How Much Is My Car Accident Case Worth?

It's the first question everyone asks: "What's my case worth?" And it's the question lawyers are most reluctant to answer—because the honest answer is complicated. Anyone who gives you a number without knowing the facts of your case is guessing. Here's how case values are actually determined.

What Makes Up Your Damages

Car accident compensation falls into two main categories:

Economic Damages

These are quantifiable financial losses with receipts and documentation:

Medical expenses. Past bills, future treatment costs, surgeries, therapy, medications, medical equipment. Every dollar you spend (or will spend) on treatment goes into this category.

Lost wages. Income you've already lost from missing work due to your injuries.

Loss of earning capacity. If your injuries prevent you from earning what you would have earned in the future, that's a separate category of damages.

Property damage. The cost to repair or replace your vehicle.

Out-of-pocket expenses. Transportation to medical appointments, home modifications for disabilities, hiring help for tasks you can no longer do.

Non-Economic Damages

These compensate for losses that don't have price tags:

Pain and suffering. The physical pain caused by your injuries and treatment.

Emotional distress. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other psychological impacts.

Loss of enjoyment of life. Activities and pleasures you can no longer experience.

Disfigurement. Scarring and permanent physical changes.

Loss of consortium. Impact on your relationship with your spouse.

Non-economic damages are harder to calculate because there's no bill showing what they cost. They're based on the nature and severity of your injuries and how they affect your life.

Factors That Increase Value

Severity of Injuries

This is the biggest factor. A case involving a broken arm that heals in eight weeks is worth far less than a case involving a spinal injury that causes permanent limitations. Factors that increase severity value include:

• Permanent injuries or disabilities
• Need for surgery
• Long recovery periods
• Chronic pain
• Impact on daily activities and work

Clear Liability

When the other driver is 100% at fault with no dispute, your case is stronger. Disputed liability reduces settlement value because there's risk you might lose at trial.

Strong Documentation

Cases with thorough medical records, clear causation between the accident and injuries, and well-documented impact on your life are worth more than cases with gaps in treatment or unclear connection to the crash.

Credibility

Juries award more to plaintiffs they like and believe. If you're honest, consistent, and sympathetic, your case is worth more. If you've exaggerated, been caught in inconsistencies, or have a complicated background, value decreases.

Factors That Decrease Value

Comparative Fault

Oklahoma follows modified comparative negligence. If you're partially at fault, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you're 20% at fault, you recover 80% of your damages. If you're 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing.

Pre-Existing Conditions

If you had prior injuries to the same body part, defendants will argue the accident didn't cause all your problems. This doesn't eliminate your claim—you're entitled to compensation for making pre-existing conditions worse—but it complicates valuation.

Gaps in Treatment

If you waited weeks to see a doctor, or stopped treatment and then resumed months later, insurance companies argue you weren't really hurt. Gaps in treatment reduce credibility and value.

Social Media

Insurance companies check social media. Photos of you at the gym, hiking, or at parties can be used to argue your injuries aren't as bad as claimed.

The Insurance Limits Problem

Here's an uncomfortable reality: your case is only worth what can actually be collected. If the at-fault driver has a $25,000 liability policy and no assets, that's likely the most you can recover—even if your damages are $500,000.

Sources of recovery include:

• The at-fault driver's liability insurance
• Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage
• The at-fault driver's personal assets (rare to collect)
• Other potentially liable parties (employer, vehicle manufacturer, etc.)

Before investing significant time in a case, understanding available insurance coverage is essential.

What About the "Multiplier Method"?

You've probably read that pain and suffering is calculated by multiplying medical bills by 2-5x. This is oversimplified at best and wrong at worst.

While there is some correlation between medical expenses and non-economic damages, it's not a formula. Consider:

• A $50,000 surgery that fully fixes your problem might justify less pain and suffering than $10,000 of ongoing treatment for chronic pain that never resolves
• Expensive imaging that shows nothing wrong doesn't increase case value
• The nature of the treatment matters more than the cost

Insurance adjusters don't actually use multipliers. They evaluate the totality of your case—injuries, treatment, impact on life, liability, and credibility.

Getting a Real Valuation

To understand what your case might be worth, you need:

Complete medical records. Your attorney needs to know what treatment you've had and what's expected.

Understanding of prognosis. Is this injury going to heal, or will it affect you forever?

Documentation of impact. How have your injuries changed your daily life, work, and relationships?

Knowledge of insurance coverage. What policies are available to pay a claim?

With complete information, an experienced attorney can give you a range of reasonable outcomes—not a guarantee, but an educated assessment based on similar cases and knowledge of how these claims resolve in Oklahoma.

Be Skeptical of Guarantees

Anyone who promises a specific dollar amount without knowing your case thoroughly is either lying or inexperienced. Case values depend on facts that take time to develop—including how well you recover from your injuries.

What a good attorney can tell you:

• Whether you have a viable case
• What factors will affect value
• What range similar cases have settled or verdicted for
• What additional information is needed for a complete evaluation

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"What's my case worth?" deserves an honest answer, even when that answer is "it depends." The value of your case turns on your injuries, the evidence, the insurance available, and how your case would look to a jury. Getting a realistic assessment early helps you make informed decisions about how to proceed.

At Addison Law, we evaluate car accident cases honestly and explain what factors affect your claim's value. Contact us for a free consultation.

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This article is for general information only and is not legal advice.