Settlement Compensation for an Amputated Toe

Our lawyers have handled scores of car accident and product liability cases where the injury is an amputation or serious injury to the victim’s toe or toes.

This page is about the settlement compensation payouts in toe injury and amputation cases and the issues that are presented in these injury claims.  This page was last updated on February 22, 2023.

How much is a toe worth?

A recent Jury Verdict Research analysis of jury verdicts found that the overall median award for the amputation of one toe is $119,008. The median award for foot nerve damage or tarsal tunnel syndrome accident cases was $143,265. Underscoring the difficulties of the healing process in the complex structures that are our feet, the median award for foot injuries is $98,583.

The median for foot injuries makes sense to me. I’m stunned that the average verdict for an amputated toe is as low as it is. Remember that unless this is a lawnmower case, it is likely that the plaintiff suffered other injuries.  I certainly value my 10 toes more than American juries value someone else’s toes.

One thing I can tell you from both experience and common sense is that a critical question to determine the settlement amount for a toe amputation is which toe was amputated.   A big toe amputation, for example, will probably be worth four or five times the settlement compensation of a pinky toe amputation.

What happens if you lose your big toe?

The loss of a big toe is significant because it plays a critical role in foot biomechanics.  It supports around 40 percent of your body weight. This makes walking after a big toe amputation extremely difficult. You may also experience phantom pain. A Diabetics Care-published study found that a big toe amputation “significantly altered” diabetic patients’ foot pressure distribution. The researchers also found that this alteration increased the reamputation risk. You will initially experience significant difficulties after losing your big toe.

Losing your big toe can result in a range of complications, both physical and emotional, and both of those are compensable under pain and suffering damages.  Some of the most common physical complications associated with losing a big toe include:

1. Balance issues: Losing your big toe can impact your ability to balance, making it difficult to walk or stand. This can increase your risk of falls and other accidents.
2. Gait changes: The loss of your big toe can also cause changes to your gait, which is the way you walk. This can cause additional stress on other parts of your foot and increase your risk of developing other foot problems and even problem with either leg.
3. Pain: Some have lingering pain that can lead to discomfort in your foot, ankle, or knee.
4. Foot deformities: If your big toe is lost due to an injury or infection, you may develop other foot deformities, such as hammertoe or clawtoe.
5. Difficulty with physical activity: The loss of your big toe can impact your ability to perform physical activities, such as running, jumping, or even just walking.  Because the toe is so important for balance. So this can limit your ability to participate in activities you once enjoyed.

But that is just the physical.  Some victims also have trauma to their emotional well-being. Some common emotional complications include:

1. Depression: Losing a body part can be a traumatic experience, and it’s not uncommon for people to experience depression after such an event.
2. Anxiety: The loss of your big toe can also lead to feelings of anxiety, especially if it impacts your ability to participate in physical activities or causes other physical or emotional complications.
3. Low self-esteem: You may feel self-conscious about the appearance of your foot after losing your big toe, which can impact your self-esteem and confidence.

However, you may eventually lead a fairly normal life without a big toe. To achieve this, you would have to make several adjustments to how you walk or run. As a result, your gait will be slower, choppier, and inefficient. (Because of this, losing your big toe disqualifies you from military service.)

• Cartiva toe implant lawsuits are being filed in 2023

What happens if you lose your pinky toe?

Losing your pinky toe is not as big of a deal compared to other toes. That statement does not minimize the pain and suffering that comes with losing that toe.

We have pinky toes because our primate ancestors used their feet to grab and climb onto trees. However, our feet help us stand. They comprise 26 bones. The most important of these are the metatarsals, which are comparable to our knuckles. Losing your fifth metatarsal makes running and walking difficult.

Losing any toe, regardless of size, still has negative effects. It can affect your mental health and hurt your body image. Having toes removed due to diabetes has serious consequences. In a study published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, researchers concluded toe amputations are “a significant predictor of future limb loss” in diabetics.

