Part of our weekly series of case studies of recent car accident settlements. These case studies should help you determine the market value of your personal injury insurance claim. The finer details have been kept out to protect the identity of the individual, but the overall details are accurate and true.

Case Study

Gender: Male

Age: 20’s

Type of accident: Male was a pedestrian hit by the at-fault driver

At-fault insurance company: Farmers

Type of medical care: Life flight to the hospital with a painful and lengthy recovery from a broken hip

Length of treatment: 4 months total

Settlement amount: His total money offer (medical bills and pain and suffering) was 1.47 times the total medical bills.

Example: $35,000 in medical bills times 1.47 equals a $51,450 total money settlement from Farmers.

Things to note: This person had a claim that should have gone to court. The insurance company was not offering near the value that the injured person would have likely received had he decided to file a lawsuit. However, he did not want to go to court and was in need of the money right away. Often times, people will accept low offers from the insurance companies because that feel they need the money ASAP. If you can show a little patience on your claim, you can avoid the trap of accepting an offer less than what you deserve.