How Much Compensation Can I Claim For Being Stabbed?
By Danielle Jordan. Last Updated 17th August 2023. This article will look at how to claim compensation for a stab wound scar through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA awards compensation to people who have been injured due to a violent crime.
If you have been injured because of a criminal act, you may wonder about the claiming criteria. We explain what factors go into criminal injury claims. Additionally, we take a look at how criminal injury compensation could be awarded and provide a few examples of the tariff amounts founds in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012.
If you are eligible to make a claim, you may wish to instruct a solicitor to help you. This article concludes with a look at how an experienced criminal injury solicitor could support your case on a No Win No Fee basis.
If you would like further information about what to do if you get stabbed or if you would like help starting a claim, you can contact an advisor from our team. In addition to free advice, they can value your potential case and assess whether you have valid grounds for a claim. If it seems like you do, you could be connected to one of our No Win No Fee solicitors.
To speak to an advisor:
- Call 0800 073 8804
- Start your claim online.
- Use our live webchat feature.
You can also watch our video which explains our No Win No Fee claims service in detail:
Select A Section
- A Guide To Claiming Compensation For Being Stabbed
- How To Help The Victim Of A Stabbing
- What Do You Do If You Get Stabbed?
- Can You Make A Claim For Being Stabbed?
- What Is The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority And Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme?
- What Evidence Do You Need To Claim Compensation For A Criminal Injury
- Case Study: Criminal Injuries Compensation For A Victim Of A Stabbing
- What Compensation For Getting Stabbed Can I Claim?
- Calculating Compensation For Stab Injuries
- How To Make A No Win No Fee Compensation For Stabbing Injuries Claim
- How We Can Help You Claim Compensation For Being Stabbed
- Contact Us To Start Your Claim Today
- Links, Resources, And Further Information
A Guide To Claiming Compensation For Being Stabbed
Can you claim compensation for being attacked? How much compensation for being stabbed do people usually receive? Criminal injury compensation, how long does it take? These are just a handful of the questions we receive from people interested in launching a compensation claim for stabbing injuries. Because of this, we decided to put together a useful and comprehensive guide, enabling personal injury victims to get all of the details they need in one place.
Stabbing injury compensation
If you’ve suffered a criminal injury, you may be able to receive compensation for stabbing. Furthermore, as this guide will show, you can receive compensation for multiple injuries suffered from the same incident.
If you still have any queries, by the time you finish reading this guide, you will come across the many ways you can get in touch, as well as some other useful links. So, if you have been the victim of a violent crime and you have been stabbed in the process, please read on to find out everything you need to know about securing compensation for a criminal injury like this. And this should help to identify how much compensation for being stabbed is achievable.
How long do I have to make a claim?
Victims have up to 2 years to claim with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). However, there are exceptions to this rule whereby the victim has more time to file legal action. And these include any historical crimes of sexual abuse. You can find further information about how to claim CICA compensation below.
How To Help The Victim Of A Stabbing
What happens if you come across someone that has been stabbed? There is a simple three-step process to follow, which is as follows:
- Apply pressure to the wound.
- Call 999.
- Keep applying pressure until the ambulance shows up.
If the person is dizzy, feels cold, and looks pale, there is not enough blood flowing through their body. If you have come across someone in this state, please follow these steps:
- Keep applying pressure to the wound.
- Call 999 if you have not already.
- Lie the person down and make sure their feet are raised higher than the rest of their body. This will help to boost the blood flow to their brain because their legs are higher than their heart.
- Wrap the person in a blanket or coat to keep them warm.
- Reassure them.
What Do You Do If You Get Stabbed?
Of course, if there is still an object in the wound, you won’t be able to apply pressure directly to the area. The best thing to do is apply pressure around it. You should not remove the object, as it could make the bleeding a lot worse. Removing the wound could actually lead to more damage if a medical professional does not do it in a hospital setting.