Damages for a Toe Amputation

Plaintiffs in accident cases who suffer a toe amputation as a result of negligence are entitled to get financial compensation in the form of damages. The damages plaintiffs in a toe amputation case can get include:

• Medical Expenses: Plaintiffs can get damages for the cost of all medical treatment and procedures that they had to undergo as a result of the toe injury and the amputation. This includes the cost of the amputation surgery, as well as the cost of any long term medical requirements.
• Lost Income: If the plaintiff’s toe amputation forces them to miss work, or leaves them unable to perform their job (even if only temporarily) they will be entitled to damages for the lost wages or lost income related to the toe amputation.
• Pain and Suffering: Plaintiffs are entitled to get money as compensation for the pain and suffering caused by the toe injury and amputation. In a toe amputation case, pain and suffering is often the biggest category of damages.

Sample Verdicts and Settlements in Amputated Toe Cases

Below are some sample verdicts and settlements in amputated toe cases.

Do not “over-learn” the lessons from these cases.  It is very tough to mix and match your case with other cases because the facts, jurisdiction, lawyers, and parties are different.  So you can read a case here that sounds exactly like yours but it still tells you little about how much your toe injury is worth? It is not like yours at all in terms of value (one way or the other).

That said, along with other evaluation tools, these results are instructive in learning more about the settlement amount range of particular cases. Keep in mind that if an accident is severe enough to lose a toe, there were probably other injuries involved.  The hard part is thin-slicing out how much of the verdict or settlement value should be attributed to the toe.

