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How Is Settlement Amount Calculated for Road Accidents?

how is settlement calculated for road accidents
Have you suffered a personal injury following a road accident? Are you looking to make a claim for compensation? In this article we explore the common types of road accidents and injuries resulting from them, how long you have to make a claim, the documents and evidence you need and common settlement amounts for different types of claims.

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30th May 2022

Home E Personal Injury Claims E How Is Settlement Amount Calculated for Road Accidents?

If you’ve been in a traffic accident, “how is settlement amount calculated for road accident?” could be one of your leading concerns. If you want to be sure if filing a settlement claim is worth it, a compensation calculator is what you need. Claims Bible will help you calculate your settlement amount and show you what you will likely receive.

Every road accident comes with its peculiar variables. So, don’t expect your settlement amount to look exactly like those of another road accident victim. Finding out the settlement that applies to your case and injury is the wise way to go.

We’ll discuss the possible settlement amount for a road accident and get other necessary road-accident-relevant information.

Common Types of Road Accidents

You are likely familiar with an accident scene. There are several factors that many road crash sites may have in common. Glass fragments littered on the floor, a vehicle turned upside down or badly damaged, an ambulance, etc. But, as similar as accident scenes are, they happen in diverse ways.

Let’s see the most prevalent ones.

Bicycle Crashes

Most bicycle crashes happen due to the carelessness of another driver or rider. Therefore, government and other relevant stakeholders have crucial roles to play in enlightening road users to accord equal road rights to bicycle riders.

Many vehicle drivers do not recognise the place of bicycle riders on the road, hence, the failure to look out for bicycle riders before making a turn. Alcohol misuse among vehicle drivers is another factor that causes bicycle accidents.

Apart from driver negligence, cyclists may fail to display bicycle lights when appropriate, wear bright coloured or reflective clothing in the dark, or maintain reasonable speeds.

Pedestrian Accident/Hit and Run

Pedestrians could get involved in road accidents too. For example, a driver could lose control of their vehicle and crash into passers-by or bystanders. Cases of persons, especially children running across the road and getting hit by cars are also popular.

If you were hit by a vehicle and the driver fails to stop and report the accident, that’s a hit and run. You can file a claim against such drivers and win compensation.

Vehicle Crashes

Vehicle accidents are the most prevalent road collisions, and they mainly involve a car or truck. Here are the ways a vehicle accident can occur.

Rollover Accidents

Rollover accidents are not only common in movies; they happen in reality. The force of impact of an accident could be so great as to cause a vehicle to summersault, sometimes severally, before coming to a halt.
Vehicles involved in rollover accidents could either turn forward or sideways and are usually severely damaged. Rollover accidents are most likely to result in fatalities too.

Head-On Collision

Head-on collisions happen when two vehicles run into each other when driving in opposite directions. The consequences could be pretty devastating. Head-on collisions are worse than the impact of a car with a stationary object.
Unlike crashing into a stationary object where only the vehicle produces the damage, the travelling speeds of both cars increase the severity of the crash.

Rear-End Collision

Rear-end collisions happen when a vehicle runs into another from behind. In rear-end accidents, both cars face the same direction. In road accident claims, the car which comes from behind is usually held responsible for the accident and will owe the other driver compensation.

Side Impact Collision

This type of accident happens when a vehicle runs into another at an intersection. For example, one car is about to turn into a road, and another runs into its sides.

How Long Do I Have to File a Claim for a Road Accident Injury?

If you want to file a road accident injury claim, you have three years to do so. This three-year window will begin on the day of the accident. After that, the law will not recognise your claim.

Therefore, you must calculate your settlement amount and begin your claims process as soon as you can. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, if you or your loved one below 18-year-old suffered injuries in a road accident, the law provides a more extended period.

For children, the three-year window counts from their eighteenth birthday instead of the day of the accident. That is, irrespective of the date of the accident, children have until their twenty-first birthday to file a claim.

If you lost a loved one in a road accident, you have three years from the day of their death to submit a claim. Also, if you were incapacitated by a road accident, you have three years from the day of recovery to file a claim.

