Maryland Personal Injury Settlement Calculator

What Is the Maryland Personal Injury Settlement Calculator?

The Maryland Personal Injury Settlement Calculator is an interactive tool designed to estimate your possible compensation after an accident.

It takes into account key details like:

• Medical expenses (past and future)
• Lost wages (income you missed because of the injury)
• Property damage (like vehicle repairs)
• Severity of your injuries
• Attorney’s fees and case costs
• Insurance policy limits
• And most importantly — Maryland’s strict contributory negligence law

Unlike generic “national” calculators, this one is tailored for Maryland’s unique personal injury laws and damage caps.

Maryland’s Strict Contributory Negligence Rule

Before any numbers are crunched, the calculator asks:

“Were you in ANY way at fault for the incident?”

This question matters more than anything else.

In Maryland, if you are even 1% at fault, you cannot recover any damages — no matter how severe your injuries are.

This rule, known as contributory negligence, is one of the toughest in the country. So if you answer “Yes” to being at fault, the calculator instantly tells you your recovery is $0.00, reflecting this strict standard.

How the Calculator Estimates Your Settlement

If you’re not at fault, the calculator uses a series of inputs to estimate your potential payout. Here’s what it considers:

1. Economic Damages

These are the direct financial losses you’ve had because of the injury:

• Medical bills: hospital stays, surgeries, rehab, prescriptions
• Lost wages: missed work or reduced earning capacity
• Property damage: repairs or replacement costs

The calculator adds these up to get your total economic damages.

2. Non-Economic Damages

These are the harder-to-measure losses — pain, emotional distress, or reduced quality of life.

To estimate these, the calculator uses a severity multiplier:

• 1.5× for minor injuries (bruises, cuts)
• 3× for moderate injuries (fractures, sprains)
• 4.5× for severe injuries (permanent disability, PTSD, organ damage)

So if your medical expenses and lost wages total $20,000 and your injury is moderate, non-economic damages could be around $60,000.

Maryland’s Cap on Non-Economic Damages

Maryland law limits how much you can recover for pain and suffering (non-economic damages).

This cap increases by $15,000 each year, starting from $500,000 in 1994. The calculator automatically adjusts this limit based on the date of your injury.

If your estimated non-economic damages exceed the cap, the calculator shows a note like:

“Capped by MD non-economic damages limit of $935,000.”

This ensures the estimate reflects real-world Maryland law.

Optional Inputs: Policy Limits and Case Costs

You can also enter:

• The at-fault party’s insurance policy limit — if you know it.
  (If your calculated settlement is higher than the policy allows, your recovery is reduced to match it.)
• Your case costs and medical liens — to subtract those from your final net recovery.

Attorney’s Fees and Net Recovery

Personal injury lawyers in Maryland typically charge:

• 33.3% of the settlement if the case settles before litigation
• 40% if it goes to litigation

The calculator factors these standard fees into your results, showing both:

• The gross settlement amount, and
• Your estimated net recovery (what you’d actually take home after fees and costs)

This gives you a transparent look at the potential breakdown — something most calculators skip.

Example: How a Settlement Estimate Might Look

Let’s walk through an example:

Result:

• Economic Damages: $28,000
• Non-Economic Damages: $60,000 (capped if above MD limit)
• Estimated Settlement: $88,000
• Attorney Fee: −$29,000
• Case Costs: −$2,500
• Net Recovery: ≈ $56,500

Important Legal Disclaimer

The calculator gives an estimate only — not legal advice.

Every case is different, and Maryland law can be complex. For example:

• The non-economic damage cap can vary based on case type (medical malpractice, wrongful death, etc.).
• Insurance coverage, medical liens, or subrogation claims can affect the final payout.

To get an accurate valuation of your specific claim, talk to a qualified Maryland personal injury attorney.

Why This Calculator Stands Out

What makes this Maryland-specific tool worth using:

• Reflects real Maryland laws (not national averages)
• Accounts for fault, caps, and attorney fees
• Provides transparent, visual results — including net recovery
• Offers educational value to help you understand the claims process

It’s not just a calculator — it’s a learning tool that helps you approach your case with realistic expectations.