A hand injury claim is a claim for damage to the bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves or skin of the hand, wrist or fingers caused by another person’s negligence, such as a crushing car door, an unguarded machine or a dog bite. Because the hand is small and packed with precise structures, even a limited injury can take away grip, dexterity and the ability to do a job.
Blank Kim Injury Law represents people with hand injuries from our Fairfax office on Chain Bridge Road, open 24 hours. Attorneys Aaron Blank and Robert Kim are licensed in Virginia. Robert Kim speaks Korean, and our paralegals speak Spanish.
Why hand injuries are harder than they look
Each hand and wrist contains 27 bones, along with tendons that bend and straighten the fingers, small muscles that control fine movement, and nerves that give the fingertips their sensitivity. These structures sit close together under thin skin, so one cut or crush often damages several at once.
Hand surgery is delicate, and recovery depends heavily on therapy. Tendons form scar tissue that limits motion, joints stiffen when immobilized, and nerves regrow slowly. Many people are told they will recover and then find, months later, that they cannot make a full fist, pinch a small object or tolerate cold.
Which hand was hurt matters too. An injury to the dominant hand affects nearly every task, and the loss of a thumb, which does much of the work of gripping, is treated by physicians as a far greater loss than a little finger.
Hand, wrist and finger injuries we handle
| Injury | What it is | Common lasting effects |
|---|---|---|
| Fractures | Broken finger bones, metacarpals or wrist bones such as the scaphoid, which can lose its blood supply | Stiffness, arthritis, reduced grip |
| Tendon lacerations | Cut flexor or extensor tendons, often from glass or blades | Loss of finger bending or straightening, repeat surgery |
| Crush injuries | Hands caught in doors, presses, rollers or between heavy objects | Multiple fractures, nerve and blood vessel damage |
| Nerve injuries | Cut or compressed nerves to the fingers or palm | Numbness, weakness, pain; see our nerve damage page |
| Fingertip and finger loss | Partial or full loss of a finger | Grip and pinch loss, sensitivity at the tip |
| Ring avulsion | A ring catches and strips tissue from the finger | Vascular damage, possible loss of the finger |
| Ligament tears | Torn wrist or thumb ligaments, such as a skier’s thumb | Instability, weak pinch |
When a hand or finger cannot be saved, the claim becomes an amputation claim, with prosthetics and long-term needs of its own.
How hand injuries happen in Northern Virginia
- Vehicle crashes. Drivers brace against the steering wheel or dashboard, and airbags and broken glass cause fractures and cuts. See our car accident page.
- Motorcycle and bicycle falls. Riders put their hands out as they go down, causing wrist fractures and palm abrasions. See our bicycle accident page.
- Workplace machinery. Table saws, meat slicers in restaurant kitchens, presses, conveyors and nail guns cause many of the worst hand injuries. See our construction accident and warehouse injury pages.
- Dog bites. Hands and forearms take the bite when people defend themselves or a child. See our dog bite page.
- Doors and gates. Heavy commercial doors, automatic doors and vehicle doors crush fingers, especially children’s.
- Defective products. Power tools with failed guards, exploding devices and poorly designed equipment. See our product liability page.
- Escalators. Small fingers can be caught at the handrail entry or side panels. See our elevator and escalator accident page.
How a hand injury affects your ability to work
The biggest part of many hand injury claims is lost earning capacity. Northern Virginia has large numbers of people whose work depends on precise hand use: carpenters, electricians and plumbers, cooks, dental hygienists and nurses, IT workers who type all day, musicians, hairstylists and nail technicians. A permanent loss of grip strength or fine motor control can force a career change.
Measuring that loss takes more than a doctor’s note. We use:
- Records from a hand surgeon and a certified hand therapist, including measured grip and pinch strength and range of motion
- A permanent impairment rating once you reach maximum medical improvement
- A functional capacity evaluation showing what tasks you can and cannot perform
- Expert testimony from a vocational rehabilitation evaluator on the jobs still open to you
- An economist’s analysis of the difference in lifetime earnings
Beyond work, the claim includes pain, cold sensitivity, scarring, and the loss of things like playing an instrument, gardening or holding a grandchild.
Hand injuries on the job in Virginia
Many hand injuries happen at work, which changes who pays and how:
- Report the injury to your employer within 30 days, under Va. Code § 65.2-600.
- File a claim with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the accident, under Va. Code § 65.2-601.
- Workers’ compensation covers medical care and wage benefits, generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage subject to limits, and is generally your only claim against the employer.
- If a third party caused the injury, such as the maker of a saw with a defective guard or a subcontractor on a job site, you can sue that party separately under Va. Code § 65.2-309.
Hand and wrist conditions that develop over time from repetitive work, rather than from one accident, follow different rules. See our page on carpal tunnel workers’ compensation claims.
Virginia law for hand injury claims outside work
- Two-year deadline. Personal injury lawsuits generally must be filed within two years of the injury, under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A).
- Contributory negligence. Being found even slightly at fault generally bars recovery in Virginia. A defense lawyer may argue you reached into a machine or ignored a warning. See our guide to contributory negligence.
- Dog bites. Virginia has no general strict liability dog bite statute. Liability usually turns on what the owner knew about the dog, or on negligence such as breaking a leash law.
- Products. Virginia does not recognize strict product liability, so claims against manufacturers rely on negligence and breach of warranty.
- Children. A child under seven is presumed incapable of negligence in Virginia, which matters when young fingers are caught in doors or equipment.
