How much is an accident case worth? A common starting formula adds medical bills and lost wages to a pain-and-suffering amount, often estimated at about 1.5 to 5 times medical bills (Nolo). Your state’s fault rule can then reduce or bar recovery.
Answer about six questions and we’ll apply that formula and your state’s rule to your numbers, then show every step of the math. It’s a rough range, not a quote or legal advice, and GetAccidentLawyerNow is not a law firm.
Have these handy (rough numbers are fine)
Example from Nolo: $4,000 in medical bills with a 2.5 multiplier gives $10,000 for pain and suffering. Insurers treat a number like this as a starting point for negotiation, not a final value.
Sources: Nolo: How to Calculate Car Accident Pain and Suffering; AllLaw (Nolo): Damages and Compensation Formula in an Injury Case.
The rule the calculator applies for each state, with its source. Tap a state for its car accident guide.
| State | Fault rule | Source | Filing deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Contributory negligence | Case law — John Cowley & Bros., Inc. v. Brown, 569 So. 2d 375 | 2 years from the date of injury for all personal injury tort actions |
| Alaska | Pure comparative fault | AS § 09.17.060 | 2 years from accrual of the cause of action |
| Arizona | Pure comparative fault | A.R.S. § 12-2505 | 2 years |
| Arkansas | Modified comparative (50% bar) | Ark. Code § 16-64-122 | 3 years from accrual |
| California | Pure comparative fault | Cal. Civ. Code § 1714 | 2 years |
| Colorado | Modified comparative (50% bar) | C.R.S. § 13-21-111 | 3 years from date of crash for motor vehicle personal injury actions under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n)(I) |
| Connecticut | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572h | 2 years |
| Delaware | Modified comparative (51% bar) | 10 Del. C. § 8132 | 2 years |
| Florida | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Fla. Stat. § 768.81 | 2 years (changed from 4 years in 2023 for negligence) |
| Georgia | Modified comparative (50% bar) | O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33 | 2 years |
| Hawaii | Modified comparative (51% bar) | HRS § 663-31(a) | 2 years from accrual |
| Idaho | Modified comparative (50% bar) | Idaho Code § 6-801 | 2 years |
| Illinois | Modified comparative (51% bar) | 735 ILCS 5/2-1116 | 2 years |
| Indiana | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Ind. Code § 34-51-2-6 | 2 years from the date the cause of action accrues |
| Iowa | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Iowa Code § 668.3(1)(a) | 2 years from accrual of the cause of action |
| Kansas | Modified comparative (50% bar) | K.S.A. § 60-258a | 2 years |
| Kentucky | Pure comparative fault | KRS 411.182 | 2 years |
| Louisiana | Modified comparative (51% bar) | La. Civ. Code art. 2323 | 2 years |
| Maine | Modified comparative (50% bar) | 14 M.R.S. § 156 | 6 years |
| Maryland | Contributory negligence | Coleman v. Soccer Ass'n of Columbia, 432 Md. 679 | 3 years |
| Massachusetts | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 231 § 85 | 3 years |
| Michigan | Modified comparative (51% bar on noneconomic damages) | MCL 600.2959 | 3 years |
| Minnesota | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Minn. Stat. § 604.01 | 6 years |
| Mississippi | Pure comparative fault | Miss. Code § 11-7-15 | 3 years from accrual |
| Missouri | Pure comparative fault | Gustafson v. Benda, 661 S.W.2d 11 | 5 years |
| Montana | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Mont. Code Ann. § 27-1-702 | 3 years |
| Nebraska | Modified comparative (50% bar) | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,185.09 | 4 years |
| Nevada | Modified comparative (51% bar) | NRS § 41.141 | 2 years |
| New Hampshire | Modified comparative (51% bar) | RSA § 507:7-d | 3 years |
| New Jersey | Modified comparative (51% bar) | N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.2 | 2 years |
| New Mexico | Pure comparative fault | NMSA § 41-3A-1 | 3 years from accrual |
