By Mustafa Bilgic, independent researcher (non-attorney) — Adıyaman Türkiye · 2026-05-08
This page compiles 30+ data points on US personal injury settlements drawn from IIHS, BLS Bureau of Labor Statistics, CDC, NSCISC (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center), FBI UCR, and public court records aggregators. Released under CC BY 4.0 for journalist, Wikipedia, and academic citation use.
| Injury type | Median | Mean | Top 10% threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whiplash / soft tissue | $5,500-$11,000 | $15,000 | $50,000+ |
| Broken bone (single) | $25,000-$60,000 | $95,000 | $250,000+ |
| Concussion / mild TBI | $22,000-$48,000 | $95,000 | $285,000+ |
| Moderate TBI | $190,000 | $450,000 | $1.5M+ |
| Severe TBI | $1.2M | $3.5M | $10M+ |
| Spinal cord injury (incomplete) | $650,000 | $2.1M | $6.5M+ |
| Spinal cord injury (complete tetraplegia) | $3.2M | $6.8M | $22M+ |
| Wrongful death (working adult) | $650,000 | $1.45M | $5M+ |
| Wrongful death (child) | $1.1M | $2.4M | $10M+ |
| Metric | Value 2024 |
|---|---|
| Annual new SCI cases (US) | ~17,500 |
| Living SCI population (US) | ~302,000 |
| Average lifetime medical cost (high tetraplegia, age 25 at injury) | ~$5.4M (today's dollars) |
| Average lifetime medical cost (paraplegia, age 25) | ~$2.5M |
| Average annual medical cost (year 1, high tetraplegia) | ~$1.2M |
| Average annual medical cost (subsequent years, high tetraplegia) | ~$220,000 |
| Most common cause | Auto accidents (~38%) |
Source: NSCISC Annual Statistical Report 2024 (UAB).
Source: CDC Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance.
| Metric | 2024 latest reported |
|---|---|
| Annual fatal motor vehicle crashes | ~38,500 |
| Annual motor vehicle deaths | ~42,500 |
| Annual non-fatal injury crashes | ~2.4M |
| Annual injuries (any severity) | ~4.5M |
| Crashes with severe/critical injury | ~125,000 |
| Average policy limits Bodily Injury (US) | $50K/$100K (most common state minimum) |
| Median state minimum BI limit | $25K per person, $50K per accident |
| Stage | Typical contingency rate |
|---|---|
| Pre-litigation (settlement before lawsuit filed) | 33⅓% (one-third) |
| Litigation (lawsuit filed, before trial) | 40% |
| Trial (case proceeds to verdict) | 40-45% |
| Mass tort / class action | 30-40% (often court-supervised) |
| Workers compensation | 15-25% (capped by state statute) |
| SSDI | 25% capped at $7,200 (2024-2026) |
| State | Non-economic cap (med mal) | Punitive cap |
|---|---|---|
| California (MICRA) | $350K (rising to $750K by 2033) | No cap (subject to constitutional review) |
| Texas | $250K (med mal) | 2x compensatory or $200K (greater) |
| Florida | None (cap struck down 2017) | 3x compensatory or $500K |
| New York | None | None |
| Illinois | None (cap struck down 2010) | None |
| Massachusetts | $500K (med mal) | None |
| Indiana | $2.5M total med mal cap | 3x compensatory or $50K |
Last reviewed by Mustafa Bilgic on 2026-05-08. Statistics are point-in-time; individual case outcomes vary widely. Errors to [email protected].