• 2024, California $420,000 Settlement. The plaintiff, a man in his mid-40s, was driving a forklift when his foot got stuck between the forklift and and large heavy object and crushed. As a result of the injury, the plaintiff had to have several toes amputated. The lawsuit alleged that the defendant knew that the forklift was in disrepair and not safe to use.
• 2023, Oregon: $110,000 Settlement: The plaintiff went to a doctor to have overgrown toenails removed on both of his large toes. The plaintiff contended the doctor failed to remove a tourniquet on one of the large toes which wasn’t discovered until the bandages were removed several days later. The tissue had since died and the toe had to be amputated.
• 2022, Illinois: $4,879,000 Settlement. a 46-year-old ironworker suffered crush injuries to his left foot when an unsecured girder fell on it, resulting in multiple fractures of all his toes, amputation of toes 2 through 5 and a partial amputation of his big toe. The settlement included a waiver of a $503,663.62 worker’s compensation lien.
• 2020, Pennsylvania: $250,000 Settlement. A 15-year-old boy mowed his friend’s father’s lawn. His right foot slipped from his footwear. As a result, the lawnmower’s blade made contact with his big right toe. He suffered extensive toe damage. The boy underwent a debridement, a skin flap placement, a big right-toe amputation. His parents hired a personal injury lawyer and sued his friend’s father. The lawsuit claimed he failed to train and supervise his son. This case settled for $250,000.  You can reasonably assume in most cases like this the settlement was paid by the defendant’s homeowner’s insurance.
• 2020, California: $615,000 Verdict. A 72-year-old man was struck by a vehicle while motorcycling. He suffered a great toe fracture, a mid-foot region Lisfranc injury, and a fifth metatarsal fracture. The man underwent surgical repairs of his fifth metatarsal and great toe. His great toe eventually became necrotic and was surgically amputated. Despite returning to work, he now suffered from chronic pain. He testified that he would need a hip arthroscopy, a spinal cord stimulator implant, and a leg amputation below the knee. The jury awarded him $615,000.
• 2019, Connecticut: $1,000,000 Settlement. A plumber was working at a property. He helped workers place steel plates over a trench cover. One of the plates fell on his right foot. He was brought to the hospital, where hospital staff diagnosed him with multiple foot fractures and tears. The hospital staff amputated his big toe. He was hospitalized for a month and underwent foot reconstruction surgery within weeks into his hospitalization. Surgeons also performed plastic surgery to his foot, including skin grafts. Upon being discharged, he required home health aides. His foot also became infected several times following his discharge. He would later undergo multiple surgeries, including ankle fusion. The man now used crutches to help him walk. Before a lawsuit was filed, the parties agreed to a $1,000,000 settlement payout.
• 2019, California: $360,000 Verdict. A lawnmower struck a 68-year-old cyclist who suffered multiple injuries. He suffered a head laceration and a traumatic brain injury. The man further claimed that his brain injuries caused a heart attack, seizures, a pituitary gland injury, and left and right toe amputations. Doctors eventually amputated his left leg above the knee. He also testified that his brain injury caused him to suffer from depression and increased rage. His counsel testified that his overall health was kept under control before the accident. The jury awarded him compensation of $360,000.
• 2019, Maryland: $3,636,000 Verdict. A 54-year-old male suffers from paraplegia as the result of a previous gunshot wound. So there is no question the man had a complex medical history long before the facts of this case. He suffers aspiration during a laparoscopic bowel resection. The man suffered hypotension and hypoxemia that led to an exacerbation of preexisting bedsores. This ultimately led to toe amputations. Plaintiff sues the surgeon and Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore. The gist of the lawsuit is that his bowel resection procedure was negligently performed. Specifically, he claims that after his NG tube was dislodged, his healthcare providers should have done more for him.  The doctor and the hospital claimed that the standard of care did not require that they reinsert the NG tube after it became dislodged.  The plaintiff’s response was that standard of care for this patient was to induce and intubate to avoid the very problems he encountered (vomiting).   So he was at grave risk of aspiration.   The jury apparently agreed and awarded over $3.6 million.
• 2018, Massachusetts:  $750,000 Settlement. This is a failure to diagnose diabetes case. The plaintiff goes to his doctor and gets lab work that shows a sugar level of 255 and a glucose metabolism level of 9.9. Still, the doctor did not diagnose diabetes or take any action. Two years later, his sugar level of 193 without a glucose metabolism test. Again, the doctor does nothing. A year later, the man develops ulcerations around the big toe and second toe on his right foot. He is finally diagnosed with diabetes and has his toes amputated.