In this instance, proper wound care is a must, so please do not remove the embedded object. Note that the nature of the injury will influence how much compensation for being stabbed that you might receive.
Ultimately, the answer to questions like “what do you do if you get stabbed?” is fairly simple call for immediate medical attention. You can find out more about when to call 999 on the NHS website.
Medical professionals are trained to deal with situations such as this so it’s important that you don’t do anything that could negatively impact the victim.
Can You Make A Claim For Being Stabbed?
When it comes to securing compensation for getting stabbed, the severity of the injury will determine how much money you will receive. For example, if you have been the victim of a severe stab wound, which has resulted in internal damage and major blood loss, meaning you almost lost your life, you are going to receive a lot more than someone who only sustained a minor stab wound and made a quick recovery.
As the graph below pulled from the Crime Survey in England and Wales shows, there’s been an increase in the number of crimes involving knives or sharp instruments since 2011, particularly in instances of threats to kill and assault with injury and intent to cause harm.
It is important to note that if you are going to claim compensation for being attacked, it does need to be unprovoked, as the heading suggests. If, for example, you committed a burglary and the person stabbed you to protect their home, you were committing a crime yourself, and this would mean you would not be eligible for compensation.
Due to a change of methodology regarding how these types of crimes are reported, the statistics ending March 2020 are currently the most up-to-date ones regarding this. If you have further questions, such as “can you make a claim for being stabbed?”, please continue reading or, if you prefer, contact us for free legal advice using the above details.
What Is The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority And Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme?
Many people assume that they will not be able to claim compensation if the person who has stabbed them has not been caught. In fact, this could not be further from the truth. The UK government set up the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to help such victims.
They deal with personal injury claims for people that have been mentally or physically injured as a consequence of a violent crime that happened in Wales, England, or Scotland. When securing criminal injuries compensation in this manner, i.e. via the victim compensation scheme the CICA offers, there is a shorter personal injury claims time limit. This is two years, so there really is no time to waste when making a claim. And note that the claims process itself could extend beyond this.
One important factor when seeking CICA compensation is that the crime itself is reported to the police. This is because they need a police crime reference number to process your claim.
For more answers to the question “how much compensation for being stabbed could I be owed?” including what evidence can be used to claim, please read on.
What Evidence Do You Need To Claim Compensation For A Criminal Injury
Can I claim for assault? Yes, you can claim for any stabbing injury that was not instigated by yourself. To do this, building evidence is required. There are many different ways you can gather evidence to support your claim. Medical reports and police reports are good starting points. Aside from this, if anyone witnessed the stabbing, it is a good idea to get their contact information to provide a witness statement. Taking photographs of your stab wound(s) is another way to back up your case.
Furthermore, it would help if you held onto any receipts or documents that prove the expenses you have been subject to because of your injuries, for example, loss of income or the cost of counselling. You can claim for such costs when you are making a claim. Claiming for losses such as this can greatly increase the amount of compensation for stabbing you could receive.
Case Study: Criminal Injuries Compensation For A Victim Of A Stabbing
There have been many different incidents whereby people have claimed compensation for stabbing. Some of these cases have been published in the news. This includes an incident that occurred before the Olympic Games in 2012. We did not work on this case, but it gives you a good example of such an incident. A Polish man, who was only 25-years-old at the time, was stabbed while working on the construction of the Olympic village.
The man suffered severe injuries after being stabbed twice through the heart. He was left with serious cognitive impairment, unable to walk again, and unable to see. He now needs around-the-clock care. As the victim was under the influence of alcohol, it was difficult, but the CICA scheme still awarded him £250,000.
What Compensation For Getting Stabbed Can I Claim?
To answer the question “how much compensation for being stabbed?” you should understand what your compensation amount will recover. You are probably aware that you will be compensated for your injuries, for instance, abdominal stab wounds or tendon damage, receiving a payout that will help you through the recovery process. This includes both physical and psychological injuries. But, did you know that you could claim special damages as well?
