Broken Arm
Fractures of the humerus, radius or ulna can affect daily activities, movement and work. Medical evidence determines the relevant category.
Use our free arm injury compensation calculator to explore potential compensation for broken arms, simple forearm fractures, serious arm injuries and amputations. Select whether the left arm, right arm or both arms were injured, then choose the injury category that best matches your medical evidence. The calculator displays an indicative live general damages reference and lets you add lost earnings, treatment, travel and care costs. It focuses on England and Wales and does not guarantee compensation.
Select the affected arm and documented injury category. Then add optional financial losses and review the indicative compensation calculation.
Select the affected arm to view relevant guideline categories.
Choose the injury category that best matches your medical evidence. Available options update according to the arm selection.
Only include costs caused by the injuries and retain evidence. Actual legal recoverability cannot be established by this tool.
The arm injury compensation calculator allows users to compare selected general damages references for different types of arm injuries. It uses three steps to collect injury information, optional financial losses and display an illustrative calculation.
First, select whether the left arm, right arm or both arms were injured. Then select the most appropriate injury category from the cards. The calculator displays an indicative reference after a valid selection. Both-arm injuries are not automatically valued by doubling one-arm amounts.
Enter earnings lost because of the injury, medical and travel costs or care expenses. The amounts are added to the displayed general damages reference to provide an illustrative combined calculation. You may skip this step.
The final step shows the selected arm, injury category, general damages reference and individual financial losses. The result can be copied or revised. It does not establish the correct settlement value of an individual claim.
The following selected general damages references are reported from the Judicial College Guidelines 18th edition. They are not fixed statutory tariffs or guaranteed compensation payments.
| Arm Injury Category | General Damages Reference |
|---|---|
| Simple Forearm Fracture | £8,730–£25,370 |
| Less Severe Arm Injury | £25,370–£51,750 |
| Permanent and Substantial Disablement | £51,750–£79,080 |
| Severe Arm Injury | £127,050–£172,970 |
| Loss of One Arm Below Elbow | £127,050–£144,860 |
| Loss of One Arm Above Elbow | £144,860–£172,970 |
| Loss of Arm at Shoulder | Not less than £181,200 |
| Loss of Both Arms | £318,120–£396,340 |
Arm injuries may involve fractures, tendons, nerves, muscles and other structures. Treatment and lasting functional effects vary considerably.
Fractures of the humerus, radius or ulna can affect daily activities, movement and work. Medical evidence determines the relevant category.
Fractures of the radius or ulna may heal well or cause continuing weakness, movement restrictions and pain following treatment.
Machinery or falling objects can damage bones and soft tissues. Severe cases may cause substantial long-term disability.
Nerve injury may cause numbness, weakness or functional impairment. Some cases need more specialised categorisation than a simple arm bracket.
Damage to muscles, tendons and ligaments may lead to pain and movement restrictions. Recovery varies by severity.
Physical loss of an arm produces major long-term consequences. The level of amputation is central to guideline categorisation.
Where a valid claim is established, compensation may include damages for the injury and financial losses resulting from the incident.
These address pain, suffering and loss of amenity. The injury, recovery, prognosis and effects on daily function are relevant.
Potentially recoverable losses may include wages, treatment, physiotherapy, travel, care and reasonable equipment costs.
Liability, shared fault, previous conditions and other evidence may affect the amount recovered in an actual claim.
The correct arm injury compensation category is not determined by the injury label alone. Medical evidence and the resulting disability are important considerations.
A simple forearm fracture can differ greatly from a complex fracture involving extensive damage. The location and nature of the injury influence recovery.
An injury affecting the dominant arm may cause additional functional difficulties. Hand dominance can therefore be relevant to an individual medical assessment.
The duration of recovery, continuing weakness, restricted movement and medical prognosis can affect the applicable general damages category.
Arm injuries may interfere with lifting, carrying, dressing, household tasks and employment. Where proven, financial losses may be claimed separately.
Injuries to both arms may have significant combined consequences. Separate injuries cannot reliably be valued by simply doubling a one-arm bracket or adding overlapping general damages.
Consider a simple forearm fracture falling within the applicable category and £2,000 of assumed legally recoverable financial losses.
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Simple Forearm Fracture | £8,730–£25,370 |
| Lost Earnings | £1,400 |
| Medical and Travel | £450 |
| Care and Other Costs | £150 |
| Financial Losses | £2,000 |
| Illustrative Combined Range | £10,730–£27,370 |
The calculation adds £2,000 to both ends of the guideline reference. It does not establish eligibility for the selected category or guarantee recovery of the costs.
Medical and accident evidence can help establish the injury, its consequences and the circumstances in which it occurred.
X-rays, scans, hospital notes and relevant specialist reports may help demonstrate the nature and extent of the injury.
Surgery records, physiotherapy notes and rehabilitation assessments may provide evidence about recovery and continuing restrictions.
Photographs, incident reports and witness information can be relevant to determining legal responsibility.
Payslips, invoices, receipts and care records may help support losses caused by the injury.
Arm injuries may arise through workplace accidents, road collisions, falls or other incidents. The injury alone does not create an entitlement to compensation. The applicable legal duty, causation and evidence must be assessed.
Machinery, manual handling, falling objects and unsafe working conditions may contribute to arm injuries. Legal responsibility depends on the circumstances.
Car occupants, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians may sustain broken arms or other upper-limb injuries. Liability must be established.
Falls can result in wrist, forearm and upper-arm fractures. Evidence of the incident and any relevant legal breach may be necessary.
Many negligence-based personal injury claims in England and Wales are normally subject to a three-year limitation framework, with important legal exceptions.
There is no universal amount. General damages depend on the injury type, severity, recovery and long-term effects. Recoverable financial losses may be added.
A reported 2026 reference for simple forearm fractures is £8,730–£25,370. Serious fractures and disabling injuries may be assessed under different categories.
Yes. Step 1 includes left and right-arm selections. The guideline figures are not automatically different purely because of which side is injured.
The calculator includes a selected loss-of-both-arms category. Other bilateral injuries require individual assessment rather than adding two single-arm brackets.
The reference depends on the level of amputation. Above-elbow, below-elbow, shoulder-level and both-arm loss have separate guideline categories.
Yes. Step 2 allows earnings, medical, travel and care costs. The amounts must still be supported and legally recoverable in any actual claim.
The initial £0.00 is a placeholder. It changes after an arm and supported injury category are selected. It does not represent the value of an unassessed injury.
No. The calculator provides an illustrative reference based on your selections. An actual claim requires medical and legal assessment.
Explore other injury compensation calculators and reference tools.
Monetary references are selected Judicial College Guidelines 18th edition figures published in 2026. The Guidelines are advisory, not statutory compensation tariffs. The official links below provide relevant NHS medical and UK legal information rather than the award bracket figures.
Reference review: November 2026. This calculator does not provide individual legal or medical advice.