Car Accidents
Our law firm handles car accident cases in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The first question our lawyers get from new clients ask is: “What is the settlement or trial value of my case?”
This is the right question. The whole purpose of bringing an injury claim is to get the highest personal injury settlement amount for the harm you have endured.
Answers to Your Settlement Amount Questions Are Here
You have come to the right place to research the settlement payout value of YOUR Baltimore accident claim. Our law practice focuses on maximizing the value of injury and wrongful death claims. Our personal injury lawyers dig to determine the average bodily injury settlement and how to apply these statistical averages to calculate the range of payouts for your case.
Personal Injury Settlement Amount Statistics
The nationwide median jury award in a personal injury lawsuit is approximately $40,000. The plaintiffs won 48% of jury trials. The average payout for a personal injury verdict, as opposed to the median verdict, is $985,675.
What does this tell you about the fair settlement amount for your case? Virtually nothing.
Verdicts in Maryland Personal Injury Lawsuits
In Maryland cases, the median compensation amount in personal injury trials was $12,813. The median motor vehicle accident claim payout at trial in Maryland was $11,925.
That sounds awful, right? But, as we explain below, these numbers are very deceptive and not illustrative in estimating the compensation for your case. Moreover, typical car accident settlement amounts tell you little about the value of your case. You can also expect that the settlement amounts in Baltimore Circuit Court are much higher.
Maryland personal injury victims are likely to get a favorable settlement or verdict. Maryland victims win in 69% of the cases (as opposed to 55% nationally). Maryland car accident lawsuits have an even higher rate of victory: 83%
The study does not break down the jury verdicts by county. But the more significant personal injury settlement amounts in Maryland are in Baltimore and Prince George’s County.
Below is a list of injuries commonly subject to personal injury claims. If you go to the type of bodily injury claim you are interested in, you will find examples and statistics of personal injury compensation amounts.
- Average Paraplegia Verdicts
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Disc Injury Verdicts
- Foot, Ankle, and Leg
- Shoulders
- Rotator Cuff
- Fractured or Broken Rib
- Vertebrae Fractures
- Chest (including seat belt and airbag injuries)
- Fractured Back
- Facial Scarring
- Fractured Hip
- Wrist and Hand Injuries
- Preexisting Degenerative Disc
- Degloving
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Ear
- Cervical Dystonia
- Internal Bleeding
- Concussions
Wrongful Death
- Verdict and Settlement Statistics
- Example Wrongful Death Cases Our Firm Has Resolved
Truck Accident Cases
- Value of Truck Accident Claims (mostly our law firm’s results)
Car, Motorcycle, and Pedestrian Accident Cases
- Average Car Accident Settlement in Maryland (video)
- Concussion Injuries
- Major Auto Insurers
- Motorcycle Crashes
- Bicycle Accidents
- Pedestrians
Settlement Amount for Permanent Injury Personal Injury Cases
Many factors can affect Baltimore personal injury settlement amounts. The settlement value of a case is a prediction of what a judge or jury will decide your claim is worth. Different juries arrive at different verdicts under the same set of circumstances.
More Case Value Information
- Value of Specific Injuries
- Value by Type of Case
- Value in Your Jurisdiction
- Sample Demand Letters
- Get Inside Information on How to Beat the Insurance Company in Your Case
- Free Case Evaluation
Jurors have personal biases, which can either help or hurt you. This unpredictably leads to a wide range of results. For personal injury settlement purposes, our lawyers guess – there is no other way to describe it – what we think the jury would award. We use that guess to calculate the client’s bodily injury settlement range. Ultimately, there is still an average, which is how Baltimore personal injury settlements are calculated.
Settlement Amounts Increase as Your Show You Are Serious
The average care accident settlement in Maryland increases over time. Our lawyers see this over and over. More than 95% of the time, the typical car accident settlement amount will continue to rise AFTER a lawsuit is filed. Our law firm has had many Baltimore accident cases where the pretrial offer was more than 50 times greater than the pre-suit offer.
This is an essential thing to understand. With a few exceptions, a quick settlement payout will not be the path to maximizing your settlement amount. Our lawyers can make this process go faster. Our personal injury attorneys will not be the reason for the delay. But to get the most money for your case, you do have to have some patience.
How Decides Whether to Settle?
Who decides whether to settle the case? Our attorneys present the facts to the client and let them make the call. There are two choices: (1) settle the case, or (2) move forward with the litigation process.
If you have a personal injury or wrongful death claim, you can get a free, no-obligation case review by filling out a case review form today.
Miller & Zois’ Results in Personal Injury Cases
Our firm’s average is over 20 times that of the Maryland average. We rarely lose. We have won over 98% of the cases we have taken to trial and over 75% of our medical malpractice claims, compared to the state average of 8%.
The Best Lawyers Make a Difference
Digest that for a second. Having the best possible lawyer does make a difference.
