Enter your medical bills, lost wages, and case details. Get a realistic settlement range in seconds, based on Ohio comparative fault rules and standard PI multipliers.
Include all out-of-pocket medical expenses: ER, surgeries, physical therapy, prescriptions, assistive devices. Insurance payments count too.
Wages lost during recovery. Include time off work for appointments and any reduced hours.
Vehicle repair/replacement, damaged personal items, deductible.
Ohio uses comparative fault, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault.
Most Ohio drivers carry $25k/$50k minimum. Large losses may exceed policy limits, we'll flag this.
Ohio comparative fault (ORC 2315.32): If you share fault, your settlement is reduced by your percentage. You recover nothing if you're 51%+ at fault.
Free match with a vetted Ohio personal injury attorney. No obligation, no upfront fees, most work on contingency.
This tool estimates the value of your Ohio personal injury claim using the same approach Ohio attorneys and insurance adjusters use: economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, property damage) plus a pain-and-suffering multiplier.
The formula applies a severity multiplier to your economic damages to estimate non-economic compensation (pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life). Ohio does not cap pain-and-suffering damages in most personal injury cases, but insurance policy limits often do.
| Injury severity | Typical multiplier range | What this covers |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | 1.0× – 1.5× economic | Whiplash, minor sprains, brief recovery, no surgery |
| Moderate | 1.5× – 3× economic | Herniated discs, surgery, months of physical therapy, partial recovery |
| Severe | 3× – 5× economic | Permanent impairment, ongoing pain, significant lifestyle change |
| Permanent / catastrophic | 5× – 10× economic | Spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputation, total disability |
Ohio follows a modified comparative fault system (ORC 2315.32). If you were partially at fault for the accident, your settlement is reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if the jury awards $100,000 and you were 30% at fault, you receive $70,000.
There is one critical catch: if you are 51% or more at fault, you recover Nothing. Ohio is a "51% bar state", plaintiffs who share more responsibility than the defendant get zero compensation.
Fault percentages in Ohio are heavily negotiated. Insurance companies will try to assign you some fault even when the facts don't support it. An attorney protects you from unfair fault assignments.
Ohio requires minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident for bodily injury. Many drivers carry only this minimum. If your damages exceed the at-fault driver's policy limits, you may need to pursue your own underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage or file a claim against your own policy.
If the at-fault driver has no insurance (a significant problem in Ohio), you may need to rely on your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage or pursue the driver directly.
The calculator flags cases where damages may exceed typical policy limits, in those situations, consultation with an attorney is essential.
The most important factor in any personal injury settlement is the quality and completeness of your medical records. Insurance companies multiply documented medical expenses. Gaps in treatment, waiting weeks to see a doctor after an accident, give the insurer an argument that your injuries weren't serious or were pre-existing. Get treatment immediately and follow your physician's plan.
Clear liability (the other driver was clearly at fault) generally leads to faster, higher settlements. Contested liability, disputed fault, police reports that split blame, unclear circumstances, requires more negotiation or even trial. Gathering police reports, witness statements, photos, and video footage immediately after an accident is critical.
Insurance companies will look for pre-existing injuries or conditions that they can argue caused your symptoms, not the accident. A skilled attorney knows how to distinguish pre-existing from accident-related injuries and limit what the insurer can use against you.
Document every day you missed work. If your injury affects your long-term earning capacity, you can no longer do your previous job, that future income loss is compensable. Attorney earnings statements and expert testimony may be needed for future wage loss claims.
A free attorney match connects you with a vetted Ohio PI attorney who works on contingency, no fee unless you win. They'll review your case and advise on next steps.
Start Your Free Case Review →This calculator gives you a realistic range based on standard PI valuation methods used by Ohio attorneys and insurance adjusters. It is not a quote and cannot account for every case factor, jury verdicts in your specific county, the quality of your medical documentation, or the specific facts of your accident all influence the final outcome. Use it as a starting point for understanding your case, not a final number.
Pain and suffering is compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life caused by your injury, things that don't have receipts. Ohio law does not set a formula; multipliers of 1.5× to 5× economic damages are common in mild-to-moderate cases. More severe injuries (permanent disability, chronic pain) can warrant higher multipliers. Insurance companies have their own computer models that calculate pain and suffering; the multiplier approach is one way to estimate where your claim might land.
In most personal injury cases (car accidents, slip and fall, negligence), Ohio does not cap pain and suffering damages. The exception is medical malpractice cases, which have a $250,000 per-claim cap on non-economic damages (adjusted for multiple claimants per defendant). For car accidents and most standard PI claims, there is no statutory cap on pain and suffering, a jury could award significantly more than the range this calculator shows.
If the at-fault driver's $25,000 policy doesn't cover your damages, you have several options: (1) file a claim against your own underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage if you have it, (2) pursue the at-fault driver directly for the difference (they may have assets), or (3) work with an attorney to negotiate the maximum available from all sources. This is a situation where attorney involvement is particularly valuable, they'll identify every available source of compensation.
Simple, clear-liability cases may settle in 2–4 months after you finish medical treatment. Contested cases or serious injuries requiring ongoing treatment take longer, typically 6–18 months. If the case must go to trial, plan for 2+ years. Most attorneys pursue fast resolution while preserving the option to go to trial, which often results in better settlements.
For minor injuries with clear liability and low damages (under $10,000), you may be able to handle negotiations yourself. For anything significant, surgery, ongoing treatment, lost wages, disputed liability, or injuries that affect your ability to work, the statistics favor having an attorney. Studies consistently show that injured people with attorneys receive substantially higher settlements on average, even after attorney fees, than those who self-negotiate. Most PI attorneys work on contingency, taking 25–40% of the settlement with no upfront cost to you.