In our guide on using a burn injury compensation calculator we look at how compensation for a personal injury may be calculated. We cover the types of compensation you may be eligible to claim, such as special damages, and look how these amounts could be calculated. Our guide also takes you through the personal injury claims process highlighting when and how you could make a claim.
You can find information on the different types of personal injury claims you could make, such as those for an accident at work, a road traffic accident or burns suffered in a public place. We also examine different types of burn injury you could suffer and what could cause them.
If you have suffered a burn injury caused by another party, you could claim compensation. To find out if we could help you,
- Call an advisor now on 0800 408 7826.
- Contact us by completing our online form.
- Tell us what happened and get help over our online chat.
Browse Our Guide
- How to Use Our Burn Injury Compensation Calculator
- The Classification Of Burn Injuries
- Am I Eligible To Make A Burn Claim?
- Skin Burn Injuries At Work – When Can You Claim?
- Common Causes Of Burns
- How To Make A Burn Injury Compensation Claim
- How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help With Your Claim
- More Information
How To Use Our Burn Injury Compensation Calculator
If you are considering making a personal injury claim you may be wondering “how much is my burn injury claim worth?” The first thing we should state is that a burn injury compensation calculator can only give you an idea of how much compensation could be awarded. Without an accurate assessment of your burn injury and the impact it has had on you, we can not accurately say what you could be eligible to claim.
The amount of compensation you receive will depend on what injury you suffered, how serious this was and the wider impact of the injury on you. Compensation settlements may be made up of two parts. These are called general damages and special damages. The purpose of both types of damages is to restore you to the position you were in before you were injured.
General damages are designed to compensate people for the pain and suffering caused by their injury. They may compensate for physical injuries, psychological trauma as well as loss of enjoyment.
Whilst a variety of different resources may be used, one way solicitors may estimate what general damages could be owed is to refer to guidelines published by the Judicial College (JCG). This document contains information on compensation for different types of injury and severity.
Below is a table in which we take figures relevant to burn injury claims from this document. Please note, the headline figure illustrates a combination of general and special damages. This does not come from the JCG.
| Type Of Injury | Severity | Potential Damages |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple, serious burn injuries | Severe or serious | Up to £250,000+ (with special damages) |
| Scarring on other body parts | Covering over 40% of the body | Likely to be in excess of £127,930 |
| Several noticeable scars or one which is disfiguring. | £9,560 to £27,740 | |
| Several superficial scars, or one which is noticeable. | £2,890 to £9,560 | |
| Facial disfigurement | Very severe - A | £36,340 to £118,790 |
| Less severe - B | £21,920 to £59,090 | |
| Significant - C | £11,120 to £36,720 | |
| Less significant - D | £4,820 to £16,770 | |
| Trivial scarring - E | £2,080 to £4,310 |
What Can Be Included In Your Claim Amount?
Special damages are designed to compensate people for financial losses and costs incurred as a result of their injury. These damages could be awarded for costs and losses such as the cost of medical treatment, medication costs, travel to medical appointments, modifications to your home and loss of earnings. You must provide evidence of these losses when submitting your claim.
Please contact our team to get a more accurate assessment of what compensation you could claim.
The Classification Of Burn Injuries
Types of burn injuries are assessed and classified by the degree of damage caused to the different layers of the skin (and tissues below in the case of more severe burns). Burn injuries are classified into four degrees of severity. These are:
- First degree burns – these are superficial burns which affect the outer layer of the epidermis (skin). They could cause pain and redness, but should not leave any scars.
- Second degree burns – these are also called superficial partial thickness burns. The burn extends into the upper part of the dermis, causing swelling redness and blistering. They may leave you with a scar. Second degree burns also include deep partial thickness burns. These reach further into the dermis damaging sweat glands and hair follicles. They could leave you with a significant scar injury.
- Third degree burns – full thickness burns extend through the epidermis and the dermis and through to the subcutaneous tissue. Victims may need to have skin grafts.
- Fourth degree burns – this is the most severe degree of burn injury. Fourth degree burns extend through the epidermis, dermis and into the muscles, nerves and even bone below. This will often cause permanent injury and will need extensive medical care.
Burns and scalds can be extremely serious and even life-threatening injuries. Next we look at when you could make a burn injury compensation claim.
Am I Eligible To Make A Burn Claim?
Whether you were injured in a road traffic accident, an accident at work or any other circumstances, you need to show that your injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence. Your claim will need to show that another party had a duty of care to you. This may be that owed by an employer under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), that owed by other road users or that owed by the occupier of a public place under Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
In any of these instances, the criteria your claim must meet include:
- That a third party had a duty of care to you at the time of the accident.
