MVA case value estimator.
Estimate what a motor vehicle accident claim is worth in any U.S. state. Most calculators stop at "medical bills times three." This one applies the state's fault rule, no-fault threshold and minimum policy limits.
Disclaimer: This estimator produces generalized, order-of-magnitude figures from typical damages ranges and published state rules. It is not legal, financial or professional advice, does not guarantee any outcome, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. Actual results depend on the facts, venue, evidence, available coverage and counsel.
How the estimate is computed.
Four steps, run twice: once on conservative assumptions for the low end and once on favorable assumptions for the high end.
Economic damages
Medical specials and lost wages scale with injury severity. Surgical cases carry heavier specials; ER-only cases lighter. Enter the actual specials and the model uses them instead.
Non-economic damages
Pain and suffering is a multiplier on medical specials, from about 1.5× for minor soft-tissue claims to 6× or more for catastrophic injury. In no-fault states it only applies once the injury crosses the threshold, and PIP-paid bills come off the tort claim.
Fault apportionment
Pure contributory states bar recovery at 1% claimant fault. Modified comparative states bar it at 50% or 51%. Pure comparative states reduce it but never bar it. "No pay, no play" states strip pain and suffering from uninsured claimants.
Coverage ceiling
Most MVA claims settle inside the at-fault driver's limits. Minimum-policy cases are capped at the state's per-person minimum, and uninsured-driver cases recover only through the claimant's own UM/UIM coverage.
Important caveats
- Estimates are order-of-magnitude only and deliberately conservative.
- The model can't see venue, jury pool, adjuster, liens, medical billing detail, prior injuries or the quality of liability evidence.
- No-fault offsets assume statutory-minimum PIP (Michigan assumes the default $250k medical tier). Choice no-fault states show limited tort at the low end and full tort at the high end.
- Limits and rules change. Figures reflect published state minimums as of October 2026.
MVA tort frameworks by state.
The rules the estimator applies, for all 50 states and D.C. Linked states have dedicated MVA lead campaign pages.
| Jurisdiction | Fault rule | Insurance system | Min. BI per person | No-fault PIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Pure contributory | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Alaska | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $50k | — |
| Arizona | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Arkansas | Modified comparative (50% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| California | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $30k | — |
| Colorado | Modified comparative (50% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Connecticut | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Delaware | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| District of Columbia | Pure contributory | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Florida | Modified comparative (51% bar) | No-fault, verbal threshold | $10k (FR) | $10,000 |
| Georgia | Modified comparative (50% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Hawaii | Modified comparative (51% bar) | No-fault, monetary threshold ($10,000) | $40k | $10,000 |
| Idaho | Modified comparative (50% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Illinois | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Indiana | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Iowa | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $20k | — |
| Kansas | Modified comparative (50% bar) | No-fault, monetary threshold ($2,000) | $25k | $4,500 |
| Kentucky | Pure comparative | Choice no-fault | $25k | $10,000 |
| Louisiana | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $15k | — |
| Maine | Modified comparative (50% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $50k | — |
| Maryland | Pure contributory | At-fault (tort) | $30k | — |
| Massachusetts | Modified comparative (51% bar) | No-fault, monetary threshold ($2,000) | $25k | $8,000 |
| Michigan | Modified comparative (51% bar) | No-fault, verbal threshold | $50k | $250,000 |
| Minnesota | Modified comparative (51% bar) | No-fault, monetary threshold ($4,000) | $30k | $20,000 |
| Mississippi | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Missouri | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Montana | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Nebraska | Modified comparative (50% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Nevada | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| New Hampshire | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| New Jersey | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Choice no-fault | $35k | $15,000 |
| New Mexico | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| New York | Pure comparative | No-fault, verbal threshold | $25k | $50,000 |
| North Carolina | Pure contributory | At-fault (tort) | $50k | — |
| North Dakota | Modified comparative (50% bar) | No-fault, monetary threshold ($2,500) | $25k | $30,000 |
| Ohio | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Oklahoma | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Oregon | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Pennsylvania | Modified comparative (51% bar) | Choice no-fault | $15k | $5,000 |
| Rhode Island | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| South Carolina | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| South Dakota | Slight / gross negligence | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Tennessee | Modified comparative (50% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Texas | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $30k | — |
| Utah | Modified comparative (50% bar) | No-fault, monetary threshold ($3,000) | $30k | $3,000 |
| Vermont | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Virginia | Pure contributory | At-fault (tort) | $50k | — |
| Washington | Pure comparative | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| West Virginia | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Wisconsin | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
| Wyoming | Modified comparative (51% bar) | At-fault (tort) | $25k | — |
FR = Florida doesn't require bodily-injury liability; $10k applies under its financial-responsibility law after an at-fault crash with injuries. Minimum limits change often, so confirm current figures with the state insurance department.
About MVA case value.
How the estimator works and what it can and can't tell your firm.
Back to the estimatorHow does the MVA case value estimator work?
It builds economic damages (medical specials and lost wages) from the injury severity and treatment path, applies a general-damages multiplier for pain and suffering, then runs the result through the state's rules: no-fault thresholds and PIP offsets, the comparative or contributory fault rule, and finally the coverage available to pay the claim. The output is a low-to-high settlement range, not a single number.
Why does the state change the value so much?
Fault rules differ sharply. In Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and D.C., any fault on the claimant can bar recovery entirely. In modified comparative states the claim is barred at 50% or 51% fault, and in pure comparative states like California and New York it is reduced but never barred. No-fault states also limit who can sue for pain and suffering.
What is a no-fault threshold?
In no-fault states, the claimant's own PIP coverage pays early medical bills and pain-and-suffering claims are only allowed once the injury crosses a threshold. Verbal-threshold states (Florida, Michigan, New York) require a serious or permanent injury; monetary-threshold states (such as Massachusetts, Minnesota and Utah) require medical bills above a set dollar amount. Kentucky, New Jersey and Pennsylvania let drivers choose, which is why the estimator shows a wider range there.
Why is my estimate capped?
Most MVA claims settle within the at-fault driver's liability limits. When the modeled value exceeds the available coverage, the estimator caps it and flags a policy-limits case. Firms then look for additional coverage: underinsured motorist stacking, commercial or employer policies, rideshare coverage, or additional defendants.
How accurate is the estimate?
It is an order-of-magnitude screening tool, not a valuation. It cannot see venue, the adjuster, medical billing detail, liens, the claimant's history or the strength of liability evidence. Use it to prioritize intake and size a docket, and rely on counsel's review for anything case-specific.
How can my firm get more MVA cases like this?
Injury Case Claims runs MVA campaigns in all 50 states as pre-qualified web leads, live transfers or signed retainers, screened against your criteria. Request campaign pricing and we'll build the campaign around the case profile you want.
Fill your docket with the cases worth taking.
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