Anderson Injury Lawyers | September 12, 2018 | Personal Injury
The average accident settlement is usually between $10,000 and $25,000, but certain cases can average $50,000 or even into the $100,000s, depending on the severity of the accident and injuries. In the article below, we go into detail explaining how to know what your accident case might be worth and also provide tips to increase the value of your settlement.
However, every case is different. If you’d like a better idea of what your accident settlement is truly worth, contact our office directly. We’re happy to hear the details of your case and let you know if the insurance company is giving you a fair offer, and how we can help.
All calls are free and require zero obligation.
Average Settlement Amounts
Rear-end Accidents
The average rear end accident settlement is between $8,000 and $25,000 and up. Rear-ended car accidents are some of the most common accident types we receive at the Anderson Injury Lawyers. Many rear-ended accidents are caused by speeding, as was the case with our client who received $125,000 after being injured in a rear-ended accident.
Sideswipe Accidents
The average sideswipe accident settlement is between $10,000 and $25,000 and up. Sideswipe accidents can be very costly, depending on the point of impact, the speed the drivers were traveling and if anyone was injured. This was the case for our client who received a $300,000 settlement offer after being sideswiped by a drowsy driver.
Whiplash
The average whiplash settlement is between $3,000 and $10,000 and up.
Car accidents involving head injuries can bring an array of settlement amounts, depending on the severity of the injury. For instance, one of our clients was awarded $125,000 after suffering a concussion in a car wreck.
Drunk Driving Accidents
The average drunk driving accident settlement is between $15,000 and $50,000 and up.
When someone chooses to drive while intoxicated and wrecks, we make sure that the victim receives the care they deserve. Our drunk driving clients can receive significant settlement amounts, as was the case with our client who received a $330,000 settlement after being hit by a drunk driver.
Hit and Run Accidents
The average hit and run car accident settlement averages between $10,000 and $25,000 and up.
Even though hit-and-run accidents may make the injured client believe that there are no options available, the reality is that there are many legal options we can take to win our clients the compensation they deserve. Settlement offers should completely cover medical bills and other accident-related expenses, such was the case with our client who received a $250,000 settlement.
Truck Wrecks
The average commercial truck wreck settlement averages between $50,000 and $100,000 and up.
Commercial truck wrecks tend to cause bigger damages and injuries, given the size difference between commercial trucks and passenger cars. Injured victims of truck wrecks in Fort Worth can expect large settlement amounts, as was the case with our client who received a $200,000 settlement for his medical bills.
Motorcycle Wrecks
The average motorcycle wreck settlement averages between $15,000 and $100,000 and up.
Motorcycle accidents tend to result in injury. For this reason, motorcyclists who have been injured can receive large settlement amounts, such as the case with our client who received a $250,000 settlement for his accident.
Wrongful Death
The average commercial truck wreck settlement can average into the $100,000s and up.
Personal injury claims including wrongful death typically generate settlement offers from the lower to upper $100,000s. This is because there are many factors that come into play when a family member or loved one is wrongfully killed.
Dog Bites
The average dog bite settlement averages $5,000 to $25,000 and up, typically involve high medical bills and pain and suffering. It’s common for dog bite victims to be awarded large settlement offers, as was the case to our client who was awarded $305,000 after being bit by a pit bull.
Child Daycare Injuries
The average child daycare injury settlement averages $8,000 to $50,000 and up.
Daycare injuries can be minor (scrapes and bruises) or major (broken bones or long-term trauma). Settlement offers for child injuries can range into the hundreds of thousands, such as the $120,000 settlement one we won for our client.
Work Injuries
The average work injury settlement averages $10,000 to $30,000 and up.
Workers who were injured on the job often have multiple insurance options available, which can increase the total settlement amount.
Slip and Fall Accidents
The average slip and fall accident settlement averages $5,000 to $50,000 and up. Accident victims who slip and fall at a business can claim upwards of $50,000, depending on the severity of the injuries.
How Do I Figure Out How Much My Accident Case Is Worth?
The more accurately we can estimate the value of your claim, the more ammunition we have against the insurance company when they try to undervalue your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering.
