Published 2026-07-02, Updated 2026-07-07
The bracket points every tool here runs on
A demand letter and an adjuster's counter both start from the same kind of number: economic damages multiplied by a severity factor of 1.5 to 5. This page lays out that ladder once, in full, instead of scattering it across five separate calculator pages. 1.5x covers minor, temporary injuries; roughly 3x to 4x fits moderate injuries such as a herniated disc; 5x or higher applies to severe or permanent harm. None of this is a legal formula, and no insurer is bound to any of it, but it's the same convention this site's tools already run on.
Summary: multiplier by severity band
| Severity band | Multiplier range | What it typically describes |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | 1.5x | Short-term soft tissue injury, full recovery expected, limited or no imaging findings. |
| Moderate | 3.0x to 4.0x | Documented structural injury (for example a herniated disc or surgical fracture) with a defined recovery period. |
| Severe or permanent | 5.0x or higher | Permanent impairment, disfigurement, or catastrophic injury with lifetime care needs. |
Summary: typical settlement range by injury type
These ranges are the site's own model output by injury type, aggregated from each calculator and injury-detail page below. They are starting points for research, not predictions for any individual claim.
| Injury type | Typical multiplier band | Typical total settlement range (site model) |
|---|---|---|
| Whiplash | 1.5x | $2,500 to $10,000 (persistent: $20,000 to $40,000+) |
| Soft tissue injury | 1.5x to 2.5x | $5,000 to $25,000 |
| Broken bone or fracture | 2.5x to 4.0x | $15,000 to $40,000 (surgical: $40,000 to $100,000+) |
| Back injury | 2.5x to 4.0x | $20,000 to $100,000 (surgical or permanent: $150,000 to $250,000+) |
| Herniated disc | 3.0x to 4.0x | $25,000 to $120,000 (surgical: $100,000 to $350,000+) |
| Shoulder injury | 2.5x to 4.0x | $15,000 to $70,000 (surgical: $75,000 to $200,000+) |
| Knee injury | 2.5x to 4.5x | Low five figures to $150,000 (permanent: $200,000 to $500,000+) |
| Scarring or disfigurement | 3.5x to 5.0x | $30,000 to $200,000 |
| Concussion or TBI | 3.0x to 5.0x+ | $20,000 to $80,000 (post-concussion syndrome: $50,000 to $300,000+; severe: $500,000+) |
| Spinal cord injury | 5.0x+ | $200,000 to $500,000 (complete paraplegia: $1M+; quadriplegia: $5M+) |
Worked example, top to bottom
The paper trail behind this table
Every figure on this page traces back to this site's own multiplier calculators and the settlement-range content already published on each injury-type page linked below, not a third-party claims survey or a published national average. No "average settlement amount" appears here, because no dated, verifiable primary source for one exists that would apply to a general reader; publishing one would claim a precision this method doesn't have. The bands were last checked against the site's live calculators on 2026-07-07, and this page's dateModified updates whenever a calculator constant changes.
What this model can't tell you
The multiplier convention appears in no statute. Real insurers run their own internal formulas, none of them public, and any adjuster or defense counsel can depart from a multiplier for reasons specific to a case: comparative fault, policy limits, jurisdiction, treatment gaps, and the strength of medical evidence all move the real number more than this table can. Nothing here is legal advice; if you're evaluating an actual claim, a licensed personal injury attorney should be the one reading your file.
Questions about this reference
Why publish the bracket points instead of just the calculators?
Anyone preparing a demand letter needs to see the full severity ladder in one place, not click through five separate calculator pages to piece it together. This page exists so the multiplier bands and by-injury ranges behind every tool on the site are checkable against each other and citable on their own.
Are these figures pulled from actual claims data?
No. Every number here traces back to this site's own calculator constants and injury-page content, current as of the dates on this page. It is not drawn from insurer files, court records, or a third-party average, and no outside average settlement figure appears anywhere on this page.
See settlement ranges for other injury types or run your numbers in the pain and suffering calculator.