Finger Injuries

Minor hand and finger injuries account for many emergency room admissions in hospitals given the vulnerability of the hands and fingers. Most finger injuries are minor enough to heal quickly on their own, but more serious damage can cause ongoing problems and even loss of mobility; the fingers are more delicate than one may think. Injuries to fingers tend to be lacerations, infections or fractures and of all of these, fractures, particularly from crushing, tend to be the most serious injuries leading to the most potential problems.

The crushing of your fingers can of course happen in all manner of instances: in every-day accidents around the home and slips, trips and falls, sports injuries or in more serious instances such as car accidents and accidents at work. The latter is the cause of many finger injury claims, especially arising from workplaces where machinery is used: fingers getting trapped or crushed in the course of everyday work where insufficient training is provided or there are inadequate health and safety measures in place.

Fingers that are severely fractured in an accident may suffer loss of grip, loss of sensation, deformity or even have to be partially or wholly amputated. If your finger injury was caused by someone else's negligence, you can claim for compensation. The amount awarded in successful finger injury claims will vary depending on the severity of the injury, with amputation giving rise to the highest award amounts. In these cases, the finger that is partially or wholly amputated will also govern the amount awarded, with the loss of the index and middle or ring finger on one hand resulting in the highest amounts. This is because the hand is then rendered all but useless.

Whether your finger injury was this severe or more minor, if it was as a result of an accident that was not your fault you should seek to be compensated.