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By Stephen Bishop. Last Updated 9th January 2025. Welcome to our guide to compensation payouts. If you make a claim, the aim is to receive a fair payment that reflects how you were affected. But how does it work? Continue reading to learn about:
- Different types of personal injury claim payouts. We discuss payments for accidents at work, in public or in a road traffic collision.
- Valuation of data breach compensation.
- How criminal injury compensation is awarded.
These explanations are accompanied by tables. If you want an idea of a possible payout, the injury compensation chart for each type of claim offers illustrative examples from a source that can be used in the valuation of real claims.
As well as this discussion of compensation and the guide to payouts for different claims, you can learn more about No Win No Fee claims. Our panel’s solicitors work under terms that mean no payment for their work unless the case wins, and have years of combined experience in many different fields of legal action.
You can find out more about this, or anything we discuss in the guide, by contacting us. Our support service is completely free and can be reached around the clock. Speak to an advisor right now or at a time of your choosing by:
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Select A Section
- Accident At Work Compensation Payouts
- Calculating Road Traffic Accident Compensation Claims
- Public Liability Compensation Payouts
- Valuing Data Breach Compensation Claims
- Criminal Injuries Compensation
- How Can A No Win No Fee Solicitor Help You Claim Compensation?
- Learn More About Claiming Compensation Payouts
Accident At Work Compensation Payouts
Employers owe their employees a legal duty of care. This is established by Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which states they should take reasonably practicable steps to prevent employees from becoming injured while working. Failure to do so could lead to an accident at work in which an employee is injured.
For example, an employer may be liable if they provided defective equipment for the employee to use, such as a faulty ladder, and the employee ended up suffering severe head injury leading to brain damage after falling from the ladder.
If a breach of that duty leads to an accident where you suffer harm, you could make a personal injury claim and seek compensation. For successful personal injury claims, compensation payouts can comprise up to two heads of loss:
- General damages: Compensating for the pain and suffering of your injuries, physical, psychological, or both. Those calculating personal injury compensation values for general damages could use your medical records as well as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document features guideline compensation brackets corresponding to different injuries.
- Special damages: A potential second head of claim known as special damages could reimburse financial losses brought on by the injuries, such as medical expenses, travel expenses, or a loss of earnings. Evidence can help support a claim for these losses, such as receipts, invoices, and payslips.
The table below features entries from the JCG, with the exception of the first entry. Please also note that this table is only a guide.
| INJURY | SEVERITY | COMPENSATION GUIDELINE AMOUNT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Injuries And Special Damages | Very Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ | Compensation for the pain and suffering of more than one very severe injury, as well as financial losses incurred as a result like a loss of earnings, care costs, and medical expenses. |
| Brain Damage | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 | There is little to no language function, little evidence of a meaningful response to environment, double incontinence, and the need for full-time nursing care. |
| Brain Damage | Moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 | Cases involving a moderate to severe intellect deficit, a change in personality, an effect on the senses, and no employment prospects. |
| Leg Injury | Amputations (ii) | £245,900 to £329,620 | Below-knee amputation of both legs. |
| Back Injury | Severe (i) | £111,150 to £196,450 | Cases of the most severe injury, affecting the spinal cord and nerve roots with very serious and unusual consequences, such as severe pain and disability alongside incomplete paralysis. |
| Back Injury | Moderate (i) | £33,880 to £47,320 | The bracket contains a variety of injuries, such as compression or crush fractures of the lumbar vertebrae with a high risk of osteoarthritis alongside constant pain and discomfort. |
Calculating Road Traffic Accident Compensation Claims
Road users must adhere to the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code in order to uphold their duty of care. This duty requires them to navigate the roads in a way that prevents damage or injury to themselves and others.
Failure to do so could lead to a road traffic accident and subsequent injuries. For example, a cyclist may have been hit by a drunk driver leaving them with multiple severe neck injuries and significant disability.
Compensation payouts awarded following successful road traffic accident claims can also comprise general damages and special damages. As mentioned above, these are the two heads of loss that compensate for the different ways your injuries affected you, including the pain and suffering caused and the financial losses incurred.