Over the years, we’ve gotten very good at calculating both tangible costs (medical bills, property damage, missed work days, etc.) and intangible costs (emotional trauma, lost sleep, loss of life enjoyment, and so on).
Unfortunately, it’s hard to estimate your specific claim’s value without speaking with you directly. If you’d like to discuss your case with a lawyer, I offer free, no-obligation consultations. In the meantime, this article covers the questions we use to determine the value of each of our client’s cases.
Who Caused the Accident?
Is one person or company clearly at-fault? Using car wrecks as an example, we sometimes see that one driver caused the wreck and is 100 percent at fault. Other times, fault can be split between the two drivers. If you’re even slightly to blame for the accident, it will devalue your case.
Did You Go Straight to the Doctor?
The sooner you saw a doctor after your accident, the better. Sometimes, people choose to wait and see if they’ll heal on their own, but this is a mistake. The longer you wait to seek medical attention after your accident, the worse it looks to the insurance companies.
They’ll use the gap as an argument against you by saying things like, “You must not really be that hurt if you didn’t go right to the doctor.”
If you did delay treatment, all’s not lost. We recently handled a case where a client waited a year and a half before seeking treatment and were able to win her a successful settlement. In cases like these, success is possible, but it is more difficult.
Have You Been a “Good Patient?”
Patients are expected to follow their doctor’s advice and not miss any appointments. Having unexplained gaps in treatment hurts the value of your case because the other side can once again argue that you “weren’t that hurt.”
If you want to help the value of your case, you must do everything the doctor orders and if you need to miss an appointment, reschedule immediately.
How Serious Are Your Injuries?
As you might have guessed, the bigger your injuries, the more your case is worth.
Some other questions to ask do your injuries heal well, or are you left with scars? Do you have any lasting physical limitations? Did you have any broken bones? Surgeries? Is there physical evidence, such as MRIs, CT scans, or x-rays, that demonstrates the damage done? Also, what about future medical treatment? If you’ll need ongoing medical treatment or physical therapy, your case will be worth more.
Similarly, the severity of your disability or disfigurement affects the value of your case. If you are permanently disabled, then compensation for “future” damages is necessary. Also, scars are lifetime reminders of the tragic accident. You can be compensated for that.
Did You Miss Work Because of Your Injuries?
In Texas, you have a right to compensation for missed work days and lost earnings. Similarly, if you’re unable to return to work you can recover compensation for your lost earning capacity. Missed work has to be supported by your employer or if you are self-employed, by your tax returns.
How Strong Is Your Evidence?
Solid evidence is vital in building your case. According to the law, you can’t just point fingers and blame the other side for causing your injuries. You have to prove that the accident was their fault, and also that the accident caused your injuries.
Then, you’ll need to show the negative impact your injuries have had on your finances and your life. Do you have pictures from the accident scene? Testimonies showing the important life events you missed? Did you suffer financial problems due to medical bills and missing work? Did your marital relations suffer?
Who Needs to Hire a Lawyer?
If you’ve never hired a lawyer before, you might be wondering, “What will an attorney do for me? Do I even need one?” You will benefit from hiring a personal injury lawyer if you:
- Were hurt in an accident caused by another driver
- Don’t have health insurance after a wreck and can’t afford to get treatment
- Have never handled a claim before and feel confused about what to do next
- Tried handling the claim on your own but encountered trouble with the insurance adjuster
- Received an unfair settlement offer from the insurance company
- Want a professional to ensure you win everything you deserve to cover the cost of your accident
If you were in an accident that wasn’t your fault and suffered injuries as a result, you will benefit from having a personal injury attorney handling your case. The reason is simple. After a wreck, you’re going to have to convince the other driver’s insurance company to pay you the money you deserve for your medical bills, damaged car, and pain and suffering.
However, insurance adjusters are trained to pay you as little money as possible. It’s how insurance companies make money.
Having a lawyer on your side evens the playing field.
Here at the Anderson Injury Lawyers, we have over 25 years of experience winning money for hurt accident victims in the Fort Worth metroplex. We know exactly how to set up your case, and we handle everything for you.
