What’s the Average Settlement You Can Expect After Getting Injured in a Car Accident?

5 years ago
Categories: Business, Health & Wellness, Opinion, Weekly Columns

(ThySistas.com) When disaster strikes and you’re injured in a car accident, the amount of stress you’re under is unreal. There are so, so many questions to go through. What are you going to do for a car? How long until you’re recovered? How will this affect your job?

One question that isn’t always immediate but soon comes to mind is: “How much compensation will I receive?” Now there are a lot of factors to this so it’s hard to give a number without going over a bunch of details. For the most accurate estimate, it’s best to contact an accident attorney, such as Abels & Annes.

There are some ballpark figures available though, so we’ll go over those and also cover some of the factors which will impact the final number.

Medical Considerations

The biggest thing which will affect your payout is the injuries themselves. The severity of injuries is an obvious one, with medical bills also having an effect. The terms used by an insurance company for injury are split into a few different areas. The first is the injury itself, this is decided purely on the cost of treatment and recovery.

After this they also consider pain & suffering as a separate area. For this area they literally look at the stress and trauma the injury caused you. The amount of pain you felt and how long for are the key criteria.

With those two out of the way, emotional distress is taken into account. Your injuries could leave you with mental/emotional trauma and that has to be taken into account for a fair settlement. Any extreme circumstances such as loss of marital relations, extremities, or ability to reproduce will also have an impact on the figure.

Other Factors

After the injury itself there are factors like your ability to work. Lost wages is an obvious one and can extend to treatment & appointments in the future. In some jurisdictions the loss of future income or a limitation on your future earnings are also factors. Property damage would be the final area here and it covers any of your personal property, your vehicle and any other belongings damaged or destroyed.

Finally there are some rare circumstances where punitive damages can also be awarded. This doesn’t happen often but it can make a major difference to the overall payout.

Average Settlements

Injuries are placed into different brackets of severity. Some of the categorization is up to interpretation so we haven’t listed many actual injuries, though most categories are self explanatory. Of course there is some cross-over too, so again, it’s best to consult an attorney.

Minor Injuries (whiplash, soft tissue damage, etc): $10,000 – $25,000
Major Injuries (cuts, minor broken bones, etc): $20,000 – $50,000
Long-Lasting Injuries (injuries requiring rehab or surgery): $50,000 – $75,000
Spinal Damage/Disability: $75,000 – $100,000
Brain Damage & Severe Disability: $100,000 – $250,000
Paralysis & Severe Brain Damage: $250,000+

Staff Writer; Shelia Wall