How this works
Three steps, no phone number required
Most people arrive here after an insurance adjuster has already named a figure. The point of this page is simple: give you an independent second number, and the reasoning behind it, before you answer.
Gather what you can document
Medical bills and expected future care, wages you actually lost, repair or total-loss figures, and the out-of-pocket costs people usually forget — travel to appointments, braces and devices, paid help at home.
Run the estimator
It applies the multiplier method adjusters commonly use to non-economic damages, then adjusts for your state’s comparative-fault rule and the policy limit that actually caps most claims.
Take the range to a licensed attorney
The output is a discussion range, never a valuation. Bring it to a lawyer licensed in your state — most personal-injury consultations are free and fees are contingent — and let them price the parts a calculator cannot see.
By situation
Guides for your situation
Fault rules, insurance layers and typical evidence differ sharply between these. Start with the one that matches your facts.
Proving Fault After a Crash
Every evidence type mapped — what it proves and when to get it.
Crash Report Guide
How to obtain, read, and correct the police crash report.
Vehicle Black Box Data
What the event data recorder captures and how to preserve it.
Witness and Camera Evidence
Witness statements, surveillance footage, and dashcam preservation.
By state
State rules that change what a claim is worth
Comparative fault, filing deadlines, damage caps, minimum liability limits and no-fault requirements are all set state by state. Pick yours.
Fault rules in all 50 states + DC
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
CrashLawyers.us is an informational website, not a law firm. It is operated by Mustafa Bilgic, an individual who is not a licensed attorney. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing creates an attorney–client relationship, and no calculator output is a valuation or an offer.
We do not take cases, review documents, contact insurers or refer you to a particular lawyer. Deadlines and fault rules vary by state and a missed deadline can end a valid claim permanently — consult a licensed attorney in your state before you accept, reject or file anything. Your state bar’s referral service and the American Bar Association’s Find Legal Help directory are independent starting points.
Questions
Questions people ask before they answer the adjuster
Who decides fault in a car crash?
Fault is initially assessed by the investigating officer in the police report, then evaluated by insurance adjusters during the claims process, and ultimately decided by a judge or jury if the case goes to trial. Each stage relies on evidence — the stronger your documentation, the more influence you have over the determination.
Can the police report be wrong about who was at fault?
Yes. Police reports reflect the officer's observations and available evidence at the scene, but they are not final legal determinations. Independent evidence — surveillance footage, vehicle data recorder information, expert reconstruction — can contradict the officer's initial assessment and change the fault analysis.
What happens if both drivers share fault for the crash?
In comparative fault states, each driver's recovery is reduced by their percentage of responsibility. If you are 30 percent at fault, your recovery is reduced by 30 percent. Some states bar recovery entirely if your share exceeds a threshold. The estimator above accounts for these rules.
How does fault affect the settlement amount?
Fault percentage directly scales the value of the claim. A claim worth a certain amount at zero percent fault is worth proportionally less at 10, 20, or 30 percent fault. This is why the fight over fault allocation is often the most consequential part of any crash settlement negotiation.
Can I prove fault without a police report?
A police report strengthens any claim, but fault can be proven through other evidence: scene photographs, surveillance footage, vehicle data recorder information, witness statements, and expert accident reconstruction. Claims without police reports are harder to pursue but not impossible.
- Sources used across this site: state comparative-fault statutes · Insurance Information Institute · Bureau of Labor Statistics · IRS Pub. 4345 · NHTSA
- Last reviewed 2026-08-25.