Most people have modest expectations for compensation following injuries at work, according to a YouGov survey of 1,970 adults.
Most people have modest expectations for compensation following injuries at work, according to a YouGov survey of 1,970 adults.
The research shows that 61 per cent would expect less than £5,000 for fracturing an arm at work. The typical award for this injury is £6,000, including £2,000 for loss of earnings, according to figures from legal information service Lawtel.
For a leg broken at work, 46 per cent of those surveyed would expect £5,000 or less, while the typical compensation is £8,650, including £2,900 for loss of wages.
Charlotte Pegman, managing partner of personal injury lawyers Hubbard Pegman and Whitney, says, ‘While large compensation awards for seemingly minor injuries and slights rightly attract hostile media attention, the reality is that awards for most workplace injuries – often nasty ones – are generally much more modest.’
Notions of probable compensation increase markedly for serious injuries, though a significant minority of adults still expect far less than they would be likely to receive. For the permanent loss of the use of both legs, 20 per cent of adults expected £100,000 or less, while 42 per cent expected more than £200,000, ‘which in most cases people would get’, according to Pegman.