So, what are special damages? This is compensation for any out of pocket expenses you have been subject to as a result of your suffering. You will be able to claim for these so long as you have proof in the form of receipts and any other relevant documents. To give you a better example of what special damages are, let’s look at some examples.
- Medical expenses – Needless to say, if you have been injured, there is a very high chance that you will face medical costs in some form. This could be anything from treatment expenses to the cost of your prescriptions.
- Treatment costs – Unfortunately, the injuries that arise from accidents are not always physical. Some people experience mental anguish, especially when the incident has been particularly dramatic, often the case with a stabbing. If you have had to seek counselling to help you through this period, you will be able to claim special damage.
- Loss of earnings – If you have been left unable to work during the recovery phase, you may be covered by sick pay, but this is not the case for everyone, especially those that are self-employed. You will be able to claim for loss of income.
- Childcare expenses – Have you had to hire a child-minder to look after your children? If so, make sure they provide you with an invoice so you can claim for this.
Calculating Compensation For Stab Injuries
If someone stabs you, it may not always be possible to make a claim directly against the assailant. They may not have funds available to pay you or they may not have been identified or caught. In such cases, you could claim through the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority (CICA). The knife stab compensation the CICA may pay would be according to the set tariff in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012.
Apart from the physical pain caused by a stab wound, it could have some negative psychological impact. For example, if you were left with a stab wound scar that was significantly disfiguring, the cosmetic effect could impact you psychologically.
The CICA tariff provides for both physical and psychological injuries that could occur due to a knife stab crime. There is a set value allocated to a particular injury type. Some examples have been listed in the table below
| The type of injury you have sustained: | Extra details about the injury: | The average payout for this sort of injury |
|---|---|---|
| Eye injury | Permanent loss of visual field | £1,000 to £44,000 |
| Eye injury | Permanent blurred or double vision | £2,400 to £13,500 |
| Damage to tendon, ligament or cartilage | Severe damage to both arms with continuing significant disability | £11,000 |
| Damage to tendon, ligament or cartilage | Moderate damage to both arms with continuing significant disability | £6,200 |
| Facial scars | With serious disfigurement | £11,000 |
| Facial scars | With significant disfigurement | £2,400 |
| Neck scars | With serious disfigurement | £4,600 |
| Neck scars | With significant disfigurement | £1,500 |
| Head scars | With significant disfigurement | £1,500 |
| Punctured lung | One lung | £1,500 |
If claiming for multiple injuries through the CICA, only the injury with the highest value is awarded at its full rate. The next two most valuable are awarded as following:
- 2nd most valuable – 30%
- 3rd most valuable – 15%
However, there are certain injuries that can be included at their full rates. For example, the loss of a foetus due to the attack would not be subject to discount.
As with other claims for criminal injuries, compensation for being stabbed can vary in its severity. Some claims may also include other figures such as if your earnings have been affected. If you’d like to know more, get in touch with our advisors today.
How To Make A No Win No Fee Compensation For Stabbing Injuries Claim
When you claim with Legal Expert, you can be certain that it will be a No Win, No Fee claim. What does No Win, No Fee mean? You will only pay legal fees if your case is a success. Many people are put off from making a compensation claim because they are worried about the financial implications of losing their case, i.e. the fear that they could spend an extortionate sum of money only for their case to be unsuccessful. Thus they will not secure any compensation and, therefore, will find themselves at a loss. You do not need to worry about this when using a No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor because the financial risk is reduced by a significant degree.
Many other knock-on advantages come from going for a No Win No Fee service, including the fact that you will not need to make a huge upfront payment to get the claim process rolling. In addition to this, you can be confident of a much better service because the solicitor working on your claim will be affected by the outcome, which means they will be doing all in their power to ensure they secure compensation. You can also be sure that a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer will not waste your time; if they do not believe your case is strong enough, they will advise you not to make a claim, rather than wasting your time and money.
