Amputation Claims

How Amputation Compensation Is Valued

Direct Answer: The Judicial College Guidelines don't set one figure for "amputation" — they set a separate, severity-graded bracket depending on which limb was lost, the level of the amputation, and whether it's a single or multiple loss, with the highest brackets reserved for loss of both legs, or an arm and a leg together. Getting the right bracket depends on precisely matching the medical evidence to the category it actually falls under, not quoting a single headline number.

As with every JCG bracket, this is a pain-and-suffering figure only. It says nothing about the special damages that, for an amputation, are frequently the larger part of the claim by far: the initial and ongoing cost of prosthetics — which typically need replacing multiple times over a working life — home and vehicle adaptations, care and case management, lost earnings, and rehabilitation.

The realistic cost of prosthetics varies enormously depending on what the claimant actually needs to return to something close to their previous level of function — a basic prosthesis is a very different cost, and a very different quality of life, from an advanced, activity-specific one. This is why detailed expert evidence on prosthetic and rehabilitation needs is central to properly valuing an amputation claim, not an afterthought to the medical report on the injury itself.

Phantom Limb Pain and Psychological Impact

Phantom limb pain and psychological reactions to amputation are recognised, compensatable consequences, and the Judicial College's brackets for amputation already reflect this to some extent. A particularly severe psychological reaction — beyond what's typically accounted for in the physical injury bracket — can still be a further factor a solicitor will want to evidence and argue for separately.