Colorado Personal Injury Settlement Calculator

What the Colorado Personal Injury Settlement Calculator Does

The calculator helps estimate your potential settlement amount by combining both economic and non-economic damages, then adjusting those totals based on:

• Your percentage of fault
• The severity of your injuries
• The defendant’s insurance policy limits
• Your attorney’s fees
• Any medical liens or case costs

It’s designed to give you a practical snapshot of what your claim could look like after all deductions — not just the top-line number.

How the Calculator Works — Step by Step

Let’s break down what the calculator actually does when you click “Calculate Estimate.”

1. Input Your Economic Damages

You’ll start by entering your:

• Medical expenses (past and future)
• Lost wages (past and future)
• Property damage (vehicle, belongings, etc.)

These are your economic damages — the concrete costs you can prove with bills, pay stubs, or receipts.

Example:
If you spent $15,000 on medical care, missed $5,000 in wages, and had $8,000 in car damage, your total economic damages are $28,000.

2. Adjust for Injury Severity

Next, you select your injury severity:

The calculator uses these multipliers to estimate non-economic damages — the value of pain, suffering, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life.

Note: Colorado caps non-economic damages at $663,000 (as of 2024). So, even if the multiplier produces a higher number, the calculator automatically applies the state’s legal limit.

3. Apply Colorado’s 49% Rule (Modified Comparative Fault)

Colorado follows a modified comparative fault rule, meaning:

• You can recover damages only if you’re less than 50% at fault.
• Your settlement is reduced by your percentage of fault.

For example:

If you were 20% at fault and your total damages are $100,000, you can recover $80,000 (a 20% reduction).

The calculator automatically applies this reduction and even displays a note explaining how much your settlement was reduced due to fault.

4. Factor in Insurance Policy Limits

If the at-fault driver’s insurance policy has a limit (say, $100,000), your total settlement can’t exceed that number — even if your damages are higher.

The calculator considers this cap and will display a message like:

“Capped by policy limit of $100,000.”

This helps manage expectations about real-world recoveries.

5. Deduct Attorney Fees, Liens, and Costs

After the total settlement is calculated, the calculator subtracts:

• Your attorney’s contingency fee (typically 33% to 40%)
• Any case costs or medical liens

This gives you a net recovery — the actual amount that could end up in your pocket after fees and costs are paid.

Example Calculation

Let’s say:

• You were 10% at fault
• You had $15,000 in medical expenses, $5,000 in lost wages, and $8,000 in property damage
• Your injury was moderate (3x multiplier)
• Your attorney’s fee is 33.3%
• You have $2,500 in costs
• No policy limits apply

Here’s what happens:

1. Economic damages: $28,000
2. Non-economic damages: ($15,000 + $5,000) × 3 = $60,000
3. Total damages: $88,000
4. Reduced by 10% fault: $79,200
5. Attorney’s fee: $26,376
6. Case costs: $2,500
7. Estimated net recovery: $50,324

That’s a realistic, usable number — not a wild guess.

Why This Calculator Is Different

Unlike generic “injury settlement estimators” found online, this Colorado-specific calculator:

• Follows Colorado’s 49% fault rule
• Applies state caps on pain and suffering
• Includes attorney fees and costs
• Reflects real-world insurance limits

In short, it’s built around Colorado law and how settlements actually work here, not just theoretical math.

Legal Disclaimer (But Important!)

This calculator is for informational purposes only.
It is not legal advice and doesn’t replace speaking with a Colorado personal injury attorney.

Even if you get a high estimate, your real recovery can depend on:

• Quality of evidence
• Medical documentation
• Insurance negotiations
• Liability disputes
• Jury behavior, if your case goes to trial

An experienced attorney can evaluate your claim, challenge lowball offers, and negotiate the best possible outcome.