• 2017, California: $6,500,000 Settlement. A 37-year-old foreman helped replace a sewer pipe. His foot became caught in a conveyer belt. The man suffered foot and ankle crush injuries. He developed bone infections and toe and foot necrosis. The man underwent the amputation of all his toes and much of his feet. He now wore a prosthesis. The man alleged negligence against the company who leased the conveyer belt to his employer. He claimed it provided unsafe equipment and failed to warn of its safety issues. This case settled for $6,500,000.
• 2016, Texas: $980,000 Verdict. A 32-year-old man is driving his pickup truck with a camper trailer on the highway in the middle of the night. There are no lights, and it is raining. He loses control of the vehicle and it spins out, finally coming to rest on the side of the highway, blocking the left shoulder, left lane, and part of the right lane. An 18-wheeler attempts to help him and activates his hazard lights. The driver of another 18-wheeler comes across the scene and observes the parked 18-wheeler, but does not see the plaintiff’s pickup truck or camper and strikes the side of the plaintiff’s truck. He files a claim against the driver of the 18-wheeler who hit his truck, alleging failure to keep a proper lookout and to avoid the collision. Because of the collision, the plaintiff sustained a left foot injury, left foot fractures, and neck and back sprains. An infection develops in his left toes on his middle foot, causing them to be amputated. A jury awarded him $980,000.
• 2016, New Jersey: $800,000 Settlement. Plaintiff, a carpet installer, is using a lift to load materials for a carpet installation job when he claims the lift caught his foot in the pinch point. This resulted in the amputation of three of his toes and half of another toe. He contends that the lift was not installed correctly and that defendant, the building management company who inspects the premises several times per year, should have recognized the hazard and corrected it or placed warnings. The parties agreed to a settlement amount of $800,000.
• 2016, Texas: $573,763 Verdict. A 61-year-old man seeks treatment for an ingrown toenail on the fifth toe of his right foot. Defendant says she can fix this and her technicians begin work. He later develops an infection – which is always a risk in these cases – causing gangrene in his foot. This led to the amputation of two of his toes. He hires a lawyer and sues the defendants.  His lawsuit claims they cut a nerve while attempting to remove the ingrown nail and further that they did not sterilize their equipment, causing him to develop an infection. A jury awarded the man $573,762.82.
• 2016, Michigan: $320,000 Settlement. Plaintiff’s big toe is cut during a procedure at the salon. She subsequently develops an inflammation of the bone because of infection and her big toe is amputated after two months of daily IV antibiotics. She sues the salon, who originally denies that the cut occurred on their premises. During the discovery stages, it is discovered that the nail technician was not licensed to perform pedicures. The case settled during mediation for $320,000.
• 2016, Alabama: $10,000 Settlement. Plaintiff is working as a laborer for the City when he injures his left big toe. He has to have it amputated and is given a 100% impairment rating for his loss. He files a workers’ compensation claim seeking permanent disability benefits. The parties settle for $6.35/week for the rest of his life expectancy.  This verdict was actually put in by accident but I’m leaving it in so I can make this point: a workers’ compensation settlement is likely to be worth much less for a toe injury or amputation than it would be for a third-party liability civil claim.
• 2016, Ohio: $27,018,940 Verdict.  This is really a leg amputation case, which is obviously a big difference. I’m just including it to provide context. A 43-year-old music studio owner is a front seat passenger on a Greyhound bus being operated by the defendant. The bus hits the rear of an 18-wheel commercial truck, causing the front of the bus to fly into the rear of the truck. This impact pinned the plaintiff to his seat. He sustained crush injuries to his leg, urethra, gallbladder, spleen, heart, and shoulder. He had his right leg and fifth toe amputated. He has thirty surgeries to address all the injuries sustained in the accident. A jury found the bus driver and Greyhound negligent and awarded the man $23,018,790 in compensatory damages at $4,000,150 in punitive damages.
• 2015, New York: $25,370,000 Verdict. A 29-year-old foreman is working at a construction site. Plywood is placed over holes that are supposed to be filled by columns. Plaintiff falls twenty feet through one of the holes and lands on the ground. He is transported to the hospital, where he is found to have crush-induced fractures in his right leg and fractures in his right ankle, sacrum, and vertebrae. After surgeries on his foot, his toes become gangrene, and he receives IV antibiotics for three weeks. However, he is forced to have portions of two of his right toes amputated. This is later followed by an amputation of the lower portion of his leg. A jury awarded the plaintiff $25,370,000 which was later changed to $25,882,000 after adding in the stipulated medical expenses.

• 2015, Illinois: $10,425,000 Verdict. A man is admitted to the hospital and has surgery to remove an infected toxic megacolon. He is then placed in the ICU and diagnosed with ischemia (an inadequate blood supply) in his hands and feet, which progresses to sepsis and gangrene. The physicians are successful in treating his right hand, but his left hand and all of his toes on both feet are amputated during the following month. He sues the hospital and doctors, alleging they failed to perform testing of the arterial line used to monitor the man’s blood pressure. This caused the staff to be unaware that the line was malfunctioning and registering a lower blood pressure. Because of the false blood pressure reading, the staff gave the man vasopressor medications to raise his blood pressure when they were unnecessary, causing his blood vessels to constrict. This resulted in ischemic damage and amputations. A jury found that the doctors engaged in malpractice and awarded the plaintiff $10,425,000.
• 2015, Illinois: $2,610,000 Settlement. A man is inside the defendant’s workshop garage. Defendant’s employee is repairing a motorcycle when the throttle becomes stuck and the motorcycle runs over both of the plaintiff’s feet. He has lacerations on both feet and develops gangrene on his toes. After treating with antibiotics for six months, he is forced to undergo an amputation of his left leg below his knee and an amputation of two toes on his right foot. The parties settle before trial with the owner of the bike paying $360,000 and the defendant company paying $2,250,000.
• 2015, Texas: $2,580,000 Verdict. Plaintiff and his co-worker are adjusting the position of a semi-trailer backward or forward. During the adjustment, the plaintiff’s foot is run over by a tandem wheel while his co-worker is in the driver’s seat. He is transported by ambulance to the ER, where he has severe crush fractures and nerve damage to his right foot and a severed toe. Plaintiff and his wife sue the owner of the trailer for negligently failing to repair the trailer the prior day, and his co-worker for failing to operate the vehicle safely. A jury finds that the owner of the trailer is 49% liable, that his co-worker is 9% liable, and that plaintiff himself is 43% liable for his injuries. They award the man $2,580,000 in damages, which is reduced to $1,470,600 after the fault apportionment.
• 2015, Michigan: $2,325,000 Verdict. A 59-year-old man is operating his vehicle with his wife is in the passenger seat. As he navigates a curve in the road, his vehicle is struck head-on by a gasoline tanker driven by the defendant. The accident occurred because of the defendant crossing the double yellow centerline, and the back end of the tanker strikes the front of the plaintiff’s pickup truck. Plaintiff sustains fractures to his right foot, left hip, pelvis, left ankle, and left arm. He has a partial severing of his right big toe with reattachment. His wife sustained a sternum fracture, concussion, and a brain injury with cognitive losses. A jury awards Plaintiff $1.6 million for pain and suffering, $320,000 to his wife for loss of consortium, and $405,000 to his wife for pain and suffering.
• 2015, New York: $2,210,000 Verdict. A 34-year-old business owner is struck by a forklift while he is visiting a warehouse. At the time of the incident, he is standing on the interior side of plastic curtains separating the inside of the warehouse from the loading dock. He claims the forklift emerges from the loading dock and rolls over his right foot. He injured two of his toes and claims that the operator of the forklift was negligent in operating it. Defendant argues that the plaintiff visited the warehouse many times and knew that forklifts often came from behind the curtains, and that plaintiff put himself in a dangerous position. Plaintiff develops gangrene on his injured toes and has to have them amputated. A jury found the defendants to be 50% liable and the plaintiff to be 50% liable for the injuries. They awarded plaintiff $2,210,000, which is reduced to $1,163,156.58.
• 2015, New York: $1,500,000 Verdict. A 69-year-old man is watching a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. While he is walking along a walkway that sits next to a parking lot, he is struck by a barrier that was toppled over by a reversing car. He sustains crush-induced fractures on each toe and several metacarpals and subsequently develops necrosis that requires amputation of the front half of his left foot. He sues the driver of the car and the city as the operator of the park. A jury finds that the city created the dangerous situation, making the park 75% liable and that the driver of the vehicle negligently operated it, holding him 25% liable. The parties negotiated the damages portion of the trial. The city agreed to pay its policy of $1 million, the city’s excess insurer agreed to pay the man $400,000, and the driver’s insurance carrier agreed to give its policy limits of $100,000.
• 2015, New Jersey: $1,200,000 Verdict. A 45-year-old ironworker is at a construction site. He is standing on a scaffold when a 600-pound iron bar support broke from a metal base and fell, striking the plaintiff’s scaffold. This caused him to drop 10 feet to a lower-level scaffold. He is taken to the ER and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological injuries. Plaintiff argues that he subsequently suffered additional injuries such as further brain damage and amputation of several toes. Plaintiff argues the defendants did not properly supervise the safety procedures and the site or conduct proper inspections. Defendants argue that the injuries from the accident were minor and that the man’s serious injuries resulted from his prior history of alcohol abuse that existed before the accident. After a five-week trial, the parties settled during jury deliberations for $1,200,000.
• 2015, Connecticut: $847,972 Verdict. A 40-year-old man is working for his employer when he injures his right big toe on a walkway that he alleges was covered with equipment. When the man goes to the emergency room, he is diagnosed with a phalange fracture in his big right toe that became infected and eventually led to the partial amputations of two-thirds of his right foot. He sues the company for negligence, claiming they failed to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition. A jury found that the defendant was 10% liable, and the plaintiff was 90% liable for the injury, so the jury award of $847,972 was reduced to $84,797.
• 2015, Alabama: $20,000 Settlement. A minor is a patient at a hospital. The staff places a central venous catheter into his left foot and tapes it to hold it in place. Two days later, they are using scissors to remove the tape when they amputate a portion of his fifth toe accidentally. You would expect this case to be worth more but the parties settled for $20,000.
• 2014; North Carolina – $1,500,000: Verdict: A 9-year-old girl was at an amusement park with her grandfather driving go-carts. When she drove in a race by herself, her go-cart became tangled on a guardrail, and no attendants came to free her cart. She then exited her go-cart to push it back when she was struck by another cart, crushing her foot. This required amputation of all her left toes and the front portion of her left foot. She sued the amusement park, claiming that the track was not adequately supervised and had an attendant been there to push her out, she could have avoided the injuries. The plaintiff was ultimately awarded $1,500,000, with approximately $245,000 stemming from past medical expenses.  This case highlights the pitfalls of comparing claims.  In many of these toe amputation cases, there is another injury involved, often a crush injury to the ankle or foot.   If you have these kinds of facts, the value of the case will be higher, all things being equal.
• 2013: New Jersey – $750,000; Settlement: While the plaintiff was working as a subcontractor, he stepped on a drywall screw that was left behind by another contractor. The screw became embedded in his foot, causing infection. He claimed that the wound caused immediate numbness, and he did not realize it until nearly six hours after the injury. The injuries became severely infected, resulting in the plaintiff having to undergo amputation of all of his toes on the affected foot. He alleged negligence on behalf of the other contractors for failing to clean up the screws from the workplace. The parties settled for $750,000.
• 2013; Massachusetts – $650,000; Settlement: The plaintiff had a lesion on her foot, prompting her to seek treatment from her pathologist. The pathologist told her that the lesion was benign and that it did not need to be excised. However, a year later, the plaintiff sought the advice of a podiatrist who determined that the lesion was actually melanoma and that amputation of her big toe was necessary. The plaintiff sued the pathologist, claiming that she should have recommended complete excision of the lesion, thus avoiding the need for amputation. The parties settled for $650,000.
• 2010: New Jersey – $826,500; Settlement: The plaintiff was working on a tree trimming crew when an outrigger from a cherry picker was accidentally lowered on his foot. He suffered a crushed foot, which required amputation of all of his toes. He claimed that the cherry-picker was defective, in that there should have been audible warning systems that warned that the outriggers were being deployed. He also alleged that the county (his employer) should have developed better procedures to ensure such accidents would not occur. He settled with both the manufacturer and county for $826,500.
• 2009; Maryland – $223,713: Verdict: The plaintiff was an electrician working on a job site. He attempted to use a forklift that was leased by other contractors on the site. The forklift was missing several key components, and when the plaintiff tried to use the lift, a component broke and crushed the plaintiff’s foot. As a result, the plaintiff had to get three toes amputated. The plaintiff alleged that the leasing company had a duty to inspect the forklift because it had been involved in a previous accident. The defendant claimed that the plaintiff was actually at fault for the accident. The jury awarded the plaintiff a $223,713 verdict.
• 2008; Pennsylvania – $450,000: Settlement: The plaintiff was walking outside of her house when she stepped on a nail. Contractors were putting a new roof on her house, and the nail fell because of the work. She developed an infection in her big toe, which ultimately required amputation. She settled with the contractor for $450,000.

Getting  a Lawyer for Your Toe Amputation Case

Our law firm handles serious amputation personal injury accidents and medical malpractice cases in Maryland.  If you need a lawyer, turn to one with the experience and resources to maximize the value of your claim.  Call Ron Miller at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation and case evaluation.