How Is Car Accident Compensation Calculated?

In this guide, we will look at how a compensation calculator for a car accident could help you value a personal injury claim. When you’re on the road, you owe a duty of care to all other road users. Similarly, other road users have a duty of care to you. This duty of care means that road users should adhere to the rules set out in the Highway Code. 

Compensation calculator for a car accident guide
Compensation calculator for a car accident guide

If you’ve been involved in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be asking yourself some of the following questions: 

  • How is accident compensation calculated?
  • What kind of injuries can be sustained in a car accident? 
  • What different heads of claim could a settlement consist of?
  • How could the services of a No Win No Fee solicitor benefit me?

How Is Car Accident Compensation Calculated?

Our accident claim calculator can help give you an estimation regarding the compensation you could receive. This guide will also explain how you can make a claim and how you could fund legal representation through a No Win No Fee agreement. 

Our advisors offer free legal advice, so if you’d like to see whether you can make a claim, call them on 0800 408 7826. You can get in touch at a time that suits you, as they’re available 24/7. You can also get in touch via our online form. 

Jump To A Section

  1. A Guide To Using A Compensation Calculator For Car Accident Claims
  2. What Is A Car Accident?
  3. What Can You Claim For After A Car Accident?
  4. Common Types Of Car Accidents
  5. Car And Road Accident Statistics
  6. Care Claims After A Car Accident
  7. How To Use A Compensation Calculator For Car Accident?
  8. How Much Could I Expect To Claim For A Car Accident?
  9. Compensation Calculator For Car Accident Claims
  10. No Win No Fee Agreements For Car Accident Claims
  11. Get Free Legal Advice About Your Claim
  12. Ask Our Team To Calculate Your Car Accident Claim
  13. Resources And Case Studies
  14. Frequently Asked Questions About Car Accident Claims

A Guide To Using A Compensation Calculator For Car Accident Claims

In this guide, we will look at the process of claiming compensation for injuries you sustained in a car accident. In order to claim, the accident in question would have to be caused by the negligence of a third party. 

To begin with, this guide will look at what a car accident is and how one could happen. We’ll also look at some of the common forms that a car accident could take. In addition, this guide will explain what could be included in a claim made after a car accident.

Furthermore, this guide will include an explanation of the kinds of accidents that can occur on the roads. In addition to this, we’ll look at the kinds of injuries these accidents can cause.

This guide will also include a compensation table. In conjunction with our compensation calculator, this could give you a good idea of how much compensation you could be entitled to.

Finally, this guide will explain the advantages of a No Win No Fee agreement if you’re concerned about funding legal representation for your claim. It will conclude by providing some useful external resources and answering some frequently asked questions about car accident claims.

You can use our compensation calculator for a car accident to get an estimate of the value of your claim. You can also  get in touch with a member of our team today for a free, no-obligation valuation of your claim. 

What Is A Car Accident?

There are a number of different ways that accidents can occur on the road. The kind of accident you’re involved in might affect the kind of injuries you sustain. For example, head-on collisions might be more likely to cause injury to the feet and legs than rear-end shunts. 

Some of the accidents you could be involved in include:

  • Side impact collisions
  • Rear-end accidents
  • Head-on collisions
  • Multi-car pile-ups
  • Car park accidents

For a claim to be successful, you would need to show that someone else’s negligence led to the accident that caused your injury. You cannot claim for injuries sustained in an accident that was entirely your fault. 

However, you may be able to claim compensation if you’re deemed to be partly liable for your injuries. This is called a “split liability” claim. For example, you might be able to claim a reduced amount of compensation if you were in an accident because you were travelling too fast, but the accident happened in part because the other driver was not paying proper attention to the road.

What Can You Claim For After A Car Accident?

You may be wondering, “how is accident compensation calculated?”. There are two potential heads of claim that could be included in your compensation award. 

General damages accommodate the pain, suffering, and decline of your quality of life caused by the injury. The second head of claim is special damages. This relates to the financial losses created by the injury and can include: 

  • Loss of earnings
  • Loss of future earnings
  • Travel costs
  • Prescriptions or medicine
  • Recreational activities that you’re now unable to commit to

As well as showing you the amount you could receive for your injuries, our compensation calculator for a car accident can include the value of any loss of earnings you’ve experienced in your claim’s valuation. 

However, other special damages will not be included in an estimate provided by our online calculator. If you’d like a valuation of your claim that includes these, you can speak with one of our advisors today.

Common Types Of Car Accidents

Below, we’ve included information on some of the kinds of car accidents that you could be involved in. 

Side Impact Collisions 

Side-impact collisions can include accidents that happen in a number of different ways. For example, a car may be waiting to pull out of a side road and pull out without looking. This could result in them hitting the side of another vehicle travelling down the main road.

