What’s the Average Car Accident Injury Settlement in Ohio?

Calculating the average amount of an Ohio car accident settlement would not really mean anything for the injured victim of a specific car crash. Nor would work out the answer to a second question that naturally comes to mind: What is the average time of car accident injury settlement in Ohio?

Some cases settle quickly. Others take years to reach a conclusion because the at-fault driver’s car insurance company contests liability or dithers over damage amounts.

So many factors determine how much money a person harmed by a negligent or reckless driver receives that only looking at the specific facts of a collision can yield a meaningful estimate of what represents a fair and just settlement. Rather than focus on a specific dollar amount, work with your Columbus car accident lawyer to maximize your recovery from your economic losses. You might also have grounds for seeking non economic damages for pain and suffering and for punitive damages. How is Pain And Suffering Calculated In Ohio

Economic damages are what suffering injuries in a car crash cost you. They include

• Bills for the treatment of your injuries,
• Bills for ongoing therapy,
• Wages lost while recovering, and
• Lifetime earnings lost due to a disability.

Non-economic damages are available when a car crash inflicts physical pain or emotional trauma and limits the victim’s ability to engage fully in his or her family and social life. For instance, losing the capacity to care for one’s children to the degree that was possible before the accident is compensable as a non-economic loss.

Punitive damages, which are also called exemplary damages, are usually only available to victims of drunk or drugged drivers. These types of damages are assessed as a noncriminal penalty to sanction reckless behavior and to serve as an example of what can happen to another driver who harms someone by acting recklessly.

Determining economic damages is a, sometimes complicated, math problem — add up bills from doctors and pharmacists, estimate annual earnings through retirement age while assuming raises and promotions, etc. Insurance companies and law firms do extensive research to decide what represents fair compensation for non-economic and punitive damages. The three amounts will differ significantly for each car accident victim since no two people will require the same medical procedures or experience the same degrees of pain and suffering. Also, not everyone will qualify to seek punitive damages.

One more consideration is that Ohio imposes limits on car accident settlements for non-economic damages and punitive damages. Limits can fluctuate in specific cases, but the general caps are $350,000 for a single person who suffered injuries in a car crash.

Last, Ohio recognizes the principle of comparative negligence. This is actually good news for car accident injury victims because it means the victim does not need to be completely blameless in order to hold the other driver accountable. Securing car accident injury settlements for economic and non-economic damages only requires showing that the other driver deserves more than 50 percent of the blame for causing the crash.

On the other hand, a car crash victim who is found to have been, say, 25 percent responsible for causing the crash will have his or her settlement reduced by a quarter. That is, a settlement for $100,000 would be paid out as $75,000.

As an experienced personal injury attorney in Westerville, Corey Heit can help you fight for the car accident settlement you deserve. He offers free consultations and takes cases in the capital region and across Ohio. To schedule an appointment, reach out online or call (614) 898-5300.