Hand Injury Settlements

Article Updated: February 10, 2022

Hand Injury Settlements

In this article you will learn information on hand injuries and how they relate to settlements that you can receive for an accident where someone caused your injury.

We will cover issues and questions including:

♦   How much is a hand injury worth?

♦   What are common hand injuries?

♦   What is the recovery and treatment outlook for hand injuries?

♦   Average payouts for carpal tunnel

If you want more information on how to maximize your hand injury settlement, including if its a broken bone or soft tissue hand injury, read below.

Hand Injuries

The most common hand injuries can be broken down into one of three major areas:

♦   Breaks

♦   Tears

♦   Dislocations

These three categories include injuries such as sprains, fractures, torn ligaments, damaged nerves, and injury to tendons and muscles.

These hand injuries are often also connected to injuries to the wrists and the fingers.

Frequently, an injury to the hand will result in damage to multiple parts of the surrounding area, such as the carpal tunnel.

Carpal tunnel injuries are often debilitating and  can affect the functions of your hand due to the trauma  suffered to the bones and ligaments. This damage is known as  carpal tunnel and for many becomes an injury that has chronic pain attached to it.

Torn ligaments and tears in the hand can also lead to a weakening of the fingers and cause long-term damage to the joints and bones.

Broken Hand Injury Treatments

Broken hands need careful medical attention. The treatment for hand injuries are broken down into degrees based on level of injury.

These different degrees of treatment categorize your hand injury based on how badly the bones and ligaments are sprained, broken or torn, and how many are hurt.

Less serious injuries can be dealt with through the use of compression, icing and resting so that no further damage is brought to the area.

More serious injuries require more intensive compression methods that a doctor can help with to ensure that swelling is decreased and the hand is protected.

In some cases, there will also be the need for stitches and topical cleansing of the area if the break or injury causes open wounds or lacerations.

This is a serious issue as infections can make a non-serious hand injury very serious and lead to long-term complications.

More serious cases of hand injury require there to be surgery so that there can be repairs made to the tendons, nerves and muscles as well as to realign bones.

Hand injury settlements take all of this into account as serious surgeries can require multiple visits to physicians and cost a great deal and take a considerably long time to heal.

Accidents resulting in hand injury can be debilitating and the longer they take to heal, the higher the hand injury settlement value because of the disruption to your life.

Injuries like carpal tunnel lead to a lifetime of pain which again helps in the final settlement amount for your case.

How Much Is A Hand Injury Worth?

So how much is a hand injury worth in your case? This depends on which bone was broken, how many of them were broken and how severe the injury was.

A hand fracture on its own can be worth on average $30,000 to $80,000 when there is the ability to show negligence on the party that caused the accident to take place.

This assumes little to no serious long-term permanent damage to the hand.

However, hand injuries that result in major damage to your quality of life and ability to work or carry on with your daily tasks, will have the potential to be worth far higher values, reaching upwards of $500,000.

The factors that majorly affect how much a hand injury is worth can be understood with the following factors:

♦   Did you need surgery?

♦   Were you unable to go to work because of your injury?

♦   Have you required intensive follow up care?

♦   Did the damage to your hand involve multiple bones?

♦   Was your recovery period long or short?

♦   Were any other areas injured in addition to your hand?

Depending on the answer to these questions, your case can potentially be worth more than the usual averages for less serious injuries which fall into a median of $60,000 nationally.

The key to high hand injury settlement therefore depends on how severe your injury was and how long your recovery period lasted.

The average payout for carpal tunnel injuries is similar because it ranges anywhere from $30,000 to $75,000 depending on how bad your injury was and the exact circumstances of your injury.

Sample Hand Injury Verdicts & Settlements

VERDICT: $19,840.00. A 57-year old plaintiff suffered carpal tunnel syndrome after being struck while sitting in his vehicle. While driving home, plaintiff was hit broadside which caused his injuries. The insurance company attempted to not pay the settlement claiming that the plaintiff did not have the proper uninsured and underinsured motorist protections. The defendant in the case admitted liability and the case was ultimately settled with insurance and the defendant.

VERDICT: $55,000.00.  In this accident the plaintiff suffered injuries to the bones in the left hand which requires surgery and intensive medical care. In addition to this injury the plaintiff also suffered from carpal tunnel in both of her wrists. The injuries were caused when the plaintiff was struck from behind will going through an intersection on her way to work. Plaintiff required long-term care which included the need for steroid injections into her hands.   

VERDICT: $25,500.00.  Plaintiff was on a motorcycle when she was hit by a van that was making a left turn. The impact threw the plaintiff from the bike and led to broken bones in the left hand as well as other accidents. The injuries were able to heal with limited medical intervention as the bones were not displaced and the use of bandaging and steroid injections were able to assist the hand and wrist area to recover from the injury.

VERDICT: $135,000.00.  Plaintiffs were hit by a large truck as they were making their way to work. The impact caused one of the individuals in the car to have a fractured hand which required surgery and required weeks of work to be missed as the dominant hand was not able to be used in any normal manner. The pain and suffering damages pushed this settlement up as did the fact that the accident caused damage that required surgery and was on the dominant hand.  

VERDICT: $67,560.00.  A woman in her 30s was broadsided by a vehicle which led to multiple injuries including fractures in the right hand. The plaintiff sued for negligence asserting that the defendant had failed to yield right of way. The injury to the hand required treatment by an orthopedic surgeon as well as physical therapy. The injury left the plaintiff with chronic pain that was not fully addressed with the surgery.

Hand Injury Settlement Q&A

Can an accident cause carpal tunnel syndrome?

Yes, a car accident can cause trauma that leads to carpal tunnel conditions later on in life. The wrist is a delicate part of the body and trauma on the bones and ligaments can cause some conditions to present at a later date and not immediately.

What are common injuries that the hand sustains?

The most common injuries to the hand in an accident are lacerations, breaks, fractures, and sprains. Each of these can come with different levels of severity that will affect your hand injury settlement.

Does the need for surgery increase my hand injury settlement?

Yes, the need for surgery does increase your hand injury settlement potential. This is because surgery indicates that your injury was serious and in need of a higher level of medical attention and also likely took longer to recover from.

What affects the average payout for carpal tunnel injuries?

Carpal tunnel payouts are affected by similar factors as accidents that cause other hand injuries. This means that the more serious injuries, and the ones that require more medical intervention will have a higher chance of having a high payout.

How much is a hand injury worth if I need surgery?

A hand injury, if there is need for surgery, goes from the lower end of $30,000-$50,000 on average to a higher payout that is closer to $100,000 on average, especially if the injury leaves scars, or has long-term impacts on ability to function.

What is a hand injury compensation calculator?

I’ve seen this discussed an mentioned elsewhere, so it’s worth discussing.  A hand injury compensation calculator is an alleged calculator that allows you to get a rough idea of how much your hand injury compensation might be.  There is one major problem.  There is no such thing as a hand injury compensation calculator – it’s a lawyer marketing tool used for advertising.  In other words, a hand injury compensation calculator will not help you understand the value of your claim.  To understand why, read up on how injury claims, including hand injuries, are really valued.

Our Los Angeles Attorneys Can Help
With Your Hand Injury Settlement

If you are unsure about what steps to take next, you can contact our Los Angeles law office 24/7 for a free consultation. Regardless of where you are (even outside of Los Angeles), we will offer you a FREE 30 minute consultation because we can either help you or connect you with someone else who can.

We will help you navigate your hand injury case and will fight hard to help ensure you get the highest settlement your case is worth.  Call, email, or submit the contact form below to speak with a lawyer right now.

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