Side-impact accidents could also happen when two cars are travelling in the same direction. For example, one car could attempt to change lanes without indicating and without checking to see if it’s safe to do so. This could cause them to collide with the side of a vehicle in the lane they’re attempting to move into.

Side impact collisions could cause injuries like:

Accidents At Junctions And Roundabouts

Accidents can occur at junctions and roundabouts. These kinds of accidents could occur because of things like reduced injuries at junctions. For example, houses, hedges and vehicles parked on the road might reduce your visibility of the road you’re emerging onto.

An accident at a junction or roundabout might occur because of:

  • A driver pulling out of a side road without looking, causing a crash with another vehicle
  • A car attempting to leave a roundabout while in the wrong lane, causing a collision
  • A car enters the roundabout at the wrong time because they failed to give way to traffic on the right.

Rear-End Accidents

Rear-end accidents happen when one car hits another from behind. in the vast majority of cases, this is the fault of the following car. This is because drivers are expected to leave a safe stopping distance between them and the car in front. Furthermore, this stopping distance should be adjusted if factors like weather or mud on the road mean that the time it takes to stop increases. 

There are a wide range of injuries that could be sustained in a rear-end collision. You could suffer a head injury if your head hit the steering wheel or dashboard. You may also experience whiplash or other spine and neck injuries.

Since 31st May 2021, there has been a change in the way that whiplash claims are pursued. Because of the Whiplash Reform Programme, all injuries valued at less than £5,000 made by a driver or passenger over the age of 18 must be made through an online portal.

However, our solicitors can still represent you in a claim through this portal. What’s more, you may be underestimating the amount your injuries are worth. For this reason, we always recommend getting in touch with one of our advisors before you start claiming via this method.

Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions happen when two cars who are travelling towards one another collide. They can happen for a number of reasons. For example: 

  • A drunk driver does not realise that they’re going the wrong way down a road, resulting in a head-on crash
  • A car turns the wrong way onto a road because they failed to notice that they were turning onto a dual carriageway.
  • A driver overtakes a cyclist very close to a bend in the road. This means that they’re on the wrong side of the road and collide with another vehicle.

Multi-Car Pile Ups

Multi-car pile-ups are accidents that involve several vehicles. These accidents can incorporate many of the different kinds of accidents we’ve already mentioned. 

For example, a rear-end accident could cause further rear-end accidents if each of the cars had failed to keep the right stopping distance from the car in front.

Alternatively, a side-on collision could cause both vehicles to stop moving, meaning that another car crashes into the car that has been hit from the side.

The injuries you could sustain in these kinds of accidents may be similar to those in other accident types.

Car Park Accidents

The speed limits in car parks are usually lower than those on public roads. However, accidents can still occur, and these accidents could result in injuries. 

For example, you and another vehicle may both be reversing out of parking spaces but failing to pay proper attention to your surroundings. This could result in a collision between the backs of the vehicles. This may be processed as a split liability claim, as the negligence of both drivers led to the circumstances of the accident.

Alternatively, you may be sat in your car waiting until it is safe to pull out of your driving space. A car pulls into the space next to you but misjudges the space and hits the front of your vehicle. This could cause muscle strains, sprain and whiplash.

Car And Road Accident Statistics

The Department for Transport collects data on road traffic accidents, and this includes the purpose of the car journey. The statistics above show that, in 2019, in Great Britain, almost 15,000 road traffic accidents occurred when people were driving to work, and over 2,200 were while a pupil was being driven to school. 

Any accident, regardless of context, could lead to you being injured, and that is where we can help. We hope that our compensation calculator for a car accident will give you the information that you need; if you have any more questions, however, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our advisors. 

Care Claims After A Car Accident

As we’ve already mentioned, general and special damages are the two heads of claim that your compensation award could consist of. Part of the special damages that you could be awarded is care costs. 

Things you can claim for include: 

  • Adaptations to your home, such as a walk-in bathroom or a care bed, if your injuries have left you with long-term disabilities. 
  • Nurse costs or gracious care costs if a member of the family had to look after you. 
  • Adaptations for a vehicle if, for example, you now need to use a wheelchair. 

You can use our car accident claim calculator to find out the amount of compensation you could receive. However, this calculator will not take into account the value of any special damages excluding loss of earnings. To see how much you could be entitled to in care costs, why not give one of our advisors a call? 

How To Use A Compensation Calculator For A Car Accident?

Using our car crash compensation calculator is a quick and easy way of getting an estimation of your claim’s value. All you need to do is input information about how the injury happened, the injuries you’ve sustained and the value of any lost earnings you’ve experienced. 

However, as we’ve already mentioned, there are some costs and losses that our calculator won’t be able to take into account. If you’d like a member of our claims team to assess your claim for you and accurately value how much you could be entitled to, get in touch with us today. You could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.

How Much Could I Expect To Claim For A Car Accident?

