Estimate your total case value using economic damages and a pain & suffering multiplier.
Range reflects typical settlement variability. Actual amount depends on evidence strength, insurer, and negotiation.
Personal injury settlements generally have two components: economic damages (actual financial losses) and non-economic damages (pain & suffering, emotional distress).
The most common method insurers and plaintiff attorneys use is the multiplier method: total economic damages × a factor of 1.5 to 5, depending on injury severity.
If you share any fault for the accident, your recovery is reduced in most states (comparative negligence). Some states bar recovery entirely if you're more than 50% at fault.
Two claims with identical medical bills can settle for very different amounts. Insurers and attorneys weigh factors this calculator can't fully capture: how clearly liability is established (a police report or dashcam footage vs. a disputed account), whether your injuries are documented consistently from the ER through follow-up care, whether you have a pre-existing condition the insurer can point to, and how strong the at-fault party's insurance coverage is — a settlement can only be as large as the available policy limits, absent a lawsuit against personal assets.
Gaps in treatment also matter. Insurers routinely argue that a delay between the accident and your first doctor's visit — or long stretches without follow-up care — means the injury wasn't serious. Consistent documentation is one of the few things within your control that meaningfully affects your outcome.
The two scenarios below are hypothetical illustrations of the formula only — not averages, real case outcomes, or a prediction of what any specific claim will settle for.
Scenario A — moderate injury, other party fully at fault. $18,000 in medical bills, $6,000 in lost wages, and $1,500 in other economic costs ($25,500 total economic damages). The claimant selects a 3× multiplier for a significant injury with an extended recovery. Pain & suffering = $25,500 × 3 = $76,500. Gross case value = $25,500 + $76,500 = $102,000. With no liability reduction, this calculator's range formula (0.7×–1.2× of gross) produces an estimated range of roughly $71,400–$122,400.
Scenario B — same injury, shared fault. Same $102,000 gross value, but the claimant is found 25% at fault for the accident (75% liability factor). Net value = $102,000 × 0.75 = $76,500, producing an estimated range of roughly $53,550–$91,800. The identical injury and identical economic damages produce a meaningfully smaller range once shared fault is introduced — which is why the liability factor matters as much as the medical bills themselves in many claims.
Available insurance coverage. A settlement generally cannot exceed the at-fault party's available insurance policy limits unless you pursue a lawsuit against their personal assets (often impractical if they have few assets) or your own underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage applies. This calculator has no way to know the at-fault party's policy limits.
State-specific damage caps. A number of states cap or modify certain categories of damages — most commonly punitive damages, and in some states non-economic damages in specific case types such as medical malpractice. This calculator applies no state-specific cap; if your case involves a capped category, your actual recoverable range may be lower than what's shown here.
Punitive damages. These are a separate category from the compensatory damages this tool models, reserved for cases involving especially reckless or egregious conduct (for example, drunk driving), and are comparatively rare in ordinary negligence claims.
The specific comparative-negligence rule in your state. This calculator applies a straightforward percentage reduction based on the liability factor you select. In practice, states differ in how shared fault is treated — some reduce recovery proportionally with no cutoff (pure comparative negligence), some cut off recovery entirely once your fault crosses 50% or 51% (modified comparative negligence), and a small number bar any recovery at all if you share even minimal fault (contributory negligence). Which rule applies where you live can matter more than the multiplier you choose.
Real settlements aren't a single fixed figure — they land somewhere in a negotiating range shaped by evidence strength and how firmly each side holds its position. The range here reflects typical variability around the multiplier-method estimate, not a guarantee of what any insurer will actually offer.
No. This tool models a negotiated settlement, not a jury verdict. Verdicts can be higher or lower than a pre-trial settlement estimate, and trial outcomes carry the added risk and delay of litigation — which is part of why most personal injury claims resolve through negotiation rather than trial.
Use it as your own internal reference point, not a number to hand over. Adjusters are trained to anchor negotiations low; knowing a defensible range for your case going in helps you recognize a lowball offer and counter it, ideally with an attorney's guidance for anything beyond a minor claim.
This happens more often than people expect — many drivers carry only the minimum liability limits required by their state, which can be far lower than a serious injury claim is worth. If the at-fault party is underinsured or uninsured, your own policy's underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage (if you have it) may fill some of the gap. Pursuing the at-fault party's personal assets directly is legally possible but often impractical if they don't have significant assets. Ask early — either your own insurer or an attorney — what coverage is actually available before assuming any estimate is fully recoverable.
Yes, and this calculator does not model the difference. States generally fall into one of three approaches: pure comparative negligence (your recovery is reduced by your fault percentage with no cutoff), modified comparative negligence (recovery is barred once your fault crosses a 50% or 51% threshold), or contributory negligence (a small number of states bar any recovery at all if you share even minimal fault). This tool applies a simple percentage reduction based on the liability factor you select — check which rule applies in your state, or ask an attorney, before treating this range as final.
Learn more about how settlements are calculated →
This tool estimates total case value. For a deeper look at any one component, try: how pain & suffering is calculated using the multiplier vs. per-diem methods, what counts as lost wages and how future earning loss is estimated, or what you'd actually take home after contingency fees and case costs once a settlement is reached.