You can claim for CICA compensation directly without legal representation. However, you may find it easier to use a No Win No Fee solicitor when seeking compensation for stabbing due to their legal expertise and knowledge of claiming.
How We Can Help You Claim Compensation For Being Stabbed
If you have been stabbed, there is a very high chance that you will be entitled to compensation. You should certainly proceed to find a quality firm that will give you the best chance of getting the money you deserve, and this is exactly what you have with Legal Expert. However, we don’t expect you to take our word for it. Read on to discover all of the reasons why we are the best choice for you.
- No Win No Fee– There is only one place to begin, and this is with the fact that all of our panel of lawyers work on a No Win, No Fee basis. This minimises the financial risk by a monumental degree. Not only this, but you can be confident of a much better service as a result. That’s because the outcome of the case impacts our lawyers. And that’s a contrast to those that charge per hour. You can also be confident that we will not waste your time if we don’t believe your case is strong enough.
- Experience– We have managed to successfully secure compensation for thousands of personal injury victims. Because of this, you can be confident that we will have handled many personal injury claims like yours time and time before, and so we certainly have the experience to ensure you have the best chance of securing compensation.
- Reputation– If you look at the reviews about our company, you will see that we have an exceptional reputation in the industry. We commit to securing the maximum compensation for being stabbed for all our clients.
- Free personal injury advice – We offer personal injury advice for anyone that needs it. If you are unsure as to whether you have a strong case or you have any questions about the personal injury claim process, all you need to do is give us a call, and one of our polite and professional advisors will assist you in any way they can.
Contact Us To Start Your Claim Today
Are you ready to make a claim for compensation for a violent crime? If so, all you need to do is give Legal Expert a call, and we can help you get the compensation you deserve. We have many years of experience in the industry, and our friendly and professional team will handle your call with 100 per cent confidentiality. They make it their mission to make you feel at ease throughout. They will also happily answer any queries you have about launching such a claim. And that’s even if you are not ready to pursue criminal injury compensation.
So, what are you waiting for? Call 0800 073 8804 at any time from 9.00 a.m. until 9.00 p.m., any day of the week. There are also several other ways you can get in touch. Head to our contact page for more details on this. We also have a live chat feature on our website, which is available 24/7. All of which can help to determine how much compensation for being stabbed you may get.
Links, Resources, And Further Information
We hope that you have found this guide useful. However, we know that you may need some extra information. If this is the case, the links below should be helpful to you.
NHS- When to call 999– A guide from the NHS about identifying a medical emergency that might result in calling 999.
The Government’s Agency – This link takes you to the CICA website. This is the criminal injury compensation in Scotland, Wales, and England.
Below, you can learn more about CICA claims via our other guides:
- A guide to criminal injury compensation claims
- Can victims of revenge porn make a claim?
- How long does a criminal injury claim take?
- Find criminal injury compensation solicitors for Scotland
- How to claim compensation for robbery victims
- Grievous bodily harm (GBH) claims
- Actual bodily harm (ABH) claims
- Can I claim compensation if no one has been convicted of the crime?
- Claims involving ABH
- Can I claim for criminal injuries without pressing charges?
- I was attacked when trying to stop a fight, can I claim compensation?
- How to claim for a road rage attack
- Arson compensation claims
- Rape victim claims
- Domestic abuse victim claims
- Stabbing victim claims
- How to find domestic violence solicitors
- Criminal injury victim claims
- CICA compensation calculator
- How to claim compensation for rape
- Rape compensation claims in Scotland
- How much compensation can you claim for assault?
- Acid attack victim claims
- Sexual abuse compensation claims
- FAQs on sexual abuse claims
Thank you for reading our guide on how much compensation for being stabbed you could receive. If you have further queries, like questions such as “what do you do if you get stabbed?” and “can you make a claim for being stabbed?” please contact our team at a time that works for you. We offer free legal advice and can tell you in just one phone call if you’re eligible to claim.
