Utah is a no-fault insurance state wherein car drivers are required to purchase a 25/65/15 liability policy ($25,000/ bodily injury per person, $65,000/bodily injury per accident, and $15,000/property damage per accident) and a minimum PIP (Personal Injury Protection) of $3,000. The liability coverage helps pay for injuries and damages that drivers cause to others in an accident while the PIP covers their injuries.
As per Utah’s laws, if the driver’s medical bills exceed his PIP coverage, he can file a claim for bodily injuries, property damages, and pain and suffering damages with the at-fault driver and his insurance company. In case the accident is serious, and if the at-fault party’s liability insurance policy limits are exhausted, then the at-fault party is personally liable to compensate the victim.
What is the Average Car Accident Settlement in Utah and What Does it Depend on?
The average car accident settlement in our state ranges between $20,000 and millions of dollars depending upon the severity of the injuries. Other than that, the settlement number depends a lot also on the qualifications and experience of the personal injury attorney who is fighting the victim’s case, in particular:
- His experience in settling personal injury cases.
- His practice niche (his firm should derive most of their income from car accident cases).
- His track record (in terms of cases settled successfully). He should demonstrate that he went up against some of the top insurance companies – and won.
- His average car accident settlements should demonstrate that he helped victims of serious cases win a substantial claim, maybe in hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
- He should have settled most cases out-of-court and thereby helped the victim save precious time.
The Process
The average car accident settlement depends on how the lawyer approaches the case. Experienced lawyers investigate the accident, read through the insurance policy, analyze the medical records, speak to the victim’s doctor, obtain an opinion from medical and financial experts, interview the victim and his friends, relations, and coworkers, adopt offbeat methods of extracting evidence, determine the economic and non-economic damages, and do everything to build a strong case and decide the compensation that’s rightfully due to the victim.
Once the attorney builds a strong case, he writes a demand letter to the at-fault party and his insurance company, detailing the items that make up the compensation claim.
The insurance company deputes an adjuster, who is a very skilled negotiator, to settle the claim at a lower figure that the company has decided on. Typically, insurance adjusters lowball the victim and make an even lower offer to leave some negotiation space on the table.
The demand letter kicks off the negotiation process and there is a lot going back and forth. The defendant and his insurance company start the process by making a ridiculous offer that often angers the victim. The negotiation process requires a cool and calm head, perseverance, and a whole lot of patience. Some victims, who find themselves in a tight corner because of their injuries and tight financial situation, accept a low offer and end up receiving a lower claim than they are rightfully entitled to.
If the victim is meticulous and patient, if the lawyer is skilled and experienced, and if the case is strong, the whole settlement process gets wrapped up before the case goes to trial.
After the final negotiation, the victim and his lawyer have to decide if the offer is reasonable and how does it compare to what the victim can be awarded by the courts. If the victim decides to go to court, he should take into account that court settlements can drag on for a long time, and there is always some uncertainty factor because the jury could go either way. Know that experienced lawyers like us work on a contingency fee basis and that the victim does not have to worry about paying us. However, he has to pay the court fees.
That wraps up the whole process. As mentioned earlier, the average car accident settlement amount in Utah ranges between $20,000 and millions of dollars for severe cases. If you would like to know more, we urge you to take advantage of our free meeting offer.
Utah is a no-fault insurance state wherein car drivers are required to purchase a 25/65/15 liability policy ($25,000/ bodily injury per person, $65,000/bodily injury per accident, and $15,000/property damage per accident) and a minimum PIP (Personal Injury Protection) of $3,000. The liability coverage helps pay for injuries and damages that drivers cause to others in an accident while the PIP covers their injuries.
As per Utah’s laws, if the driver’s medical bills exceed his PIP coverage, he can file a claim for bodily injuries, property damages, and pain and suffering damages with the at-fault driver and his insurance company. In case the accident is serious, and if the at-fault party’s liability insurance policy limits are exhausted, then the at-fault party is personally liable to compensate the victim.
What is the Average Car Accident Settlement in Utah and What Does it Depend on?
The average car accident settlement in our state ranges between $20,000 and millions of dollars depending upon the severity of the injuries. Other than that, the settlement number depends a lot also on the qualifications and experience of the personal injury attorney who is fighting the victim’s case, in particular:
- His experience in settling personal injury cases.
- His practice niche (his firm should derive most of their income from car accident cases).
- His track record (in terms of cases settled successfully). He should demonstrate that he went up against some of the top insurance companies – and won.
- His average car accident settlements should demonstrate that he helped victims of serious cases win a substantial claim, maybe in hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
- He should have settled most cases out-of-court and thereby helped the victim save precious time.
The Process
The average car accident settlement depends on how the lawyer approaches the case. Experienced lawyers investigate the accident, read through the insurance policy, analyze the medical records, speak to the victim’s doctor, obtain an opinion from medical and financial experts, interview the victim and his friends, relations, and coworkers, adopt offbeat methods of extracting evidence, determine the economic and non-economic damages, and do everything to build a strong case and decide the compensation that’s rightfully due to the victim.
Once the attorney builds a strong case, he writes a demand letter to the at-fault party and his insurance company, detailing the items that make up the compensation claim.
The insurance company deputes an adjuster, who is a very skilled negotiator, to settle the claim at a lower figure that the company has decided on. Typically, insurance adjusters lowball the victim and make an even lower offer to leave some negotiation space on the table.
The demand letter kicks off the negotiation process and there is a lot going back and forth. The defendant and his insurance company start the process by making a ridiculous offer that often angers the victim. The negotiation process requires a cool and calm head, perseverance, and a whole lot of patience. Some victims, who find themselves in a tight corner because of their injuries and tight financial situation, accept a low offer and end up receiving a lower claim than they are rightfully entitled to.
If the victim is meticulous and patient, if the lawyer is skilled and experienced, and if the case is strong, the whole settlement process gets wrapped up before the case goes to trial.
After the final negotiation, the victim and his lawyer have to decide if the offer is reasonable and how does it compare to what the victim can be awarded by the courts. If the victim decides to go to court, he should take into account that court settlements can drag on for a long time, and there is always some uncertainty factor because the jury could go either way. Know that experienced lawyers like us work on a contingency fee basis and that the victim does not have to worry about paying us. However, he has to pay the court fees.
That wraps up the whole process. As mentioned earlier, the average car accident settlement amount in Utah ranges between $20,000 and millions of dollars for severe cases. If you would like to know more, we urge you to take advantage of our free meeting offer.
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
You need an experienced and skilled car accident attorney to negotiate with insurance adjusters and the at-fault party to ensure that you receive a fair settlement.
We are based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and urge you to set up a free initial meeting to learn how we can negotiate on your behalf. You also can check how we have built strong cases in the past and helped victims get their rightful compensation. You also can check our average car accident settlement amount.
During this no-pressure, no-obligation, and free meeting, you will learn about the strengths and weaknesses of your case, and how our experienced car accident attorneys can nullify the weaknesses.
By meeting us, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
And, we are just a phone call away.