What Documents and Evidence Do I Need for a Road Accident Injury Claim?

After knowing what settlement amount you should expect from your claim, convincing an insurance company or a court that you deserve it is the challenging part. But that’s if you do not have the necessary documents and evidence to support your claim.

Let’s see the documents and evidence to help you secure the settlement you want.

Accident Report

The police have a duty to document their findings in any road accident. This document is the accident report. Amongst other information, the accident report will detail the nature of the accident, the vehicles and persons involved, and which party is at fault. What the accident report says can convince the courts or the at-fault party’s vehicle insurance to honour your claim.

Medical Report

A medical report will show the nature of your accident and the treatment your doctor recommends. What your doctor has to say is crucial in a road accident claim. In addition, a medical report shows that there are past, current, and future medical expenses that you need compensation for.

Medical Bills and Receipts

While the medical report shows that you deserve compensation for medical services, medical bills and receipts reveal what you have spent on treatment. These documents come in handy when calculating economic damages.

Accident Scene Recordings

If you can lay your hands on photos, videos, or voice recordings of the accident scene, you can strengthen your bid for settlement. Accident scene recordings will clear any doubts that may arise over the incident.

Witness Contact Information

If you took the contact information of eyewitnesses of the accident, they would be pretty valuable. The testimony of a witness will make a significant difference in your claim. In addition, the contact information will help you reach them when the need arises.

Common Injuries From Road Accidents

There is a broad range of possible injuries that go with road accidents. Some injuries will lead to permanent disability and disfigurement. Some affect the outer parts of the body, while others can damage the internal organs.

It is crucial to note that the type of injury and its severity determine settlement amounts. Generally, the more severe an accident, the higher the treatment costs. Also, more severe injuries take longer for recovery and usually attract higher settlement amounts.

Common accident injuries include:

  • Whiplash
  • Neck injuries
  • Back injuries
  • Head injuries (Traumatic brain injuries)
  • Leg injuries
  • Hand injuries
  • Burns
  • Facial injuries
  • PTSD

How Is Settlement Amount Calculated for Road Accident?

Before filing a claim, it’s wise first to calculate the possible settlement amount. As stated earlier, every case is different, and a one-size-fits-all approach won’t do justice. That’s why compensation calculators like Claims Bible exist.

Below is a breakdown of several types of road accident injuries and what you should expect from them on average.

Facial Injury

  • Mild: £2,100 – £15,380
  • Moderate: £15,380 – £33,470
  • Severe: £33,470 – £293, 240

Hand Injury

  • Mild: £14,980 – £30,028
  • Moderate: £30,028 – £63,493
  • Severe: £63,493 – £123, 265

Head Injury

  • Mild: £16, 349 – £45,070
  • Moderate: £45,070 – £222,400
  • Severe: £222,400 – £290,350

Hand Injury

  • Mild: £1,983 – £14,569
  • Moderate: £14,569 – £29,700
  • Severe: £29,700 – £111,260

Leg Injury

  • Mild: £2,040 – £15,475
  • Moderate: £15,475 – £82,954
  • Severe: £82,954 – £223,400

Neck Injury

  • Mild: £2,680 – £8,005
  • Moderate: £8,005 – £38,980
  • Severe: £38,980 – £153,377

PTSD

  • Mild: £6,094 – £28,078
  • Moderate: £28,078 – £64,800
  • Severe: £64,800 – £128,400

Calculate Your Claims and Pursue Compensation Today!

You are within your rights to file a settlement claim if you got injured in a road accident through a motorist’s negligence. You should do so, especially if the injuries are severe or attract expensive medical attention and care. The law gives limited time to file a claim, so it’s best you do so now.

To file your claim, you need to make sure that you’ve got your calculations right. Claims Bible will help you handle that. We will help you figure out how much your claim is worth, so you won’t make the mistake of asking for too little.

Every claim is unique so it’s impossible to say how much your claim is worth. You can find out more about typical payouts on our Personal Injuries page or discover more by reading our personal injury blog articles.

For a personal estimation on how much your claim is worth please complete our enquiry form and one of our specialist legal partners will contact you.

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