It’s the first question every client asks — and the honest answer is: it depends on facts, not formulas. Anyone quoting you an “average settlement” before reviewing your case is selling, not advising. Here’s what actually moves the number.
What builds your settlement up
Economic damages
Every medical bill — ER, imaging, surgery, therapy, prescriptions — plus future treatment your doctors anticipate. Lost wages while you recovered, and lost earning capacity if you can’t return to the same work. Vehicle and property damage round it out.
Non-economic damages
Pain and suffering, inconvenience, disfigurement, and the loss of what the injury took from daily life. There’s no fixed multiplier in Virginia — these damages are argued and proven, which is where experienced counsel earns its keep.
What shrinks it
- Contributory negligence. Virginia’s harsh rule: found even 1% at fault, you may recover nothing. Insurers probe for it in every file.
- Gaps in treatment. Skipped appointments read as “not really hurt” to an adjuster.
- Quick acceptance. First offers are opening bids, made before your full damages are known.
- Policy limits. Available coverage — including your own underinsured motorist coverage — sets the practical ceiling.
Why 2026 numbers look different
Medical costs and repair bills keep climbing, and insurers have responded with earlier, faster, lower offers — often before an injured driver has finished treatment. The settlement gap between represented and unrepresented claimants remains stubbornly wide.
Get a real number, not a guess
We’ll review your crash, your records, and every available policy — free — and tell you what your claim is actually worth. No fee on injury cases unless we win.