Personal Injury Settlement Calculator

Personal Injury Settlement Calculator

function calculateSettlement() { var pastMedicalBills = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pastMedicalBills').value); var futureMedicalBills = parseFloat(document.getElementById('futureMedicalBills').value); var pastLostWages = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pastLostWages').value); var futureLostWages = parseFloat(document.getElementById('futureLostWages').value); var propertyDamage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('propertyDamage').value); var otherExpenses = parseFloat(document.getElementById('otherExpenses').value); var injurySeverityMultiplier = parseFloat(document.getElementById('injurySeverity').value); var yourFaultPercentage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('yourFaultPercentage').value); // Validate inputs if (isNaN(pastMedicalBills) || pastMedicalBills < 0) pastMedicalBills = 0; if (isNaN(futureMedicalBills) || futureMedicalBills < 0) futureMedicalBills = 0; if (isNaN(pastLostWages) || pastLostWages < 0) pastLostWages = 0; if (isNaN(futureLostWages) || futureLostWages < 0) futureLostWages = 0; if (isNaN(propertyDamage) || propertyDamage < 0) propertyDamage = 0; if (isNaN(otherExpenses) || otherExpenses < 0) otherExpenses = 0; if (isNaN(yourFaultPercentage) || yourFaultPercentage 100) yourFaultPercentage = 0; // 1. Calculate Total Economic Damages var totalEconomicDamages = pastMedicalBills + futureMedicalBills + pastLostWages + futureLostWages + propertyDamage + otherExpenses; // 2. Calculate Non-Economic Damages (Pain & Suffering) var nonEconomicDamages = totalEconomicDamages * injurySeverityMultiplier; // 3. Calculate Gross Estimated Settlement Value var grossSettlement = totalEconomicDamages + nonEconomicDamages; // 4. Adjust for Comparative Fault var faultReductionFactor = 1 – (yourFaultPercentage / 100); var adjustedSettlement = grossSettlement * faultReductionFactor; // Display results document.getElementById('totalEconomicDamages').innerHTML = 'Total Economic Damages: $' + totalEconomicDamages.toFixed(2).replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ","); document.getElementById('nonEconomicDamages').innerHTML = 'Estimated Non-Economic Damages (Pain & Suffering): $' + nonEconomicDamages.toFixed(2).replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ","); document.getElementById('grossSettlement').innerHTML = 'Gross Estimated Settlement Value: $' + grossSettlement.toFixed(2).replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ","); document.getElementById('adjustedSettlement').innerHTML = 'Adjusted Estimated Settlement Value (After Fault): $' + adjustedSettlement.toFixed(2).replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ",") + ''; }

Understanding Your Personal Injury Settlement

When you've been injured due to someone else's negligence, pursuing a personal injury claim can help you recover compensation for your losses. A personal injury settlement is an agreement between the injured party (plaintiff) and the at-fault party (defendant) or their insurance company to resolve the claim outside of court. This calculator provides an estimate of what your settlement might be worth, based on common factors considered in such cases.

Components of a Personal Injury Settlement

Personal injury settlements typically comprise two main types of damages: economic and non-economic.

1. Economic Damages (Special Damages)

These are quantifiable financial losses that can be proven with receipts, bills, and wage statements. Our calculator includes:

• Past Medical Expenses: Costs for doctor visits, hospital stays, medications, therapy, and other medical treatments already incurred.
• Estimated Future Medical Expenses: Projected costs for ongoing or future medical care, rehabilitation, or long-term care related to the injury.
• Past Lost Income: Wages, salary, or other income you've lost from being unable to work due to your injury.
• Estimated Future Lost Income: Income you are expected to lose in the future if your injury impacts your ability to work long-term or permanently.
• Property Damage Costs: Expenses to repair or replace damaged property, such as your vehicle in a car accident.
• Other Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Any other direct costs incurred due to the injury, like transportation to medical appointments, household help, or assistive devices.

2. Non-Economic Damages (General Damages)

These are subjective, non-monetary losses that are harder to quantify but significantly impact your quality of life. The most common non-economic damage is "pain and suffering."

• Pain and Suffering: This includes physical pain, emotional distress, mental anguish, discomfort, and inconvenience caused by the injury.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Compensation for the inability to participate in hobbies, activities, or daily routines you enjoyed before the injury.
• Loss of Consortium: Damages awarded to a spouse for the loss of companionship, affection, and support due to the injury of their partner.

Our calculator estimates non-economic damages using a "multiplier" method. This method takes your total economic damages and multiplies them by a factor (typically between 1.5 and 7, or even higher for catastrophic injuries) based on the severity of your injury. More severe, long-lasting, or debilitating injuries warrant a higher multiplier.

The Impact of Comparative Fault

Many states operate under "comparative negligence" laws. This means that if you are found to be partially at fault for the accident that caused your injuries, your total settlement amount may be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if your damages are assessed at $100,000, but you are found to be 20% at fault, your recoverable settlement would be reduced to $80,000.

How to Use the Calculator (Example)

Let's consider a scenario:

• Past Medical Expenses: $15,000
• Estimated Future Medical Expenses: $5,000
• Past Lost Income: $8,000
• Estimated Future Lost Income: $0
• Property Damage Costs: $2,000
• Other Out-of-Pocket Expenses: $500
• Injury Severity: Moderate (Multiplier 3)
• Your Percentage of Fault: 10%

Calculation:

1. Total Economic Damages: $15,000 + $5,000 + $8,000 + $0 + $2,000 + $500 = $30,500
2. Estimated Non-Economic Damages: $30,500 (Economic) * 3 (Multiplier) = $91,500
3. Gross Estimated Settlement: $30,500 (Economic) + $91,500 (Non-Economic) = $122,000
4. Adjusted Estimated Settlement (after 10% fault): $122,000 * (1 – 0.10) = $122,000 * 0.90 = $109,800

In this example, the estimated adjusted settlement value would be $109,800.

Important Disclaimer

This personal injury settlement calculator provides an estimate based on common factors. It is NOT a guarantee of what your actual settlement will be. Many other variables can influence the final amount, including the specific laws of your state, the strength of your evidence, the insurance policy limits, the reputation of the parties involved, and the skill of your legal representation. For an accurate assessment of your case and personalized legal advice, it is crucial to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney.