Estimate the potential value of your personal injury claim
Past and projected future medical bills.
Income lost from time off work.
Bike repair or replacement costs.
1.5 (Minor injuries)
2.0 (Moderate injuries)
3.0 (Serious injuries)
4.0 (Severe/Permanent)
5.0 (Catastrophic/Life-altering)
Industry standard for non-economic damages.
Comparative negligence reduces the settlement based on your liability.
Estimated Settlement Range
Economic Damages:
Non-Economic (Pain):
Fault Reduction:
Gross Total:
How Motorcycle Accident Settlements are Calculated
Motorcycle accidents often result in more severe injuries than standard passenger vehicle collisions due to the lack of structural protection for the rider. Insurance adjusters and personal injury attorneys use a specific framework to determine what a case is worth.
1. Economic Damages (Special Damages)
These are the concrete financial losses you incurred because of the accident. They are easily quantifiable with receipts and invoices:
Medical Bills: Ambulance fees, ER visits, surgeries, physical therapy, and medication.
Lost Income: The money you lost while recovering and the "loss of earning capacity" if you can no longer work in the same capacity.
Property Damage: The cost to repair your motorcycle or the fair market value if the bike is totaled.
2. Non-Economic Damages (General Damages)
This covers "Pain and Suffering." Since you cannot put a price tag on physical pain or emotional trauma, the Multiplier Method is commonly used. This takes your total medical expenses and multiplies them by a number between 1.5 and 5, depending on the severity and permanence of your injuries.
3. The Impact of Comparative Negligence
Most states follow a comparative negligence rule. If you are found to be 20% at fault for the accident (e.g., speeding or a malfunctioning turn signal), your total settlement amount is reduced by 20%. Our calculator includes this field to provide a more realistic net estimate.
Example Calculation
Imagine a rider with $20,000 in medical bills, $5,000 in lost wages, and a $5,000 bike repair. Total Economic Damages = $30,000.
If a multiplier of 3 is used for serious injuries, the Pain and Suffering is $60,000 (3 x $20,000 medical). Gross Settlement = $90,000.
If the rider was 10% at fault, the final settlement would be $81,000 ($90,000 – $9,000).
function calculateMotorcycleSettlement() {
var med = parseFloat(document.getElementById('medicalExpenses').value) || 0;
var wages = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lostWages').value) || 0;
var prop = parseFloat(document.getElementById('propertyDamage').value) || 0;
var mult = parseFloat(document.getElementById('multiplier').value) || 1.5;
var fault = parseFloat(document.getElementById('faultPercent').value) || 0;
// Economic Damages
var economicDamages = med + wages + prop;
// Non-Economic (Pain and Suffering) usually based on medical costs multiplier
var nonEconomicDamages = med * mult;
// Gross Total
var grossTotal = economicDamages + nonEconomicDamages;
// Impact of fault
var faultReduction = grossTotal * (fault / 100);
var finalSettlement = grossTotal – faultReduction;
// Format as currency
var formatter = new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', {
style: 'currency',
currency: 'USD',
maximumFractionDigits: 0
});
document.getElementById('settlementResult').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('totalOutput').innerText = formatter.format(finalSettlement);
document.getElementById('econOut').innerText = formatter.format(economicDamages);
document.getElementById('nonEconOut').innerText = formatter.format(nonEconomicDamages);
document.getElementById('faultOut').innerText = '-' + formatter.format(faultReduction);
document.getElementById('grossOut').innerText = formatter.format(grossTotal);
// Smooth scroll to result
document.getElementById('settlementResult').scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' });
}