Is this a guaranteed settlement amount?

No. It is an educational estimate for preparation, not legal advice and not an offer. Real settlements depend on evidence, venue, the adjuster, the carrier, and negotiation. ClearCaseIQ is not a law firm.

How is the range calculated?

It uses the multiplier method. Documented economic loss — medical bills, future care, lost wages, and out-of-pocket costs — is added to a non-economic component calculated by multiplying medical costs by a severity multiplier of roughly 1.5 to 10. The total is discounted if liability is disputed, reduced by your share of fault, and capped by any insurance limit you enter.

Why is the multiplier based on medical bills instead of my total losses?

Because that is how the method is conventionally applied by both plaintiff firms and insurers. Treatment cost is used as a rough proxy for how much the injury interfered with daily life. It is imperfect: it undervalues serious injuries treated cheaply and overvalues minor injuries treated expensively, which is one reason the output is a wide range.

Does being partly at fault stop me from recovering?

Not in California, which follows pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but is not eliminated, even if your share exceeds 50 percent. Many other states bar recovery once you cross a threshold, so this is state-specific.

Why does the insurance policy limit matter so much?

Because a claim worth more than the available coverage usually still settles within the coverage. Identifying every applicable policy — the at-fault party’s liability coverage, an employer or commercial policy, an umbrella policy, and your own underinsured motorist coverage — often matters more to the outcome than the valuation itself.

What would make an estimate like this more reliable?

Complete records. Itemized medical bills, imaging reports, a physician’s written opinion on future care, wage documentation, the police report, and photographs all move a claim from asserted to documented. Treatment gaps, missing bills, and unexplained delays reduce what a carrier will pay.

Does surgery increase settlement value?

Surgery or a surgery recommendation is often a high-impact severity signal, but value still depends on liability, causation, coverage, prior history, and recovery outcome.

Why do settlement ranges vary so widely?

Two claims with the same diagnosis can settle very differently depending on liability, available policy limits, treatment continuity, wage loss, and how well the file is documented.

Do medical bills set the value of a claim?

Bills are one input, not the answer. Insurers weigh causation, necessity, the treatment timeline, and what a jury in that venue is likely to do.

Can ClearCaseIQ tell me exactly what my case is worth?

No tool can guarantee a result. ClearCaseIQ provides a preliminary intelligence report based on available facts, documents, and underwriting signals.

Free tool

Accident settlement calculator

Estimate a settlement range from your documented losses using the multiplier method — the same arithmetic plaintiff firms and insurers describe publicly. Every step is shown, so you can check the math yourself.

Nothing you enter leaves your browser. ClearCaseIQ is not a law firm, this is not legal advice, and no calculator can predict what a specific claim will settle for.

Documented losses

Medical bills to date$Total billed, before insurance adjustments.Estimated future medical care$Optional. Surgery, injections, or ongoing therapy.Lost wages or income$Time missed from work, documented.Other out-of-pocket costs$Optional. Mileage, devices, household help.

Injury and faultInjury severityImaging confirms an injury. Months of physical therapy or chiropractic care. Multiplier 2× to 3.5×.Who was at faultRear-end collision, citation issued, or a liability admission.Your own share of fault0%California reduces recovery by your share of fault but never eliminates it, even above 50%.Claim type

Insurance (optional)Known insurance policy limit$Leave blank if unknown. Available coverage often decides the actual recovery.

How this is calculated

Economic loss is the sum of medical bills, future care, lost wages, and out-of-pocket costs.
A non-economic component is medical costs multiplied by a severity multiplier between 1.5× and 10×. This stands in for pain and disruption, which have no invoice.
If fault is disputed, the total is discounted, because carriers pay less when liability is contested.
The result is reduced by your share of fault under California’s pure comparative negligence rule.
If you entered a policy limit, the range is capped at it.

The method has real limitations. Tying non-economic damages to treatment cost undervalues a serious injury treated cheaply and overvalues a minor injury treated expensively. It ignores venue, the specific adjuster, your credibility as a witness, and liens that reduce what you actually keep. Treat the output as a starting point for a conversation, not a target.

Why settlement value varies

Settlement value is not a single number. It depends on liability strength, injury proof, medical expenses, treatment duration, available insurance coverage, and which documents are missing. A calculator can show you the shape of the math, but the inputs are what decide the outcome.

What to document

Itemized medical bills and amounts actually paid
Wage loss and out-of-pocket costs, with documentation
Treatment duration, gaps, and any recommended future care
Police reports, photographs, and witness contacts
Every insurance policy that might apply, including your own

Common questions

Is this a guaranteed settlement amount?: No. It is an educational estimate for preparation, not legal advice and not an offer. Real settlements depend on evidence, venue, the adjuster, the carrier, and negotiation. ClearCaseIQ is not a law firm.
How is the range calculated?: It uses the multiplier method. Documented economic loss — medical bills, future care, lost wages, and out-of-pocket costs — is added to a non-economic component calculated by multiplying medical costs by a severity multiplier of roughly 1.5 to 10. The total is discounted if liability is disputed, reduced by your share of fault, and capped by any insurance limit you enter.
Why is the multiplier based on medical bills instead of my total losses?: Because that is how the method is conventionally applied by both plaintiff firms and insurers. Treatment cost is used as a rough proxy for how much the injury interfered with daily life. It is imperfect: it undervalues serious injuries treated cheaply and overvalues minor injuries treated expensively, which is one reason the output is a wide range.
Does being partly at fault stop me from recovering?: Not in California, which follows pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but is not eliminated, even if your share exceeds 50 percent. Many other states bar recovery once you cross a threshold, so this is state-specific.
Why does the insurance policy limit matter so much?: Because a claim worth more than the available coverage usually still settles within the coverage. Identifying every applicable policy — the at-fault party’s liability coverage, an employer or commercial policy, an umbrella policy, and your own underinsured motorist coverage — often matters more to the outcome than the valuation itself.
What would make an estimate like this more reliable?: Complete records. Itemized medical bills, imaging reports, a physician’s written opinion on future care, wage documentation, the police report, and photographs all move a claim from asserted to documented. Treatment gaps, missing bills, and unexplained delays reduce what a carrier will pay.

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