How accurate is a Texas personal injury settlement estimator?

A Texas personal injury settlement estimator gives a starting range based on common settlement frameworks but cannot account for insurance policy limits, liability disputes, venue, defendant solvency, or attorney skill. It is a conversation starter, not a prediction.

What counts as medical bills in a Texas personal injury case?

Medical bills include ER visits, hospital stays, surgeries, imaging, prescriptions, physical therapy, follow-up care, and reasonable future medical costs. Under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 41.0105, plaintiffs recover amounts actually paid or owed, but billed amounts remain the starting point for settlement negotiations.

How do insurance policy limits cap Texas case values?

Most Texas personal injury settlements are capped by the at-fault party's insurance policy limits. Texas minimum liability coverage is $30,000 per person, meaning a severely injured plaintiff may only recover $30,000 from that policy regardless of actual damages. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can help fill the gap.

How long does a Texas personal injury case take to settle?

Straightforward Texas personal injury cases settling pre-suit typically resolve in 6 to 12 months. Cases requiring litigation take 12 to 24 months. Complex cases involving commercial trucking, catastrophic injury, or trial can take two or more years.

Personal Injury Settlement Estimator

Barton & Associates · Free Case Value Tool

Texas Personal Injury Settlement Estimator

Wondering what your Texas injury case might be worth? Our free estimator uses the same general framework insurance adjusters and plaintiff attorneys use as a starting point — combining your medical bills, lost wages, injury severity, and comparative-fault percentage under Texas law to produce a realistic range. No form, no email required.

Free to use Texas law aligned No email needed 60 seconds

This is an educational tool, not a prediction. Real settlement and verdict values depend on dozens of factors this calculator cannot know — insurance policy limits, venue, liability disputes, defendant solvency, your credibility as a witness, attorney skill, and more. The only way to get a realistic estimate for your case is a free consultation with a Texas personal injury attorney.

Tell us about your case

All fields are optional — skip anything you don't know yet.

Step 1 of 5

What type of accident or injury? Different case types have different typical settlement patterns in Texas.

Step 2 of 5

Total medical bills (so far + expected future) ER, hospital, surgery, imaging, physical therapy, follow-up visits, and reasonable future care. Include amounts billed, not just what insurance paid.

Step 3 of 5

Lost wages and reduced earning capacity Time missed from work, plus reasonable projections if your injury will limit future earnings. Leave blank if unknown or if you are retired.

Step 4 of 5

How severe was your injury? Severity affects the "multiplier" applied to your economic damages when calculating pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Step 5 of 5

Your percentage of fault (if any) Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule: your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 33.001.

0% Other party fully at fault — no reduction to your recovery.

Insurance coverage available The at-fault party's insurance policy limits cap most settlements. Texas minimum liability coverage is only $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident — which can cap severe-injury cases far below their true value.

Defendant type Commercial defendants (companies, trucking firms, rideshare) typically carry much higher policies. Government defendants face damage caps under the Texas Tort Claims Act.

Please select a case type and enter at least your medical bills to calculate a range.

How the Estimator Works

This tool uses a simplified version of the framework insurance adjusters and plaintiff attorneys apply when valuing Texas injury cases.

Economic Damages

First we add your hard costs: medical bills (past and future) plus lost wages and reduced earning capacity. These are "special damages" under Texas law and form the base of any case value.

Non-Economic Multiplier

Next we apply a severity-based multiplier to account for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment. Minor injuries: 1.5–2.5×. Moderate: 2–3.5×. Severe: 3–5×. Catastrophic: 5–10× (often capped by policy limits).

Texas-Specific Adjustments

Finally we apply Texas-specific rules: comparative-fault reduction, the 51% bar rule, medical malpractice non-economic caps ($250K per defendant), and Texas Tort Claims Act caps for government defendants.

Texas Law Factors That Affect Every Case

Texas personal injury law has several specific rules that dramatically change what a case is actually worth. Understanding these rules is the difference between a realistic expectation and an unrealistic one.

Modified Comparative Fault (§ 33.001)

Texas reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault. If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover $0. This single rule disqualifies thousands of otherwise-valid claims each year.

Insurance Policy Limits Cap Most Cases

A serious injury case with a negligent driver carrying only Texas's $30,000 minimum liability coverage is usually capped at $30,000 — regardless of how badly you were hurt. UM/UIM can help fill the gap.

