Car accident settlements vary based on:
- The severity of your related injuries
- The consequences of those injuries
- How effectively you can demonstrate that someone else was liable for your injuries
However, other factors can play a role in a settlement’s value, even intangible losses (such as the ways the accident affected your career and your quality of life). Below, we review some car accident settlement examples that can help you get a general understanding of how cases are valued.
The Most Important Factors to Influence Car Accident Settlements
Before taking a look at some examples, consider some of the biggest factors that affect car accident settlements in Nevada:
The Severity of Your Injuries
If your accident resulted in major injuries, this could lead to a life permanently altered by disability and its corresponding medical costs.
In cases of severe injuries—such as paralysis, traumatic brain injury, and other catastrophic injury—settlement values can be higher.
The Extent of Your Costs and Losses
How much you had to pay for treatment is another big factor. Medical expenses often correlate with the severity of an injury, but you could still face hundreds of thousands of dollars in care costs from an injury that does not go on to be permanently disabling.
Liability for the Crash
In Nevada, you can still collect compensation if you bear some fault for the accident—specifically, if you’re not more than 50% responsible, per NRS §41.141. However, your settlement could be reduced according to how responsible you were for the crash.
You may be able to seek a higher settlement in cases where the other party was clearly and overwhelmingly negligent—and therefore liable for paying you.
The Income and Career Losses You Sustained
Car accident settlements can be higher in situations where you are no longer able to work in your former career. For example, if you had a physical job and you can’t handle physical tasks anymore, this can lead to a major loss of income and can require a career transition.
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Car Accident Settlement Examples We have Won for our Past Clients
All that being said, here are some examples of settlements that you could consider. While these are hypothetical examples, they may be able to help you begin interpreting your own case. However, we recommend speaking with our team to get an accurate case value for your situation.
You can also consider the settlement amounts that we have won for past clients, which we discuss in the section below.
$240,000 – Back Injury Following a Car Accident Involving a Motorcyclist
When a motorcyclist changed lanes abruptly in front of a vehicle driver on the highway, the driver slammed on their brakes and was hit by the driver following behind. The driver suffered a lumbar sprain during impact, as well as whiplash injuries.
After receiving emergency care and physical therapy treatments, the vehicle driver still experienced sudden and severe back pain for many months after the accident. She missed four weeks of work after the accident due to the initial severity of her pain.
- An injury that caused ongoing pain and suffering
- A case of shared liability on the part of both drivers
While the driver claimed that the motorcyclist changed lanes without signaling and this was the only reason for the crash, the accident report indicated that the vehicle driver partially contributed to the accident, as she was speeding at the time of the crash.
Because the vehicle driver was deemed to be 20% responsible for the accident, her case value of $300,000 was reduced by $60,000.
$475,000 – DUI Accident Leading to Knee Injuries
In this situation, a driver was rear-ended by a drunk driver who crashed into him from behind as he came to a stop at a busy intersection.
The victim’s knee cap was fractured against the dashboard on impact. He required emergency care and a form of surgery that left him with a limited range of motion in the knee. Even after doing physical therapy, he had to limit his physical activities, as playing sports could lead to additional injury.
As an active man in his forties, this was a devastating loss. This scenario consists of:
- An injury that caused significant pain and suffering
- A clear case of liability on the part of the drunk driver
The insurance company realized that the case would be awarded a six-figure settlement if it went to court. After some negotiations, they chose to settle out of court, and the victim accepted the offer without going to trial.
The Attorneys at High Stakes Injury Law will Fight for Your Full and Fair Compensation
At High Stakes Injury Law, we have been fighting for the rights of injured victims since 1993. We can assign a value to your case, negotiate with the insurers, and take your case to court if necessary. We have obtained hundreds of millions for our clients, including:
- $9 million for an auto accident involving a neck injury
- $5.1 million for an auto accident caused by a tire explosion
- $3 million for a truck accident that led to a neck injury
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Contact us Today Before You Run out of Time to File Your Claim
Keep in mind that if we need to file suit in your case, we have two years after the accident to do so, per NRS §11.190(4)(e). Getting started as soon as possible can help protect your legal rights. Call us today for your free case review and to learn more about examples of car accident settlements like yours.
Call or text (855) 605-2959 or complete a Free Case Review form