Compensation Table For Road Traffic Accident Claims
The table below contains figures from the JCG which can be used to help value general damages in road traffic accident compensation claims. The first entry is not from the JCG. Additionally, the bottom two entries are fixed amounts from the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021 tariff which are used to value whiplash injuries.
| INJURY | SEVERITY | GUIDELINE COMPENSATION | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries And Monetary Losses | Serious | Up to £1,000,000+ | A compensation settlement for the pain and suffering of multiple serious injuries as well as monetary losses incurred, such as medical expenses, lost income, and domestic care costs. |
| Paralysis | Quadriplegia | £396,140 to £493,000 | The upper and lower body is paralysed. Factors bearing on the award include the person's age and whether there is any depression. |
| Brain Damage | Moderately Severe | £267,340 to £344,150 | The injured person is very seriously disabled and needs constant professional care. |
| Arm | Injuries Resulting in Permanent and Substantial Disablement | £47,810 to £73,050 | Serious fractures to one or both forearms causing significant permanent disability that is either functional or cosmetic. |
| Whiplash | One Or More Whiplash Injuries Plus One Or More Minor Psychological Injuries | £4,345 | The injury duration is more than 18 months, but not more than 24 months. |
| One Or More Whiplash Injuries | £4,215 | An injury duration of between 18 and 24 months. |
Making A Personal Injury Claim For Whiplash
The Whiplash Reform Programme affected the way certain road traffic accident claims are brought forward and where they are directed. These changes mean that adult passengers and drivers of vehicles with injuries worth £5,000 or less must claim via a different avenue. Additionally, the fixed tariff set out in the Regulations 2021 dictate the value of all whiplash injuries.
You can claim in the traditional way if the total value of your claim is above £5,000, but the Regulations 2021 still dictate the value of whiplash injuries. However, any other injuries not included in the tariff will be valued in the traditional way regardless of the avenue you take to claim.
To learn more about road traffic accident injury compensation payouts, get in touch on the number above and discuss your potential personal injury case for free with an advisor.
Public Liability Compensation Payouts
When you are in a public space, the occupier of that space owes you a duty of care. The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 states that occupiers must take steps to ensure your reasonable safety. Failure to do so could lead to an accident in a public place in which a member of the public sustains harm.
For example, a supermarket accident may occur after a spillage is reported but not cleared up or signposted within a reasonable time frame. As a result, a customer sustains an ankle injury and soft tissue injury in the shoulder after slipping over on the wet floor.
In successful public liability claims, compensation payouts comprising general and special damages can be awarded. As mentioned previously, general damages award compensation to account for the pain and suffering of any psychological and/or physical injuries whilst special damages award compensation to account for the monetary losses incurred as a result of the injuries.
Compensation Table For Public Injury Claims
The table below contains figures from the JCG, with the exception of the very first entry. As mentioned previously, please remember that the compensation tables on this page are only a guide. Personal injury compensation will differ from case to case.
| INJURY | SEVERITY | VALUATION BRACKETS - GUIDELINES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries And Financial Losses | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ | A compensation settlement for the impacts of multiple severe injuries including the pain and suffering experienced and the financial losses, such as lost income, domestic care costs, and travel expenses. |
| Paralysis | Paraplegia | £267,340 to £346,890 | Paralysis of the lower half of the body. The award is influenced by factors like pain, impact on sexual function and the injured person's life expectancy. |
| Hand | Serious Damage to Both Hands | £68,070 to £103,200 | A significant loss of hand function, coupled with permanent cosmetic disability. |
| Ankle | Very Severe | £61,090 to £85,070 | Limited and unusual injuries. For example, bilateral ankle fractures causing joint degeneration in a young person. |
| Shoulder | Severe | £23,430 to £58,610 | Associated often with neck injuries and featuring brachial plexus damage. |
| Leg | Less Serious (ii) | £11,120 to £17,180 | Fractures from which an incomplete recovery is made, or serious soft tissue injuries. |
Call our team to find out more about how personal injury cases are calculated and what you could potentially be owed if you successfully claim after an accident at work, road traffic accident, or public place accident.
Valuing Data Breach Compensation Claims
Data breach compensation payouts are calculated slightly different to personal injury claims. If you make a successful personal data breach claim, a settlement can include compensation for material and non-material damage.
Material damage refers to monetary losses caused by the breach of your personal data, such as money stolen from your account, loans taken out in your name, or lost income incurred due to time taken off work to recover from the psychological effects. Evidence, such as bank statements and payslips can help prove these expenses.
Non-material damage refers to the psychological damage suffered as a result of your personal data being breached. This can include anxiety, distress, depression, stress, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in more severe cases. Your medical reports alongside the JCG can be referenced when working out the value of any mental harm you have suffered.
Data Breach Claim Compensation Table
Like the personal injury tables, this table features JCG figures, except for the top entry. Please call if you’d like to know more about data breach compensation and what you could claim.
| HARM TYPE | SEVERITY | GUIDELINE AWARD BRACKETS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Psychological Damage and Substantial Monetary Losses | Severe | Up to £250,000+ | A payout comprising compensation for severe psychological damage and any significant financial losses incurred as a result. |
| Psychiatric Damage Generally | Severe | £66,920 to £141,240 | The affected person has a very poor prognosis and marked problems affecting different areas of their life, such as their ability to cope with work and education. |
| Moderately Severe | £23,270 to £66,920 | Significant problems affecting different areas of the person's life but the prognosis is much more optimistic than that of severe cases. | |
| PTSD | Severe | £73,050 to £122,850 | All aspects of life are badly affected and functioning at anything near pre-trauma levels is prevented. |
| Moderately Severe | £28,250 to £73,050 | A better prognosis than in severe cases due to some recovery which is achieved through receiving professional help. However, the effects are still likely to cause a significant disability for the foreseeable future. |
Criminal Injuries Compensation
When seeking criminal injuries compensation, who you make your claim against will determine how your compensation is calculated. For example, you could make your criminal injury claim against the perpetrator directly if they have the funds to pay compensation and have been identified. Alternatively, you could claim against a vicariously liable third party that breached their duty of care causing or contributing to the violent crime. In these instances, the JCG and other resources can be used to calculate the value of your settlement.
If neither of these options is viable, you could claim via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a government agency offering a last resort for victims of violent crime in Great Britain who want to seek compensation. You can make sexual abuse claims through the CICA, as well as claiming after crimes of violence such as arson, assault or attempted murder.
CICA Compensation
When claiming via the CICA, you can receive a payment for your injuries. This is valued in accordance with the fixed tariff of payments that can be found in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. The CICA administers the Scheme 2012 which states that compensation can only be claimed for up to three injuries. If you are claiming for more than two injuries, you could receive:
- The full tariff amount for the most serious injury.
- 30% of the tariff amount for the second most or equally serious injury.
- 15% for the third most or equally serious injury.
An additional tariff payment can be awarded if you the crime directly leads to pregnancy, contraction of an STI or losing a foetus.
Compensation Table For CICA Claims
You can find example compensation payouts for CICA claims in the table below. The compensation values are from the fixed tariff laid out in the Scheme 2012, apart from the first entry.
| INJURY | SEVERITY | TARIFF AMOUNT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Loss of Earnings and Special Expenses | Serious | Up to £500,000 | Compensation for up to three injuries as well as special expenses and lost income. |
| Brain Damage | Very Serious Brain Injury | £250,000 | The person has no useful physical movement, experiences a significant effect on the senses, and has little or no language function. There is little or no meaningful response to environment and the person needs full-time nursing care. |
| Eye | Loss of Eye | £110,000 | Both eyes are lost. |
| Arm | Paralysis or Equivalent Loss of Function | £82,000 | Total loss of function in one arm where there is no remaining arm or hand with any useful function. |
| Burns | Affecting Multiple Areas of Body | £33,000 | Burns cover over 25% of total skin. There is also significant scarring. |
| Sexual Offence (Victim Is Any Age) | Sexual Assault | £27,000 | A permanently disabling psychological injury is severe and confirmed by psychiatric prognosis. |
You could also receive a payment for special expenses, covering certain costs incurred as a result of the criminal injury, or loss of earnings if you were unable to work due to your criminal injury. Other criteria need to be met to qualify for these payments, however, so get in touch with an advisor to find out more.
How Can A No Win No Fee Solicitor Help You Claim Compensation?
Whether you want to pursue a personal injury claim, seek data breach compensation or make a claim for criminal injury, a solicitor from our panel could help. Their expertise can make the claims process run smoothly and ensure you’re kept up to speed throughout.
If you have valid grounds to seek compensation, one of the No Win No Fee personal injury solicitors from our panel could offer their helpful services under a Conditional Fee Agreement which generally means you would not have to pay for their work:
- Upfront.
- During the process.
- If the claim fails.
If your case succeeds, you will pay a small percentage of your compensation to your solicitor. This deduction is their success fee. However, the percentage they can take is capped by law by the The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 which ensures you keep the majority of your awarded payout.
Talk To An Expert About Your Claim
If you have any questions about compensation payments and how a No Win No Fee solicitor can help you get the maximum compensation you deserve, please get in touch. Our advisors can consult and assess your potential claim with no fee and no obligation to start legal action. However, if you have a valid claim, we could put you in touch with an expert solicitor right away.
To learn more, please either:
- Call 0333 000 0729.
- Contact us online and ask for a call.
- Start a conversation in the live chat tab below.
Learn More About Claiming Compensation Payouts
Here are some more of our in-depth guides relating to different types of compensation claims:
- Learn if you could claim compensation for a serious back injury and how compensation payouts for this type of injury are calculated.
- Learn about the time limits for personal injury claims in this guide.
- Our psychological injury calculator guide looks at how compensation for mental harm is valued.
These resources may also be useful to you:
- Government advice on claiming Statutory Sick Pay after taking time off work to recover from the harm you have sustained.
- Guidance on how to request a copy of your medical records from the NHS.
- Information about residency requirements for criminal injury claims made through the CICA.
If you would like to know more about the different types of compensation payouts and how they are calculated according to the type of claim you make, please call the number above.