Medical Malpractice Damage Caps

Under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 74.301, non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases are capped at $250,000 per defendant (up to $500,000 total for multiple defendants). Economic damages are not capped.

Texas Tort Claims Act Caps

Claims against Texas governmental entities are capped at $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for most claims. Cities, counties, and the state have strict pre-suit notice requirements (often just 6 months or less).

2-Year Statute of Limitations

Under CPRC § 16.003, most Texas personal injury claims must be filed within 2 years of the date of the accident. Miss this deadline and your claim is permanently barred — regardless of how strong it would have been.

Pre-Existing Conditions Affect Value

Texas follows the "eggshell plaintiff" rule — defendants take you as they find you. But defense lawyers aggressively argue pre-existing conditions caused your current symptoms. Medical documentation is everything.

Case Value Estimator — Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is this estimator?

It gives you a reasonable starting range based on the most common framework used in Texas personal injury cases — but it cannot account for dozens of critical factors: the specific insurance policies involved, liability disputes, venue, defendant solvency, your credibility as a witness, your attorney's skill, whether the case goes to trial or settles, and many others. Real cases regularly settle above or below the range shown here. Use the result as a conversation starter with an attorney, not as a prediction of what your case will actually resolve for.

Why is the range so wide?

Because real cases vary enormously, even with identical medical bills and injury severity. Two people with $50,000 in medical bills from car accidents in Bexar County can see wildly different outcomes depending on policy limits, comparative fault, evidence quality, defendant cooperation, and trial vs. settlement dynamics. The range reflects honest uncertainty — a narrower range would give you false precision.

What counts as "medical bills"?

Include all reasonable medical costs related to the accident: ER visits, ambulance, hospital stays, surgeries, imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT), prescriptions, physical therapy, follow-up visits, and reasonable future medical care your doctors expect you to need. Use the amounts billed, not just what your insurance paid — under the Texas "paid or incurred" rule (§ 41.0105), plaintiffs can only recover amounts actually paid or that remain owed, but the full billed amount is still the starting point for settlement negotiations.

Does my attorney's fee come out of the estimate?

The estimate shown is the gross case value — before attorney fees, case expenses, medical liens, and other deductions. Texas personal injury attorneys typically work on contingency, with fees ranging from about 33⅓% pre-suit to 40% post-lawsuit-filing, plus case expenses. To estimate your net recovery, deduct approximately 33–40% for fees plus actual case expenses plus any outstanding medical liens from the gross range.

Why does the calculator say my recovery is zero?

You likely selected a comparative-fault percentage of 51% or higher. Under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 33.001, a plaintiff who is 51% or more at fault cannot recover anything. If you're close to the 51% line, this is exactly why talking to an attorney matters — a skilled lawyer can often reduce the fault percentage attributed to you through investigation, witness interviews, and expert testimony.

What if the at-fault party has no insurance?

Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on your own policy can step in when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough. Texas doesn't require UM/UIM coverage — insurers must offer it, but you can decline. If you declined UM/UIM coverage, your practical recovery against an uninsured defendant is often limited to whatever personal assets they have (usually very little). This is a major factor an attorney needs to investigate early.

How long does a Texas personal injury case take?

Straightforward cases that settle pre-suit often resolve in 6–12 months. Cases requiring litigation take 12–24+ months. Complex cases (commercial trucking, catastrophic injury, multi-defendant, or those going to trial) can take 2+ years. See our Texas Case Timelines page for a detailed breakdown.

Is my information saved or tracked?

No. The calculations happen entirely in your browser. We do not save, transmit, or track any of the numbers you enter. Nothing is sent to our office unless you choose to schedule a consultation by clicking one of the contact buttons.

This estimator is an educational tool only and provides general information about how Texas personal injury cases are typically valued. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and cannot account for the specific facts of your case. Ranges shown reflect common industry frameworks and are not predictions of actual settlement or verdict outcomes. Real-world case resolutions depend on factors this calculator cannot know, including insurance policy limits, liability disputes, defendant solvency, venue, witness credibility, available evidence, and attorney skill. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. For an accurate assessment of your specific situation, consult with a licensed Texas personal injury attorney. Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, PLLC · 115 Camaron St, San Antonio, TX 78205.