| New York | Pure comparative faultCar crash cases filed on or after May 26, 2026: barred if your fault is greater than the other side's (CPLR § 1411(b)) | CPLR § 1411 | 3 years |
| North Carolina | Contributory negligence | Common law | 3 years |
| North Dakota | Modified comparative (50% bar) | N.D.C.C. § 32-03.2-02 | 6 years |
| Ohio | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Ohio Rev. Code § 2315.33 | 2 years |
| Oklahoma | Modified comparative (51% bar) | 23 O.S. § 13 | 2 years from accrual |
| Oregon | Modified comparative (51% bar) | ORS 31.600 | 2 years |
| Pennsylvania | Modified comparative (51% bar) | 42 Pa.C.S. § 7102(a) | 2 years |
| Rhode Island | Pure comparative fault | R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4 | 3 years |
| South Carolina | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Nelson v. Concrete Supply Co., 303 S.C. 243, 399 S.E.2d 783 | 3 years |
| South Dakota | Slight/gross negligence | SDCL § 20-9-2 | 3 years |
| Tennessee | Modified comparative (50% bar) | McIntyre v. Balentine, 833 S.W.2d 52 | 1 year from the date of injury under T.C.A. § 28-3-104(a)(1)(A) |
| Texas | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001 | 2 years |
| Utah | Modified comparative (50% bar) | Utah Code § 78B-5-818 | 4 years |
| Vermont | Modified comparative (51% bar) | 12 V.S.A. § 1036 | 3 years |
| Virginia | Contributory negligence | Common law | 2 years |
| Washington | Pure comparative fault | RCW 4.22.005 | 3 years |
| West Virginia | Modified comparative (51% bar) | W. Va. Code § 55-7-13c | 2 years |
| Wisconsin | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Wis. Stat. § 895.045 | 3 years |
| Wyoming | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Wyo. Stat. § 1-1-109 | 4 years from accrual |
Deadlines shown are general personal injury or motor vehicle deadlines; other claims (government, wrongful death) can differ. Always confirm with a licensed attorney.
No calculator can tell you that. A common starting formula adds your medical bills and lost wages to a pain-and-suffering amount, which insurance adjusters often estimate as about 1.5 to 5 times medical bills (per Nolo). Your state’s fault rule can then reduce or bar recovery. This calculator shows that formula applied to your own numbers as a wide range. An attorney can tell you what your claim may actually be worth.
Nolo’s guide to pain and suffering says the multiplier usually ranges from 1.5 to 5, and AllLaw (part of the Nolo network) describes about 1.5 to 3 for relatively minor injuries and up to 5 for serious or long-lasting ones. We use 1.5 to 3 when you choose a minor injury and 1.5 to 5 otherwise.
States split fault differently. In pure comparative fault states, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. In modified comparative states it is reduced and then barred once your share reaches 50% or 51%, depending on the state. In contributory negligence states, any fault on your part can bar recovery. The calculator reads each state’s rule and citation from our state law research.
Because the honest answer is uncertain. The multiplier depends on facts the formula can’t see, like how clear fault is, how long recovery takes, and whether there is a lasting effect. Insurance policy limits can also cap what is collectible. The range is meant to start a conversation, not end one.
No. GetAccidentLawyerNow is an attorney matching service operated by Ali H. Sheikh, LLC DBA Booked by AI. We don’t give legal advice, and using this calculator doesn’t create an attorney-client relationship. If you ask, we try to connect you with an independent attorney licensed in your state.
Many personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee, meaning their fee is a percentage of any recovery. Percentages and terms vary by attorney and state, and some states regulate them. Read any fee agreement before you sign it.
Estimate only. This calculator is not legal advice, not a quote, and not a prediction of any result. GetAccidentLawyerNow.com is owned by Ali H. Sheikh, LLC DBA Booked by AI and is not a law firm. Attorney advertising.