Hit and Run Settlement Calculator

What the Hit-and-Run Settlement Calculator Measures

The estimator collects three categories of input. First, your economic losses: medical bills already incurred, projected future treatment costs, lost wages, and out-of-pocket expenses directly caused by the crash. These documented figures form the claim's verifiable foundation.

Second, the tool asks about your injuries. Injury type, treatment duration, and whether any limitations are expected to persist determine the non-economic multiplier. A strain that resolved in weeks and a spinal injury requiring surgery correspond to very different points on the 1.5-to-5 scale.

Third, the calculator asks whether the hit-and-run driver has been identified. If yes, their liability insurance opens an additional coverage source. If not, the estimate reflects a UM-only recovery, which may be constrained by your own policy limits.

Running the calculator before your first conversation with your own insurer gives you a reference range grounded in documented inputs. UM adjusters — though they work for your company — evaluate claims the same way third-party adjusters do. Knowing your claim's estimated value before the first call changes the dynamic in your favor.

The combination of these inputs produces a range rather than a single number. Settlement values are never exact until negotiations conclude, but the range gives you a reference point based on the same methodology professionals use. Running the calculator at different stages of treatment shows how the estimate evolves as your documentation grows.

Economic Inputs: Treatment Costs, Lost Wages, and Repair Bills

Gather every bill and receipt before using the tool. Emergency care, hospital stays, surgeries, diagnostic imaging, specialist visits, physical therapy, prescriptions, and medical equipment all belong in the total. If your physician has recommended future procedures, include the projected expense.

Lost wages require verification — pay stubs from before and after the crash, an employer letter, or self-employment records showing income disruption. Vehicle repair or replacement costs, rental car charges, and transportation expenses to medical appointments are also compensable losses. The more complete your inputs, the more useful the estimate.

If your injuries reduced your long-term earning capacity, that diminished capacity is a separate economic component. Discuss it with an attorney, as it may substantially increase the baseline on which the non-economic multiplier is applied. Include every verifiable cost category to avoid understating the total.

Non-Economic Damages in Hit-and-Run Claims

Pain, anxiety about driving, sleep disruption, loss of enjoyment of daily activities, and emotional distress are all compensable. The multiplier method estimates their value as a multiple of your economic total. Where you fall on the 1.5-to-5 range depends on how severe and long-lasting your injuries have been.

Hit-and-run cases can carry additional emotional weight. The experience of being struck by a driver who fled — leaving you injured without assistance — can produce anxiety and distress beyond what a standard accident causes. If these effects are documented by a mental health professional, they strengthen the non-economic component of your claim.

If you sought treatment from a mental health professional for crash-related anxiety, panic attacks, or post-traumatic symptoms, include those costs in the economic total and reference the diagnosis in the non-economic component. Psychological injuries supported by clinical documentation carry weight with adjusters and arbitrators, especially in hit-and-run cases where the traumatic circumstances are inherently distressing.

Pre-existing conditions do not eliminate the non-economic component. If the crash aggravated a dormant condition or turned a manageable issue into a debilitating one, the worsening is compensable. Honest disclosure paired with medical evidence showing the change in your condition after the collision protects this portion of the claim.

How Driver Identification Changes the Estimate

When the fleeing driver remains unidentified, your recovery runs through your own UM policy. The estimator adjusts its output to reflect this constraint — your claim value may be substantial, but the UM policy limits set a practical ceiling on what you can collect.

When the driver is identified, their liability insurance enters the picture. The estimator accounts for the expanded coverage pool by broadening the range. Your UM coverage may shift to an underinsured motorist role, supplementing the driver's policy if its limits fall short of your total damages.

The calculator cannot predict whether the driver will be found. It produces ranges for both scenarios so you understand the difference between a UM-only outcome and a combined-coverage outcome. Use the result as a reference point, not a guarantee. Filing deadlines are commonly two to three years, but your state's deadline controls and some UM policies impose separate notification deadlines.

The calculator also helps you evaluate whether to handle the UM claim yourself or consult an attorney. If the estimated range is modest and your injuries have resolved, direct negotiation may be practical. If the range is substantial, the injuries are ongoing, or your insurer has raised coverage defenses, professional representation often recovers enough additional value to justify the contingency fee.

This is general information, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state for guidance specific to your situation. This site is an independent information resource, not a law firm.