Personal Injury Settlement Estimator

Personal injury settlement value is estimated using a combination of economic damages (calculable losses) and non-economic damages (pain, suffering, and quality-of-life impact). The final settlement depends on evidence, jurisdiction, liability percentage, and insurance policy limits.

Total estimated value formula: Claim Value = Economic Damages + Non-Economic Damages

Economic damages (special damages), the fully documentable ones:

• Medical expenses: All past and future treatment costs (hospital, surgery, PT, medication, aids)
• Lost wages: Hourly/salary rate × days unable to work (past lost wages)
• Future lost earning capacity: If permanent injury reduces future earning potential
• Property damage: Vehicle repair/replacement, damaged belongings
• Out-of-pocket costs: Transportation to appointments, home care, assistive devices

Non-economic damages (general damages), by one of two methods:

Multiplier method: Non-Economic Damages = Medical Specials × Multiplier

Multiplier range: 1.5× for a minor injury with full recovery, up to 5× for a severe permanent one, adjusted by how much the injury changed your life and how clear the other side’s liability is.

Multiply the medical bills, not everything. This trips people up constantly, and getting it wrong is the fastest way to have an opening demand dismissed. Pain and suffering flows from the injury, so the multiplier applies to medical treatment costs. Your wrecked bumper did not suffer. Lost wages and property damage still count in full, they just get added afterwards rather than multiplied. An adjuster who sees a $6,000 car repair multiplied by 4 knows immediately that nobody experienced is on the other end.

Per diem method: Non-Economic Damages = Daily Rate × Days of Suffering

Daily rate typically = plaintiff’s daily wage rate. Applied until maximum medical improvement (MMI) is reached.

Comparative negligence reduction: If plaintiff is partially at fault, damages are reduced proportionally: Adjusted Value = Claim Value × (1 − Plaintiff’s Fault %)

Note: In contributory negligence states (AL, MD, NC, VA, DC), ANY plaintiff fault bars recovery entirely.

Policy limits, the practical ceiling: Settlements cannot exceed the defendant’s insurance policy limits (typically $25,000–$100,000 for auto; $100,000–$300,000 for homeowner). Large verdicts against underinsured defendants often go uncollected.

Attorney’s contingency fee: Typically 33% pre-lawsuit, 40% post-filing, sometimes up to 45% at trial.

Worked example: Rear-end collision. Whiplash and two broken ribs, six months to recover.

• Medical bills, including future physical therapy: $22,000
• Six weeks off work at $800/week: $4,800
• Property, the vehicle: $6,200
• Economic damages: $33,000

Multiplier 2.5×, a moderate injury with full recovery expected. It applies to the $22,000 of medical bills only:

• Pain and suffering: $22,000 × 2.5 = $55,000
• Gross claim: $33,000 + $55,000 = $88,000
• Defendant 100% at fault, so no comparative reduction
• Settled before filing, attorney fee 33%: −$29,040
• Net to plaintiff: $58,960

Now change one thing. Say you were found 20% at fault for following too closely. The gross claim drops to $70,400, the fee to $23,232, and you net $47,168. That single number cost you almost $12,000, which is why liability is argued harder than damages in most negotiations.