheel in an accident. Another common cause of joint dislocation injuries is airbag deployment. Dislocated joint injuries are usually not serious or permanent. Treatment is often limited to resetting the joint and rest. However, these injuries can be extremely painful so they do have some value in accident cases.
Factors that Impact the Settlement Value of Hand Injuries:
There are 3 factors that have the biggest impact on the amount of compensation you can get for a hand or finger injury in an auto accident case. The first and most important factor is what type of injury is involved. Hand injuries can range from very severe to mild. Bones fractures are more serious and have a much higher value than a dislocated finger.
The second factor that really drives hand injury compensation payouts is the level of treatment that the injury requires. If a fracture of the hand or finger requires multiple surgeries and prolonged recovery, it will have a higher settlement value. By comparison, a finger sprain or dislocation that requires minimal medical treatment will have a much lower value.
The third significant factor in valuing hand injury settlements is whether the injury results in any permanent impairment. Full use of the hands is obvious very important to everyday life, so anything that permanently limits the functionality of the plaintiff’s hand can have a very high settlement value.
Hand/Finger Injury Settlements & Verdicts
YEAR / STATE
CASE / INJURY SUMMARY
RESULT
2018 – Maryland
Truck accident on Liberty Road in Sykesville. Plaintiff, female in her mid-20s, suffers fractured right hand.
$375,000 – Verdict
2018 – Maryland
Broadside accident at stop-sing intersection. Plaintiff, 55-year-old male, suffers fractured finger in his right hand.
$22,387 – Verdict
2018 – Maryland
Motorcycle accident on the beltway. Plaintiff suffers fracture of her left thumb which requires multiple surgeries and internal fixation hardware to correct.
$390,000 – Settlement