Most of our typical car accident claims end in a favorable settlement. Why? The very best cases bodily injury cases are usually settled out of court. Insurance companies settle the best cases and let the weaker cases go to trial. Studies show close-call cases go to trial far more often than great cases. So our accident lawyers tend to settle our best cases and fight like crazy in close calls.
A lawyer with a history of getting significant verdicts can drive Baltimore accident settlement amounts. No one can argue this. Having a top attorney with a history of success is even more critical when the case reaches a pretrial settlement. Insurance companies need to believe there are repercussions when offering an unfair deal. You need an advocate the insurance companies know will come after them, hunting for a significant verdict.
History of Success Matters
Further, you need an advocate with a history of getting those big verdicts. Attorneys frequently trying cases and getting big verdicts are the same lawyers getting the best confidential wrongful death and bodily injury settlements. Why? Because insurance companies want to resolve cases before history repeats itself.
So if you have a good case, hire experienced counsel with an actual track record. You need a Maryland personal injury lawyer willing to fight for you. The best attorney is your best chance of pushing past the verdict and settlement averages. That is how you increase settlement value and your chances of winning a personal injury lawsuit.
Remember, that data includes cases handled by lawyers who have no clue how to handle a severe injury or death claim. What is your best bet to rise above those averages and maximize the value of your claim? Get an aggressive attorney specializing in personal injury cases who knows how to win.
The Factors That Matter in Personal Injury Cases
“My prior lawyer could not get the insurance companies to offer a single penny in my case. Then my lawyer referred me to Ron and Laura. My case settled for $1.31 million.”
– A.A (Baltimore City).
Again, verdict and settlement statistics and our law firm’s history of significant verdicts do not predict any case’s results. It sounds cliché, but…. your case is unique. An advanced calculus formula cannot determine your expected settlement payout or verdict.
You need to discuss with your lawyer the particular facts of your case and the possible defenses to your claim. Then, you can conclude how much you can expect for an offer and what an acceptable amount of money is to resolve your case.
This discussion with your advocates will include the following:
- the type of injuries you suffered (permanent injury settlement amounts will be higher on average)
- the economic damages (lost wages and medical expenses)
- the amount of available insurance
- how clear the causal connection is between your injuries and the accident
- how strong is your liability case is
- the quality of all of the witnesses
- the expected jury perceptions of you and the defendant
- how your pain and suffering from the injuries have impacted your life
Jurisdiction Is a Big Calculator Input
We already touched on the other colossal variable that the insurance company considers right from the beginning when computing how much you get from a car accident settlement or other bodily injury case: the location of a trial.
In Maryland, Baltimore City and Prince George’s County are the most favorable venues for plaintiffs. As a result, you see higher settlement amounts in those jurisdictions. Conversely, jury awards are often more conservative in more rural areas of Maryland. This is true not just in Maryland but throughout the United States — jury awards are typically higher in urban areas than rural areas.
Personal injury settlements in Maryland in a city or county that is becoming more metropolitan – think Hagerstown, Frederick, Charles County – will have higher compensation payouts in 2024 than in 2014. What drives higher settlement compensation is more significant verdicts and jurisdictions than have been seen before.
How Do the Insurance Companies Calculate Settlement Compensation Payouts in Maryland Accident Cases?
How do insurance companies determine Baltimore personal injury settlement offers? Most insurance companies use a computer system called Colossus or a similar program. The insurance adjuster inputs the data from your case. The program uses algorithms to analyze various factors related to a particular case, such as medical records, bills, and other relevant documents, to calculate a settlement personal injury lawsuit settlement amounts. The insurance adjuster has a settlement payout range to work with to make a compensation offer. But the computer limits the insurance adjuster’s flexibility to fashion a settlement amount of a claim based on its unique facts that you cannot input into a computer.
Colossus takes into account a variety of factors when evaluating a personal injury claim. These factors may include the severity of the injury, the duration of medical treatment, the cost of medical treatment, lost wages, and other expenses related to the injury. The program assigns a value to each factor based on a range of data points collected from previous cases.
The program generates a settlement offer once all relevant information has been entered into Colossus. The offer may be adjusted based on factors such as the experience and negotiation skills of the claimant’s attorney.
While Colossus and similar programs have some value, the problem is they cannot grasp the complexity of a human’s pain and suffering. A computer cannot place a dollar value on pain and suffering or how an injury impacted a person’s life. How much is it worth not being able to pick up your newborn baby without extreme pain? How does it feel to lose your only living parent?
There is no way a computer can answer these questions. Colossus does not try to bake that into its settlement payout formula. It just assumes pain and suffering have little value. A computer calculator does not care about you. A computer cannot calculate your agony, your pain and suffering, or the tragedy of you never being yourself again. You just have to find a Maryland personal injury lawyer willing to buckle their chin straps and fight for you to get you what you truly deserve.
The Lawyer You Hire Is Important
This is why your counsel must fully explain to the insurance company why your injuries are different. Otherwise, a lawsuit is the only path to obtaining a fair compensation payout for your case. When your lawyer files a lawsuit, the insurance companies will sometimes take a second look at the fair settlement payout for the case. This is particularly true when they know that the attorneys handling the case are willing to go to trial.
