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Most states still allow recovery, reduced by your share of the blame. It is one of the most common reasons people never call — and one of the least justified.
— Educational
A motor vehicle accident claim is a legal action brought by someone injured in a traffic crash because of another party’s negligence, recklessness or wrongful conduct.
An insurance claim and a lawsuit are not the same thing. An insurance claim is handled directly with an insurer. A personal injury lawsuit is filed in civil court and can seek the full scope of your losses — medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, and long-term care.
Insurance settlements are frequently lower than what a negotiated lawsuit or a court can produce. That gap is the reason these claims exist.
According to NHTSA data, roughly 2.5 million people are injured in U.S. traffic crashes each year, across close to 6.1 million reported non-fatal crashes.
| Accident / injury type | Reported range | What drives the value |
|---|---|---|
| Minor soft-tissue injuries | $15,000 – $35,000 | Medical bills, lost wages, how long recovery took |
| Moderate injuries — fractures, herniated discs | $35,000 – $150,000 | Surgery, physical therapy, time off work |
| Serious injuries — brain, spinal cord, multiple surgeries | $150,000 – $500,000+ | Permanent disability, long-term care, lost earning capacity |
| Commercial truck accidents | ~$2,750,000 median | Federal carrier rules, employer liability, large policies |
| Pedestrian or cyclist struck | ~$4,300,000 median | Catastrophic injury, government or corporate defendant |
| Wrongful death | Varies widely | Lost financial support, survivors’ loss, dependent children |
Ranges drawn from publicly reported 2026 data including ConsumerShield (April 2026), a DK Law Q1 2026 settlement dataset, Mattiacci Law (June 2026) and Prainito Law (March 2026). These are general awareness figures, not offers, guarantees or predictions. Individual results vary enormously with injury severity, available coverage, fault allocation and evidence.
Statistics from NHTSA (2023) and IIHS (June 2024).
— Compensation
Damages fall into two categories: economic losses you can measure, and non-economic losses that are real but harder to put a number on.
No one can tell you what your claim is worth before reviewing it, and no one can promise you will recover anything. Settlement ranges on this page are historical figures reported by third parties for general awareness. They are not offers, guarantees or predictions, and they do not reflect the value of any individual claim. Comparative fault rules, damage caps, no-fault requirements and filing deadlines all differ by state. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Attorney fees, case costs, medical liens and any required reimbursement to health insurers are taken out of any recovery.
If the accident was recent, the first four steps are yours. After that, a firm takes over.
If anyone is injured or the crash is serious, call 911 immediately. Move somewhere safe if you can. Do not admit fault at the scene — even an apology can be used against you later.
Photograph the vehicles, plates, road conditions, skid marks, signage and your injuries. Collect contact details from every driver, passenger and witness. Note the exact time and place.
Even if you feel fine. Serious injuries often show no immediate symptoms, and a prompt medical record protects both your health and your claim.
Notify your own insurer with basic facts. Then take two minutes here. A participating firm handles the adjusters, gathers records and builds the claim — and you are never required to accept an offer you do not want.
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Fault rules, damage caps and deadlines are state law. We match you to a firm licensed where your crash happened.
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— Filing deadlines
Most states give you two years from the date of a crash to file an injury claim. Twenty-six use that two-year rule. The full national range runs from one year to six years, and a few states apply a different rule to motor vehicle claims specifically.
Select your state
Many injuries do not announce themselves. If a herniated disc or a head injury only became apparent weeks later, some states start the clock when you knew or reasonably should have known, not on the day of the crash.
If someone died, that deadline usually starts on the date of death rather than the date of the crash. Tennessee is a notable exception where it can run from the injury instead.
If a city bus, municipal vehicle or public entity is involved, written notice can be due in as little as 90 days to 6 months — long before the ordinary deadline.
For someone injured as a minor, the clock is usually paused until they turn 18. The rules differ by state and a parent’s own claim may run on the shorter schedule.
Insurance negotiations do not pause any of this. A claim can be in active discussion with an adjuster and still expire.
Most people guess, and a lot of them guess wrong in the direction that costs them. Finding out takes about two minutes and costs nothing.
You may have a personal injury claim if another party’s negligence caused or contributed to your accident and you were injured as a result. Common grounds include distracted driving, drunk driving, speeding, running red lights and unsafe lane changes. A participating law firm can review whether the facts of your crash support a claim in your state.
In most states you can still recover even if you were partly at fault. Under comparative negligence rules your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. Some states bar recovery once you are more than 50 percent at fault, and a few still apply stricter rules. Being partly to blame is not a reason to skip the review.
Statutes of limitations vary by state and most run one to three years from the date of the accident. Claims against government entities can carry far shorter notice deadlines, sometimes as little as 90 days. If a deadline passes you may permanently lose the right to bring a claim, so it is worth checking early.
In most cases not before getting advice. First offers are typically designed to close a claim quickly and cheaply, often before the full extent of an injury is known. Signing a release waives your right to additional compensation later, even if your condition worsens or new costs appear.
The case review through Direct2Attorney is free and carries no obligation. Participating law firms typically handle motor vehicle accident cases on contingency, meaning their fee is paid only out of a recovery, usually as a percentage. If there is no recovery, no attorney fee is owed.
If the other driver is uninsured or underinsured, your own auto policy may include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage that can compensate you. If a commercial vehicle was involved, the employer or trucking company may also be liable. Many people do not realize they carry this protection.
Often yes. Your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply to hit-and-run accidents, and some states operate funds that compensate victims of unidentified drivers. File a police report immediately after a hit and run, because it is typically required to access that coverage.
Ask it on the call. The review is free, and there is no obligation to move forward.
— News & updates
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