Our Personal Injury Firm Takes the Stress Off Your Shoulders
When accident victims come to us, it’s often out of frustration with the insurance company. No one ever tells you how hard making a claim can be, especially when insurance adjusters refuse to call you back or create unfair excuses to deny your claim.
We fight the insurance company so you don’t have to
Insurance adjusters might find it easy to brush you off, but they won’t be able to ignore us. Sometimes simply having a lawyer on your side forces the insurance company to stop messing around – they know we won’t let them get away with undervaluing your claim or playing around with your case.
We prove the other driver was at fault
This is a sticking point for many car accident victims. You might know that the other driver caused your accident, but how can you prove it? We have over 40 years of combined experience building cases and proving negligence. We know exactly what to look for, who to call and how to handle your case in the right way.
We immediately investigate your accident
If we’re going to convince the insurance company to pay you full compensation, words alone are not enough – we’ll need to prove that someone else caused your car accident and that your car accident caused your injuries.
For this reason, quick and thorough car accident investigations are crucial, which is why we make yours a priority. Since evidence like skid marks, debris, vehicle damage, video camera recordings, and injuries tend to diminish and disappear fairly quickly, we understand the importance of fast action.
We fight to win the compensation you deserve
If you’ve been in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to pay the price. Under Texas law, you’re entitled to compensation for your medical bills, missed work days, pain, and suffering. The Anderson Injury Lawyers can help you get it.
How Does It Work?
Schedule your free consultation
First, you’ll schedule your free consultation with our firm. When you come to our office, we’ll listen to your story and get all the facts of the case, then form a plan to get you the medical care you need. From there, we’ll gather evidence to build your case against the other driver and start our battle to win you everything you deserve to cover the cost of the accident.
You pay zero upfront costs
If you choose to hire our firm, there are no costs upfront. Instead, we work on a contingency basis, meaning we take a percentage of the money we win for you once you’re satisfied with the results and your case is complete.
We set up with doctors
Even if you don’t have health insurance, you shouldn’t be left to suffer. We work with a network of doctors we trust who can get you the care you need now, and defer payment until later (after we’ve won your case and the money needed to pay these bills).
We handle everything, giving you updates along the way
You’ll be assigned a case manager who is there to answer questions every step of the way. As your case progresses, we’ll keep you updated on its status and check in with you to see how you’re healing, but we handle all the paperwork, evidence-gathering and negotiations. Your only job is to get better.
Once you’re healed, we fight the insurance company
After you’re fully recovered from the accident, we’ll gather all your medical bills, photo documentation, police reports and other evidence and bring it to the insurance company to demand a fair settlement.
Attorney Mark Anderson has over 25 years of experience negotiating with insurance adjusters, and he won’t let an adjuster lowball us. If at the end of negotiations we still don’t believe the insurance company is offering you fair compensation, we’ll file a lawsuit.
Filing a lawsuit
In addition to our attorneys, we have a full litigation team trained to bring your case to court. We’ve won millions of dollars for our clients over the years, and we are confident in our ability to bring justice to hurt accident victims.
Why Trust Anderson Injury Lawyers?
Anderson Injury Lawyers’s founder Mark Anderson is one of the most recognized attorneys in our area. Most notably, Mark was named a Top Attorney by Fort Worth Magazine, and is consistently recognized as a Super Lawyer by Thompson Reuters.
He is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and is ranked in the top one percent of practicing attorneys in the United States, according to the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Texas
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Fort Worth or Dallas and need legal help, contact our personal injury lawyers at Anderson Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation. We proudly serve Tarrant County, Dallas County, and throughout Texas.
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Fort Worth Office
1310 W El Paso St, Fort Worth, TX 76102
(817) 294-1900
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Fort Worth Office (Secondary)
6618 Fossil Bluff Dr # 108, Fort Worth, TX 76137
(817) 631-4113
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Dallas Office
408 W Eighth St Suite 202, Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 327-8000
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Dallas Office (Secondary)
6301 Gaston Ave suite 610, Dallas, TX 75214
(469) 457-4711
