AskLegally tool
What could affect the value of my accident claim?
No website can tell you what your accident claim is worth. What it can do is show you which facts actually move the outcome, which ones are missing from your situation, and what is worth doing next. That is what this assessment does.
This does not produce a dollar figure
What this covers
Around eight short questions about the accident, your injuries and treatment, time off work, fault, the police report, where the insurance claim stands, and what coverage is available. A couple of follow-ups appear only if they apply to you. Then you can total up the costs you already know about. Nothing is submitted anywhere and you can stop at any point.
How this works
Free to use
No account, no payment, no obligation.
Nothing is submitted
Your answers stay in your browser unless you choose to request a case review.
General information
This explains how accident claims are evaluated. It is not legal advice.
Why there is no settlement calculator here
- Averages describe other people
- An average is built from cases with different injuries, different evidence, and different state law. It says nothing about yours.
- Multipliers are not a rule
- The 'multiply your medical bills' formula circulating online is not a legal standard and no insurer is bound by it.
- Coverage sets the ceiling
- Where policy limits are low, they often matter more than the extent of the harm.
- State law changes the answer
- Deadlines, shared-fault rules, and no-fault systems differ enough that a national number is meaningless.
What a claim is usually built from
Whoever evaluates your claim — an adjuster, an attorney, eventually a court — is generally looking at two categories. The first is your documented financial loss: medical treatment, prescriptions, travel to appointments, lost income, and damage to your vehicle or property. These can be proved with paper, which is why keeping it matters.
The second is harder to evidence: pain, disruption to your life, and limits on what you can do. There is no formula for it, whatever you read. It is argued from the medical record, from how long symptoms lasted, and from the specific things you could not do. Where fault is shared, most states reduce recovery accordingly, and a few bar it entirely past a threshold — which is why the fault question is not a side issue.
Tools that help at this stage
Police report lookup
Tell us the basics and we'll help you work out which agency holds your accident report and how to request it.
Accident checklist
A short check of what you've covered since the crash and what may still be worth doing.
Questions people also ask
Why won't this tell me what my case is worth?
Because an honest figure would need your complete medical record, a settled prognosis, confirmed policy limits, a fault determination, and your state's rules. Any site producing a number without those is generating one, not estimating it — and that number tends to stick in people's heads at exactly the wrong moment.
Is there a formula for pain and suffering?
No. Multiplier formulas are widely repeated online but they are not a legal standard and no insurer, court, or statute requires them. They exist because they are simple, not because they are accurate.
How long do I have to bring a claim?
Deadlines for accident claims are set by state law and vary by state and by the type of claim, and some notice requirements are much shorter than the deadline to sue. Check your state's rules early rather than assuming a common figure applies.
Do I need a lawyer for a car accident claim?
Not always. Straightforward property-damage claims and minor injury claims with clear fault are often settled directly. Review tends to be more useful where fault is contested, injuries are serious or lasting, coverage is in question, a claim was denied, or an offer would close everything out.
What people ask next
Sources
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Advice — dealing with companies, claims, and disputesNational Association of Insurance Commissioners
Consumer information and state insurance department directory