Many insurance companies now use a program called Premonition. This artificial intelligence program pulls settlement and verdict data to track personal injury lawyer performance. Insurance settlement payouts are based partly on your lawyer’s history of success. So hiring the best Maryland injury lawyer with a track record is crucial in court and at the settlement table.
How Much Is a Personal Injury Lawsuit Worth?
The settlement amount of a personal injury case varies greatly depending on the type of injury involved. Here is the average personal injury settlement breakdown for personal injury cases based on our lawyers’ handling thousands of bodily injury claims:
| SEVERITY OF INJURY | AVERAGE PAYOUT |
|---|---|
| Light or Minor (e.g., back strains, soft tissue, headaches) | = $15,000 ↔ $25,000 |
| Moderate (e.g., broken leg, ruptured spleen) | = $50,000 ↔ $200,000 |
| Serious or Major (e.g., death, brain injury) | = $200,000 ↔ $5,000,000 |
Medical malpractice cases have higher values. Nationally, the average payout in a medical malpractice lawsuit is around $250,000. The typical average settlement value for a medical malpractice case in Maryland (particularly in Baltimore or Prince George’s County) is significantly higher than the national average.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims in Maryland?
In Maryland, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases is three years. This includes both auto accident and medical malpractice cases. The three-year period begins from the date that the plaintiff discovered (or should have discovered) the injury resulting from the malpractice. (Md. Code Ann., Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101).
There are several exceptions to this 3-year rule. For example, if the plaintiff is a minor during the injury, they will have until their 21st birthday to file a claim. But this deadline is often harshly enforced.
How Are Personal Injury Settlements Calculated?
Personal injury settlements are typically calculated based on the damages the injured party has suffered due to the accident or incident. These damages can be divided into two main categories: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages are the financial losses a person has incurred due to their injury. These can include medical bills, lost wages, and other out-of-pocket expenses related to the injury.
Non-economic damages are the intangible losses a person has suffered due to their injury. These can include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and other similar losses. Pain and suffering damages are much more difficult. It is a subjective measurement of how to compensate someone for the physical and emotional harm that has been done.- how do you put a price on pain? But that is what we all have to do.
After considering these in context using the facts we discuss above, the attorney will typically negotiate with the defendant’s insurance company or legal team to arrive at a fair settlement amount that compensates the plaintiff for their losses. If a settlement cannot be reached, the case may go to trial, where a judge or jury will determine the damages to be awarded based on the evidence presented.
How Much Do Personal Injury Lawyers Charge?
Baltimore personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means you only pay the lawyers if you get money for your injuries. Instead, the attorneys get a percentage of any money they recover for you in your accident case.
Typically, in a contingency fee arrangement, the lawyer will cover the costs associated with the case, such as filing fees, deposition costs, and expert witness fees. If the case is successful, these costs are usually deducted from the settlement or verdict amount before the lawyer takes their percentage fee.
Contingency fees are commonly used in personal injury cases in Baltimore – even in cases where the client has the financial resources to pay the lawyer’s fees upfront. Clients prefer this system because it is risk-free, and they can pursue legal action without the stress of upfront costs. It also incentivizes the lawyer to work hard to achieve a favorable outcome for their client.
How much is the contingency fee? A frequent contingency fee in Baltimore is 33% if a case ends in settlement. The fee rises to 40% if a lawsuit is filed. (This is the Miller & Zois fee structure.)
Picking a Lawyer: Why It Matters So Much Even for Settlement
We have already made this point. But it is worth repeating. Claims adjusters and even their computers consider whether your attorney has a history of winning at trial. They also look to see if the plaintiff’s counsel settles all their personal injury cases (or has no history). This is an important reason the quality of your attorney matters, even if you intend to settle your case without filing a lawsuit.
Our law firm handles severe personal injury cases in Baltimore, Maryland. Our attorneys cover all of Maryland and Washington, D.C. If you have been hurt, or someone else’s negligence has tragically killed a loved one, call to speak to one of our attorneys at 800-553-8082 or get a free no-obligation consultation.
Maryland Personal Injury Settlement Values
- Maryland
- How value is different in each different jurisdiction:
Related Case Value Resources
- More information you can use in valuing personal injury claims
- Handling Your Motor Vehicle Claim Without Hiring Counsel: tips on proceeding without a lawyer
- Is There a Formula to Calculate Personal Injury Accident Settlement Value?: discussion of whether there is a formula to calculate the expected payout in a personal injury case. The answer is yes and no.
- Whiplash claims: People often ask what the maximum soft tissue injury settlement is. There is no maximum – there are cases worth millions and some that will not garner a $500 settlement offer.
- Deep academic dive into the settlement value of personal injury cases
You Need an Experienced Maryland Personal Injury Lawyer
Our attorneys handle personal injury accident and malpractice cases in Maryland. We handle catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and birth injury cases. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed as the result of the negligence of someone else, call us now at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation.