Average Settlement for Car Accident in Georgia

Average Settlement for Car Accident in Georgia

Whether you’ve rear-ended a driver on a highway during rush hour or were hit by a neighbor who didn’t see the stop sign, a car accident settlement can close out insurance claims and provide the driver who wasn’t at fault with financial compensation. 

In return, the car accident victim agrees not to take further legal action. 

In the Peach State, Georgia car accident settlements vary, but the Insurance Information Institute reports that the average settlement amount totals to about $20,235. That said, car accident settlements can vary depending on various factors. 

Strap in—whether you’re a Georgia driver or a visitor dealing with an auto accident in-state, this guide is taking a spin through everything you need to know about accident settlements in Georgia.

How Much Are Most Car Accident Settlements?

The first step after a car accident is to file a claim before the statute of limitations for car accidents in Georgia has ended. Once that is completed, then it is important to determine the cost of a car accident settlement by speaking to a personal injury lawyer. When researching the average settlement for a car accident in Georgia, you’ll likely encounter billboard Personal Injury lawyers touting their recent settlements. However, that information isn’t always reliable. 

So, where can you find credible information about the average settlement in Georgia? You have two options:

1. You can calculate the average yourself using a variety of data reported to third-party agencies.
2. You can ask your Georgia car accident attorney about their past cases. 

Let’s start with the first route. 

• In 2021, Georgia insurance companies paid out $7,400,455.88 for auto claims.
• In the same year, the Georgia DOT reported 387,444 car accidents in the state.
• So, the average amount paid per crash in Georgia in 2021 was a whopping $19.10 (of course, not all accidents result in a payout!). 

Clearly, averages aren’t always the most useful metric to use for estimating your settlement amount. The median settlement (the payout in the exact middle of the list of crashes that resulted in a payout) would be more realistic. However, insurance companies generally don’t publish a list of every payout for each car accident case, meaning this metric is difficult to find. 

An honest, transparent personal injury attorney would be a better resource to determine what you’re likely to receive from a car accident settlement. More specifically, they can tell you:

• How many crash clients they’ve represented in the past year
• How many of those car accidents were similar to your case
• How much each of those clients generally received from their settlements
• What you should expect the receive if you pursue a settlement for your case

How Much Does A Lawyer Get From A Car Accident Settlement?

In some cases, a personal injury lawyer may inflate settlement metrics to convince clients to use their services. That’s why it’s important to find a car accident attorney that does two things:

1. Provides transparent information (to the extent that they can without violating their past clients’ confidentiality) about past cases
2. Informs you ahead of time of how much you should expect to spend on their services

Most personal injury lawyers charge 33% of your settlement if your case doesn’t require a lawsuit and 40% of your settlement if you have to go to file a suit or go to court. 

And, for most personal injury firms, that number doesn’t change as your settlement increases. Whether you earn $100,000 or $100,000,000, they still take anywhere from 33 to 40% (even if their workload is the same for both small and large cases).

How Long Do Most Car Accident Settlements Take?

The length of a car accident settlement will depend on the severity and specifics of the crash. Several factors dictate the settlement process, including:

1. How serious are your injuries?
2. What other damage factors are at play?
   A. Did you damage your or another person’s car during an accident?
   B. Did any property damage occur during the accident?
3. How does fault factor in?
   A. Is GA a no-fault state?
   B. Are you (or are you not) at fault, and how difficult is this to prove?
4. How expeditious is the court system in GA?
5. How easy is it to work with your insurance company (and the insurers of any other parties)?

All that said, there’s a lot that goes into a personal injury case. It can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several years to reach a settlement both parties can agree on.

Seeking Help After A Car Accident?

While publicly available data isn’t very helpful in determining how much you should expect to receive in an auto accident settlement case, a fair, honest, and transparent personal injury attorney can help you determine what to expect if you pursue a settlement. 

A personal injury attorney should do everything in their power to resolve your case, meet your expectations for the settlement, and treat you with respect and fairness during the process. 

Injured in an accident? Head over to Mighty's Car Accident Attorney Directory to find a trusted attorney in your area today.

Sources

• Insurance Information Institute. Facts + Statistics: Auto insurance. https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-auto-insurance
• National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Market Share Reports for Property/Casualty Groups and Companies by State and Countrywide 2022 Edition. https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/publication-msr-pb-property-casualty.pdf
• Georgia Department of Transportation. Crash Data. https://gdot.numetric.net/crash-data#/