Personal Injury Compensation Calculator

How is the compensation amount calculated in personal injury claims?

In a personal injury case, the total amount of financial compensation you could receive is derived from two figures, known as general damages and special damages.

Our personal injury claims calculator provides a compensation estimate based on the maximum general damages you could expect to claim for an injury of a certain nature. It does not take into account special damages, which depend much more heavily on the specifics of your circumstances, your accident and your case. We will explain more about these different types of damages below.

What are general damages?

In the broadest terms, general damages are designed to account for any pain and suffering you experienced as a result of the accident. If you have sustained an ongoing medical condition or experienced long-lasting effects, you may be due a larger amount of personal injury compensation. The Judicial College provides guidelines that specify compensation amounts for injuries according to their type and severity, and calculations of general damages are based on these minimum and maximum restrictions.

What are special damages?

An award of special damages is designed to account for any financial losses you incur as a result of an accident. This can mean loss of earnings, replacing any items that were damaged, and long-term costs you may face. For example, if you need to make changes to your home to accommodate a disability as a result of the accident, or if you need medication, prosthetics or other care.

Why do I need to claim compensation?

Any injury that was not your fault will often cause you to incur financial losses. There are many different things that you may need to pay for, and if you need to take unpaid time off work to recover, this can be even more difficult.

Beyond this, it is important to pursue a personal injury compensation claim because it assigns the liability for your accident to the other party, whether that is your employer, another driver, the premises’ owner or someone else. This can help to prevent future accidents of a similar nature, and ensure that the person or business responsible takes more care to reduce risk and implement appropriate health and safety measures in the future.

Will anything be deducted from my compensation amount?

At Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors, we take on personal injury cases on a no win, no fee basis. This means that there is no financial risk to you and you will not owe us any money if your case is unsuccessful.

When your case succeeds and you are awarded compensation, we deduct our legal fees from the sum as a percentage of the total amount. We will agree on this arrangement before we take on your case, to ensure that no unexpected fees or costs arise at the end of the process.

In every situation, we work hard to secure you the highest compensation award possible, to ensure that you can afford the things you need and are compensated for your injury-related expenses.

What is the average compensation payout for an injury claim?

There is no single average award for a personal injury compensation claim. Our compensation calculator offers average values for injuries in different locations according to their severity, so this can be used as a guide. However, there are a large number of factors and circumstances that can affect the total in each individual case.

As we have discussed, any expenses you incurred related to your injury will directly correlate with the amount you could expect to receive in special damages. Additionally, there are Judicial College guidelines that affect general damages and set maximum amounts for specific types of injury. It is for this reason that our personal injury claim calculator asks you to provide details of the general nature of your accident.

The maximum values can vary significantly according to the severity of the injury and the prospects of recovery. Taking a knee injury as an example, compensation for a moderate injury may be capped at £13,000, while for a more severe injury that results in long-term or permanent damage, you could be awarded up to £76,690.

Other types of injury - a head injury, for example - can vary much more significantly in terms of severity, and as a result, the compensation guidelines also encompass a broad range. Sustaining multiple injuries will also affect how compensation is calculated. For these reasons, it is impossible to provide an average amount beyond the information you can find in our personal injury calculator.

When you work with Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors to make a no win, no fee claim for compensation, we will work to ensure you receive the maximum possible amount to which you are entitled.

Will the cause of my injury affect the compensation calculation?

The circumstances surrounding your accident will affect the amount of compensation to which you are entitled, and this may include the cause of the accident.

The most important consideration regarding the cause of your accident is whether you or someone else was at fault. You can only claim compensation in circumstances where you are injured due to the actions or negligence of someone else - if you caused the accident yourself, failed to meet safety requirements that you were told to fulfil, or did not heed clear warning signs, you may be ineligible to make a claim.

In some cases, this can be ambiguous, and it is important to speak to an expert to understand whether or not you have a case. For example, you may feel as though the accident was your fault when, in fact, it would not be viewed this way from a legal perspective. For example, if you sustain a leg injury or an elbow injury while carrying a heavy object, it may be hard to see how anyone else is to blame. However, if your employer failed to identify the risk and provide training to help you fulfil lifting and carrying duties safely, they may be legally liable for the accident.

In some cases, if you are found to have been partly at fault, you may still be eligible to receive some compensation. This is another reason why you should speak to a personal injury solicitor to understand your potential for a claim. Many solicitors will take on cases on a no win, no fee basis and will not charge for an initial consultation. You can speak to the experts at Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors for free to learn whether or not you have a case and to learn more about how much compensation you may be due.

How can I get a more accurate estimate of the compensation award I am due?

Our injury claim calculator can only provide a general idea of the personal injury compensation you might be due following an accident. For this reason, you should contact a personal injury lawyer for a more accurate evaluation, and to start the process of launching a claim.

When you discuss the circumstances relating to your injury with a personal injury solicitor (and, if possible, provide them with any evidence you collected following the accident), they will be able to offer you a more accurate estimate of the compensation you could be owed.