The amount you could receive partly depends on your injury and how severely it’s affected you. As well as physical injuries, you may be able to claim for emotional suffering, too. 

In order to value the general damages head of a claim, you’ll usually be invited to a medical assessment as part of the claims process. In this appointment, an independent advisor will assess your injuries and create a report confirming that they’re consistent with your accident and providing a prognosis. This report will be used to work out how much compensation you’re entitled to.

In order to support your claim for special damages, you’ll have to provide evidence of the costs you’ve incurred. This might include receipts, bills and payslips to show the money you have lost.

Compensation Calculator For Car Accident Claims

As well as our compensation calculator for a car accident, we’ve also included the table below. It illustrates some of the injuries you could sustain in a car accident and how much they could be worth in compensation. 

Body PartSeverityCompensation BracketDetails
KidneyLoss£158,970 to £197,480Serious and permanent damage to or loss of both kidneys.
HandSerious (Both Hands) £52,310 to £79,360Injury in question will result in significant function being lost in both hands, as well as permanent disability of a cosmetic nature.
HandModerate£5,260 to £12,460This bracket might include crush injuries, soft tissue injuries and lacerations.
LegLess Serious (iii) Up to £11,110Simple fractures to Tibia or Fibula or soft tissue injuries.
KneeSevere (ii) £48,920 to £65,440Leg fracture extending into the knee joint causing pain that is constant, permanent and limits movement.
FootLoss£158,970 to £189,110Amputation of both feet.
ToeModerateUp to £9,010Fractures in this bracket will be relatively straightforward. It could also include the exacerbation of a pre-existing condition or where one or more toes have been lacerated.
FaceMinor£1,600 to £3,310Trivial scarring where the effects are minor only.
Face Very Severe£27,940 to £91,350Where a relatively young claimant is left with scarring that has a severe psychological effect, an award to the higher end of the bracket might be appropriate.
BrainModerate (i) £140,870 to £205,580Injuries in this nature will lead to a moderate to severe intellectual deficit. There will also be a change to personality and a significant risk of epilepsy. Employment prospects will be non-existent.

The figures in this table are taken from guidelines from the Judicial College. They look at previous compensation awards that have been awarded and create guideline brackets based on these.

If you’d like an estimate of your claim that’s more closely based on your individual circumstances, a member of our team will be happy to provide this for you. Simply give us a call at the number above.

No Win No Fee Agreements For Car Accident Claims

Our panel of solicitors offer their services on a No Win No Fee basis. This means that: 

  • You won’t have to pay any of your solicitor’s legal fees either before or during the personal injury claim. 
  • If your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t have to pay your solicitor for their services. 
  • Your solicitor will take a small, legally capped amount from your compensation in the event that your claim is successful.

 These benefits mean that people who may have otherwise not been able to afford to hire a lawyer to work on their claim can now access quality legal representation. 

This kind of agreement means that our panel of solicitors will only take your case if they feel you have a good chance of success. For more information on whether a No Win No Fee solicitor could work on your claim, speak to one of our advisors today. 

Get Free Legal Advice About Your Claim

Our advisors offer free legal advice, so if you have any questions about claiming, give them a call. They’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

They can answer any queries you have and ask you about the circumstances of your claim and how your injuries have affected you. If your claim is valid, they could appoint a solicitor from our panel to work on your case. 

For more information, you can:

  • Call us on 0800 408 7826
  • Use our Live chat by clicking on the window on the bottom right of your screen. 
  • Contact us via our website.

Ask Our Team To Calculate Your Car Accident Claim

If you’re unsure how to use our compensation calculator, don’t worry. Our advisors are here to help you every step of the way. Just give us a call, and explain your case to us, and we’ll provide you with an estimate. 

You might feel more comfortable having your claim assessed by someone you can talk to, instead of just inputting information on a screen. Whatever the reason, our team can give you a free assessment of your claim with no obligation to continue.

Resources And Case Studies

If you’d like more information, please view the links below. 

For more information about road accidents, visit the Department for Transport website. 

The Road Traffic Act 1988 is the piece of legislation that outlines driving offences, such as dangerous and careless driving.

THINK! is the government’s road safety campaign.

Other Personal Injury Claims Guides You Can Read

Frequently Asked Questions About Car Accident Claims

In this section, we’ve provided answers to some commonly asked questions on car accident claims. 

How long could my claim take?

The amount of time it takes for your claim to be processed will vary. For example, it might take longer if liability is in dispute than if it is clear-cut. 

Will I meet my solicitor in person? 

Because of the fact that communication can easily be done over the phone and via email, there might not be any requirement for you to meet your solicitor in person when pursuing a claim.  

Do I need a witness to make a claim?

No, you don’t need a witness in order to claim. However, a witness statement could support your version of events and strengthen your claim. 

We hope that our guide on how to use our compensation calculator for a car accident has been helpful.

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