- That this party breached their duty of care to you
- Your injury was the result of this breach.
In addition to these criteria, your claim must be started within the applicable time limit. We will explore this further later in our guide. Please get in contact with our team to learn more about the eligibility criteria you must meet to claim compensation.
Skin Burn Injuries At Work – When you can claim
As outlined in the previous section, under the HASAWA, your employer has a duty of care to ensure that you are prevented from harm whilst in the workplace. They should take practical and reasonable steps to do so.
If your employer has failed to take such steps, causing you to suffer a burn injury at work, you could seek compensation. You could suffer a burned hand injury at work if a corrosive chemical is spilled on your hand and you had not been provided with suitable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect your hands.
Please speak to a member of our team about how to claim for a workplace injury.
Common Causes Of Burns
Potential causes of burn injuries could include:
- Scalds and burns caused by hot liquids, such as hot drinks being spilled in a cafe or hot oil being spilled in a restaurant.
- Acid and chemical burns caused by the use of hazardous materials, such as cleaning products.
- Fire, such as those caused by road traffic accidents could lead to severe burn injuries.
- Electrical burns, these could be caused by faulty electrical equipment in the workplace causing an electric shock burn.
There are other possible causes of burn injuries. If you have suffered a burn injury and want advice, please contact our team for help.
How To Make A Burn Injury Compensation Claim
In this next part of our guide we look at how to make a personal injury claim. We will look at what evidence you may need, how long you have to begin a claim and whether you will need to pay any fees.
Gather Evidence To Support Your Claim
It is vital that you submit as much evidence as possible when making your claim. Types of evidence you could submit may include:
- Medical reports. This could include a copy of your medical records showing details of your burn injury.
- Photographs of the accident and of your burn injury. You could take photos of your burn over time to show how it progresses.
- Reports such as reports in an accident log at work or in a public place. If you were injured in a car crash this should be reported to the police and the police report submitted with the claim.
- Footage from any CCTV, dashcam or similar devices.
Time Limits For Making A Claim
The Limitation Act 1980 sets a three year time limit in which your claim for compensation must be started. This time limit will begin on the date of the accident or the date on which you became aware of the burn injury.
Exceptions to this time limit apply where a claimant either lacks the mental capacity to do so on their own behalf, or where the claimant is under the age of eighteen. In these cases the court could appoint a suitable adult as a litigation friend.
How Much Does It Cost To Claim?
If you have a valid burn injury compensation claim you may be able to work with a specialist solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis. By doing so you would not have to pay any fees in advance, nor if your claim isn’t successful. We will explore No Win No Fee claims later in this guide.
How Long It Can Take For You To Receive A Compensation Payout
How long it takes to pay out compensation depends on factors such as how complex your injury and accident were and whether the other party accepts their liability. Your claim may need to go to court if they contest this or dispute the amount of compensation sought.
If you suffered facial scarring due to a burn injury our team could help. Please contact us for more information.
How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help With Your Claim
Get in touch with our advisors today to discuss your case. They could assess your case and help to determine whether you have a valid claim. If so, they could connect you to one of our panel of No Win No Fee solicitors. A solicitor from our panel could help you collect evidence and to build the strongest possible case.
Choosing A No Win No Fee Agreement
A solicitor from our panel could help you on a No Win No Fee basis by using a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This means that the solicitor could work on your case without charging an upfront fee for their work. Under a CFA, they would also not request any payment for their services if the claim fails. Instead, if you win your claim they will deduct a success fee. This fee is set at as a legally capped percentage of your award.
To get help with your burn injury compensation claim please contact our team.
- Discuss your case with an advisor online using live chat.
- By calling 0800 408 7826
- Contact us and send a message online.
Learn more about what a personal injury claim is worth by getting in touch with us today.
More Information
Here you can find additional resources and related injury claim guides.
- View our step by step guide to using an accident claims calculator.
- Learn more about making a serious injury compensation claim in this guide.
- Check if you could claim post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD compensation in this guide.
Helpful external references
- Learn more about the causes and prevention of burns in this guide from the Child Burns Trust.
- Read more about first aid for burns in this NHS resource.
- Find out more about scalding and burning in this resource from the Health and Safety Executive.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our guide to using a burn injury compensation calculator. If you want to find out how much is my burn claim worth UK, please get in contact with our team for an assessment.