Free Personal Injury Settlement Calculator
You need to know what your case might be worth before you can consider negotiating or settling a personal injury claim. Insurance companies rely on computer algorithms and past results to determine settlement offers. Most injury victims, if unrepresented, have no idea what their case is really worth. Different cities, different counties, different states show wide variability in “case value.” This free personal injury settlement calculator is our attempt to level the playing field for unrepresented injury victims.
Note: This free personal injury settlement calculator is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and we do not store the information you enter in the calculator. Consult an attorney for a financial and legal analysis of your claim, or call Gage Mathers to see how we might be able to help you.
Most personal injury claims are valued based on past medical expenses, future medical expenses, past wage loss, future wage loss, the nature of your injuries, the duration of your injuries, and property damage if the injuries occurred in a car crash. A common algorithm applies a multiplier (explained in detail below) to your medical expenses to estimate non-economic damages (money for your pain and suffering). This figure is added to your economic damages (medical bills, property damage, and lost income) to provide a total value for your claim, without considering other factors that might raise or lower the value of your claim. No two claims have the same value, even when the injuries and economic damages are similar.
Damages and The Multiplier for the Settlement Calculator
“Your Total Settlement Estimate” is a rough estimate of the total value of your claim. It is comprised of the two main damage types that arise in personal injury cases: economic damages (called “special damages”) and non-economic damages (called “general damages”). Special damages are generally easy to quantify. They include the costs of medical treatment, lost income from missed work, property damage, and other out-of-pocket losses. General damages, on the other hand, are not easily quantifiable. They include pain and suffering, discomfort, disability, disfigurement, anxiety, loss of love, care, affection, companionship, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Valuing general damages is difficult, which is where the multiplier comes in. Tort reform and misinformation have led to many people, like potential jurors, using a multiplier to calculate general damages. The theory is that your pain and suffering is a function of how much medical treatment you require. Ignoring the fact that different providers charge different amounts for the same service, multiplying medical expenses by a multiplier provides a comforting method of calculating the incalculable.
On average, juries use multipliers that range from 1.0 to 10.0. The multiplier will be higher for worse injuries, longer recovery time, permanency, greater impact on your daily life, and aggravating factors about how the injuries occurred (e.g., drunk driver, distracted driver). Most insurance adjusters try to use low multipliers, like 1.5, and argue juries are not so kind. Obviously the adjuster is puffing and hoping the injury victim accepts a low settlement offer.
Confer With a Lawyer
This free personal injury settlement calculator is not a guarantee for how your case will resolve, but is here to help you understand how your case might be valued. This calculator only factors in a small portion of the numerous factors that go into determining the settlement amount for a personal injury case. Therefore, talk with an experienced personal injury lawyer, like the ones at Gage Mathers, to get a better idea of your case’s value.
