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Does accident insurance pay for firecracker injuries on New Year's Eve in Germany?

In short

Does accident insurance pay for firecracker injuries on New Year's Eve in Germany? Private accident insurance does, an explosion is an accident. For lasting damage it pays by the limb table (Gliedertaxe), for example 20 percent of the sum insured for a thumb and 50 percent for an eye. You get nothing if alcohol impaired you so much that you could no longer handle the danger, or during an intentional crime.

Does accident insurance pay for firecracker injuries on New Year's Eve in Germany?

What it costs

Typical premiums for private accident insurance for adults in Germany.

ExampleTypical range
Adult, good policyabout EUR 5 to 15 a month
Solid cover according to the consumer testing foundationfrom around EUR 100 a year
Recommended setupat least EUR 100,000 sum insured and 350 percent progression
Loss of a thumb on EUR 100,000, standard limb tableEUR 20,000

Guide values as of November 2026 from published examples.

Your premium depends on age, job, sum and limb table; we obtain the exact quote.

Amounts in the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice.

Worked example

Firecracker explodes in the hand

An approved firecracker goes off too early. The thumb stays half stiff, the index finger is lost. Sum insured EUR 150,000, standard limb table, no progression at this level.

Thumb half without function, half of 20 percent10 percent
Loss of the index finger10 percent
Total disability degree20 percent
Payment, 20 percent of EUR 150,000EUR 30,000

The insurer pays EUR 30,000 as a lump sum. With an improved limb table it can be much more. If the firecracker was illegal or the person was heavily drunk, the claim may be refused.

A firecracker injury is an accident under the policy

Private accident insurance (private Unfallversicherung) pays when a sudden external event acts on your body and injures you involuntarily. A firecracker going off early in your hand, a rocket hitting your eye or a bang right next to your ear all count. Lighting it yourself does no harm, only the lighting was voluntary, not the injury.

Cover applies around the clock and worldwide, including on New Year's Eve, when celebrating abroad and when a stranger threw the firecracker.

What the limb table pays

The main benefit is the disability payment for lasting damage. The limb table sets a fixed percentage for each body part. You get the full rate for loss or complete loss of function, and a fraction for partial impairment. Percentage times sum insured gives the payment.

Many policies use an improved limb table with higher rates for hand and fingers, and progression increases the payment for serious damage. Compare the figures in your policy with the standard terms.

Typical firecracker injuryStandard ratePayment on EUR 100,000, no progression
Loss of a hand55 percentEUR 55,000
Loss of the thumb20 percentEUR 20,000
Loss of the index finger10 percentEUR 10,000
Another finger5 percentEUR 5,000
Loss of sight in one eye50 percentEUR 50,000
Deaf in one ear30 percentEUR 30,000
Thumb half stiff10 percentEUR 10,000

When the insurer does not pay

Alcohol on its own is not an exclusion. The standard terms do exclude accidents caused by impaired consciousness and name alcohol as a possible cause. What counts is whether your reactions were so impaired that you could no longer cope with the danger. Some policies word this exclusion more narrowly, so the wording of your contract decides.

The second exclusion covers accidents that happen while you intentionally commit or attempt a crime. Setting off unapproved fireworks without a licence can be a criminal offence under section 40 of the German Explosives Act. If your own illegal firecracker injures you, you risk losing all cover.

Setting off legal fireworks on 31 December or 1 January is not excluded, even if you were careless. Only an injury you inflict on yourself on purpose is not an accident, as it is not involuntary (section 178 VVG). The standard terms do not reduce payment for negligence.

Statutory accident insurance usually does not apply

Statutory accident insurance (gesetzliche Unfallversicherung) only pays for accidents linked to work, school or certain voluntary roles. A private New Year's party is not one of them. Your health insurance pays for treatment, but not compensation for a lost finger.

It is different for firefighters on duty or employees who set off fireworks at work. Then it can be a work accident.

When you do not need accident insurance

A policy just for New Year's Eve is not worth it, although cover starts as soon as the contract begins. If you already have income protection and good savings, you need accident insurance less. For children, the self-employed and people in manual jobs it often makes sense, because it pays for any lasting accident damage.

Step by step

  1. Give first aid, call 112 and cover wounds with sterile dressings.
  2. Secure any severed parts and take them to hospital.
  3. Report the accident to your accident insurer quickly and note witnesses.
  4. Collect all medical reports and have the disability certified in writing within 15 months.
  5. Claim the disability with the insurer within the same 15 months.
  6. Compare the decision with the limb table in your policy.

Checklist

  • Sum insured of at least EUR 100,000
  • Improved limb table for hand and fingers
  • Progression of at least 350 percent
  • Exclusion for impaired consciousness read in your policy
  • Only approved fireworks bought in German shops

Common mistakes

  • Thinking health insurance also pays compensation
  • Missing the 15 months for medical certification and claim
  • Setting off illegal firecrackers bought abroad and relying on cover
  • Accepting the decision without checking your own limb table

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does accident insurance pay if I lit the firecracker myself?

Yes.

The lighting was voluntary, the injury was not.

The standard terms do not reduce payment for negligence.

What if I was drunk?

Alcohol alone does not matter.

If you were so impaired that you could no longer handle the danger,

the exclusion for impaired consciousness applies.

Am I covered if a stranger hits me with a firecracker?

Yes, your private accident insurance pays.

The thrower is also liable under section 823 BGB, including pain and suffering.

Does statutory accident insurance pay on New Year's Eve?

Not for a private party.

It only applies to accidents linked to work, school or certain voluntary roles.

How much do I get for a lost finger?

Under the standard terms 20 percent of the sum for the thumb,

10 percent for the index finger and 5 percent for any other finger.

Improved tables pay more.

Does the insurer also pay pain and suffering?

No.

Only someone who is liable for the accident pays that.

Accident insurance pays fixed sums for lasting damage and agreed extra benefits.

When may fireworks be set off in Germany?

Adults aged 18 and over may set off category 2 fireworks on 31 December and 1 January,

but not near churches, hospitals, children's and old people's homes.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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