Shoulder Injury Compensation Payouts Qld: 8 Court Awards
These are Queensland court judgments where a shoulder injury was the main injury. They come from all three kinds of personal injury claim (WorkCover common law, motor vehicle and public liability) and from very different events, from car crashes and a falling tree to repetitive lifting in a commercial kitchen.
In these awards, general damages for the shoulder itself were a small share of the total. Most of each award was lost earning capacity, because the injury limited or ended physical work.
This page lists 11 Queensland judgments where a shoulder injury was the main injury. In 8 of them, decided between 2020 and 2026, the court assessed damages and the plaintiff recovered; across those, the median total award was $431,828.
- Median total damages
- $431,828
- Middle half of awards
- $77,474 - $600,798
- Full range
- $34,858 - $987,655
- Judgments with an award
- 8
Figures cover trials, damages assessments and substantive appeals where the court assessed damages and the plaintiff recovered. Recited settlement figures are excluded, as are cases marked out of aggregate statistics. The median is the middle award, so unlike an average it is not pulled up by a few very large awards. Every judgment is a different plaintiff with different injuries, so treat these as the observed spread in decided cases, not a prediction for any particular claim.
Showing 11 cases. Page 1 of 2. Procedural decisions hidden, tick "Include procedural decisions" above to show them.
| Injury category | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bullock v Wraight
[2026] QCA 176 Appeal
The applicant sought leave to appeal a District Court award of $34,858.27 (against a claim exceeding $510,000) after the primary judge formed an adverse view of her credibility,… |
Manager | Shoulder, Cervical spine, Thoracic spine +3 | MAIA | - | $34,858 |
|
Eden v Jamieson & Anor
[2023] QSC 240 Trial
The court found the driver negligent for failing to keep a proper lookout and to steer clear, and held the second defendant (CTP insurer) had not discharged the… |
Technician / Trade Worker | Shoulder, Left shoulder, Right shoulder +4 | MAIA | 28 | $987,655 |
|
Amos v Miki Stowers t/as Essy Tree Lopping Services
[2023] QDC 127 Damages assessment
Following default judgment, the court assessed damages for the undefended plaintiff at $465,702.15 plus standard costs. The plaintiff, struck by a falling branch, established prima facie loss of… |
Community & Personal Service Worker | Shoulder, Right shoulder, Right elbow +1 | PIPA Public Liability | ~58 | $465,702 |
|
Cvilikas v Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
[2023] QSC 36 Trial
The court found the employer negligent (vicariously for the co-worker's failure to warn and for an inadequate system of work), reduced damages by 25% for contributory negligence, and… |
Community & Personal Service Worker | Shoulder, Left shoulder | WCRA Common Law | ~44 | $196,193 |
|
Schafer v Glendale RV Syndication Pty Ltd
[2022] QDC 263 Trial
The court found the employer breached its duty of care by failing to conduct a risk assessment and provide a safe system for repetitive overhead tray-lifting, causing aggravation… |
Technician / Trade Worker | Shoulder, Left shoulder | WCRA Common Law | 54 | $397,953 |
|
Dearden v Ryan & Anor
[2022] QSC 111 Trial
The court found the defendant occupiers liable in negligence for failing to safely store petrol that an intoxicated guest used to set the plaintiff alight, causing serious burns.… |
Labourer | Shoulder, Right upper arm, Right axilla/shoulder +6 | PIPA Public Liability | 21 | $600,798 |
Looking for a specific case? Browse the full case index →, every case in the database on one page, grouped by year.
See the case schematics →, drawings of how each incident happened and the three findings each case turned on.
Roche Legal, Queensland Personal Injury Quantum Database (Web Database, 2026) <https://rochelegal.com.au/quantum-database/>
Use this citation when referring to the resource itself (e.g. in academic articles, annual reports, or media commentary). For a specific case, see the citation block on its individual page.