Bowel Injury Compensation Claim Payouts 2026: Bowel Perforation, Incontinence, Colostomy Bag
We look at the different ways your bowel can suffer injury; when you can make a claim for compensation and give examples of payout amounts for various different degrees of bowel damage ranging from a bowel perforation, both temporary and permanent incontinence plus the need of a colostomy bag.
The amount of compensation you can claim for bowel injury will typically range from £15,500 to £172,000 and largely dependent on the severity of the original injury, whether symptoms are temporary or permanent and whether partial or total incontinence results.
- Bowel Injury Compensation Claim Payouts 2026: Bowel Perforation, Incontinence, Colostomy Bag
- Payouts Table (2026) for Bowel Injury Claims
- What is a bowel injury compensation claim?
- Evidence to support your financial losses
- Types of financial loss
- Evidence to support your pain, suffering and loss of amenity
- Solicitor-assessed compensation payout examples for bowel injury claims
- Summary
- FREE Specialist Solicitor Legal Help
Payouts Table (2026) for Bowel Injury Claims
| Bowel Injury Compensation | Claim Payout |
|---|---|
| Temporary Bowel Injury Penetrating injury Perforation Temporary loss of function | £15,500 – £30,000 |
| Temporary Colostomy | £54,500 – £85,000 |
| Partial Incontinence Passive incontinence Urge incontinence | Approx. £98,000 |
| Total Incontinence Permanent colostomy bag | Up to £172,000 |
What is a bowel injury compensation claim?
Should you suffer bowel damage in an accident (such as high impact car crash or work injury) as a result of negligence (such as medical negligence in a hysterectomy procedure) and somebody (other than yourself) is considered legally at fault – you will typically be able to make a bowel injury claim for monetary compensation.
Your compensation payout will include:
- Compensation for pain and suffering. A sum for the pain and suffering you experience as a result of the bowel injury itself.
- Compensation for your financial loss and expense. An additional sum for any financial loss and expense you incur as a direct result of your bowel injury.
Evidence to support your financial losses
You must provide evidence to support all the losses you have experienced as a result of your bowel injury.
We recommended you keep a daily record (with receipts) of all your financial losses.
Types of financial loss
Financial losses might include:
Lost income
Your employer should be able to provide evidence to support any absences, reduced hours or loss of overtime, If you are self-employed – keep as much information you can to support your lost income.
Medical expenses
Medical expenses might include:
- Medication. For example – painkillers.
- Physiotherapy.
- Rehabilitation services.
- Other treatment aids. To help treat incontinence (or other bowel damage effects).
Travel expenses to the hospital and GP
Should you use public transport to travel to the hospital or GP – keep receipts.
This head of loss can include mileage expenses. Therefore – should you or someone on your behalf use a car to take you to your medical appointments, remember to keep records of mileage and journeys undertaken.
Hospital Parking Expense
Don’t forget to keep receipts for parking at the hospital, since this expense can be included in your bowel injury compensation claim. Keeping receipts will prove vital evidence that your solicitor can rely on when making your claim.
Equivalent of nursing assistance / care and assistance in the home
In extreme case of bowel injury, you might need to pay a nurse to support you. Alternatively, family members may have to provide the equivalent of nursing assistance.
As time passes – it might be that you need only some occasional help in the home from friends and family. In this situation – you are receiving care and assistance in the home.
Meticulously Record The Help You Receive
Keep a record of who does what and the duration of time, as a rate can be claimed for this time.
Other financial losses
See our financial loss and expense article for more details of other types of loss you might incur.
Evidence to support your pain, suffering and loss of amenity
There are various ways to gather evidence to support the pain and loss you experience, such as.
Daily diary of symptoms you experience
We recommend you keep a daily diary of all the symptoms you are experiencing. Not just the worst symptoms, but also:
- Primary symptoms. These are the symptoms from the main part of your body injured – here your bowels.
- Secondary symptoms. One a major body part is affected the rest of your body may have to adjust to the new norm. Therefore – secondary symptoms can develop affecting seemingly unconnected parts of your body.
- Psychological symptoms. The accident itself may have been so traumatic to cause you to experience sleepless nights, bad dreams, flash backs. These can be signs of PTSD. Alternatively – you may be son badly affected in trying to cope with your bowel injury that it can lead to other psychological responses, such as depression.
Keeping a record not only allows you to keep a clear mind as to all you are experiencing, but also when the time comes you will be better able to set out your experiences to your solicitor, the medical professionals and the opposition. Therefore – you will give yourself the best chance to recover the appropriate amount of compensation.
Regular attendance with medical professionals
You should regularly attend with medical professionals for treatment of both the physical and psychological symptoms you are experiencing. Of course treatment is the essential factor, but in addition records will be kept on your medical notes that can referenced in support of your claim.
Independent Medical Expert
Your solicitor will instruct an independent medical expert to produce a medico-legal report describing both the extent of your bowel injury and a prognosis describing any ongoing problems or speed of recovery.
The expert will generally examine your existing medical notes and refer to relevant entries to when producing the medical report.
Solicitor-assessed compensation payout examples for bowel injury claims
In this section – we describe in more detail the types of bowl injury you might experience coupled with providing a calculations of the compensation payout for the pain and suffering you experience.
Temporary loss of bowel function
Penetrating injuries can not only cause perforations, but also permanent bowel injury. However, such injury may only cause temporary loss of function and control. Therefore, resulting in your bowel function returning to normal after a period of time.
In this case of temporary loss of bowel function – you can expect compensation claim payout of between £15,500 – £30,000.
Temporary colostomy
A colostomy involves a surgical procedure to divert one end of the colon through an opening in the tummy.
If you have a abdominal injury that causes damage to your bowel and requires a temporary colostomy with scarring then your bowel damage compensation will be calculated between £54,500 – £85,000.
Urge incontinence or passive incontinence
Passive incontinence describes when you have no sensation or warning of the need to go to the toilet before unexpectedly soiling yourself.
Whereas – urge bowel incontinence describes the sudden urgent need to relieve yourself, but not being able to make the toilet in time before soiling yourself.
Your bowel injury lead to the need for surgery. However, after surgery you may suffer from passive incontinence or urge bowel incontinence.
Here – your bowel injury compensation claim is likely to be calculated around £98,000.
Total Incontinence
Bowel damage can lead to total loss of natural bowel function and control. In other words – total incontinence. Therefore – you may have to rely permanently on a colostomy bag.
The level of compensation you can claim will to a certain degree be dependent on you age.
In this case of bowel injury causing incontinence and the need of a colostomy bag will result in compensation calculated up to £172,000.
Summary
In conclusion – you have learnt the effects on bodily function that injury to your bowel can cause together with the types and amounts of compensation you can claim for each degree of condition.
FREE Specialist Solicitor Legal Help
We appreciate that contacting a legal advisor following a bowel injury can be distressing. Therefore – we try to help as best we can by offering free telephone and online legal help and assistance.
You can contact our solicitors direct by phone or online for a chat about your injury, to discuss whether you have a claim for compensation and to answer any questions you might have.
