It depends on the injury and your losses, but the ranges below give a realistic guide. The figures cover the injury itself: the pain, suffering and loss of amenity. Your financial losses, such as lost earnings, lifetime care and prosthetics, sit on top and often outweigh the injury award in serious cases.
These are guideline brackets used by the Scottish courts, not a quote, and every case turns on its own medical evidence. Where an award lands within a range depends on the level of amputation, how well prosthetics restore function, the severity of any phantom pain, your age, the psychological impact, and whether it affected a dominant limb.
Leg amputation compensation
For loss of a leg, indicative brackets are:
loss of both legs: around £289,170 to £338,670
below-knee amputation of both legs: around £241,980 to £324,370
above-knee amputation of one leg: around £125,890 to £165,080
below-knee amputation of one leg: around £117,660 to £159,700
These cover the injury only. If you’ve had one leg amputated, the lifetime cost of prosthetics, mobility aids, care and home adaptations is claimed on top, and can add a great deal.
Below-knee amputation
A below-knee amputation keeps the knee joint, which usually means more natural movement and better use of a prosthetic limb. Because function is better preserved, the injury award often sits lower than for an above-knee case. Ongoing stump problems, phantom pain, or repeated operations to save the leg push it toward the top of the range.
Above-knee amputation
Losing the knee joint adds sharply to the disability and to how much you rely on a prosthesis, and the award reflects that. Where it lands depends on the level of amputation, phantom pain, your age, the psychological impact, and how well prosthetics restore your mobility.
Arm amputation compensation
Indicative brackets for loss of an arm are:
loss of both arms: around £289,170 to £360,270
loss of one arm at the shoulder: not less than £164,710
above-elbow amputation: around £131,680 to £157,230
below-elbow amputation: around £115,490 to £131,680
Whether the amputation is above or below the elbow makes a real difference, as does whether it affected your dominant arm. Advanced prosthetics, retraining and lost earnings are claimed on top of these figures.
Hand amputation compensation
Indicative brackets for loss of a hand are:
total or effective loss of both hands: around £168,930 to £241,980
total or effective loss of one hand: around £115,490 to £131,680
loss of the thumb: around £42,660 to £65,850
Losing a hand is valued not far short of losing the whole arm, and injuries to a dominant hand sit at the top of the range. A hand that’s crushed and then surgically amputated is assessed as loss of a hand, not finger by finger.
Finger amputation compensation
Indicative brackets for finger loss are:
amputation of the index, middle and/or ring fingers: around £74,350 to £108,980
total or partial loss of the index finger: around £14,620 to £22,510
loss of the thumb: around £42,660 to £65,850
amputation of the little finger: around £10,380 to £14,700
Where several fingers are affected, the award reflects the overall loss of grip, dexterity and appearance, not a simple sum of each finger. Finger and partial-finger loss is a real, claimable injury, not a minor one, especially where it affects your ability to work.
Toe amputation compensation
Indicative brackets for toe loss are:
amputation of all toes: around £43,860 to £67,350
amputation of the great (big) toe: in the region of £37,610
amputation of one or two lesser toes after a severe crush injury: around £16,500 to £25,300
How much the loss affects your balance, your walking and your ability to stand at work all shape the award. Losing a toe, or part of one foot, is a real injury, and any lost earnings, adaptations or ongoing treatment are claimed on top.
