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A broken bone is one of the strongest injury claims you can bring. An x-ray settles the argument about whether you were hurt, which is the fight that swallows most soft tissue claims. What people underestimate is how much California law, rather than the fracture itself, decides the final number. Two people with identical broken ankles can end up $200,000 apart because of coverage, county, and one ballot measure from 1996.
Key facts at a glance
California Broken Bone Settlement Values (2026)
Last updated
- Typical California range
- $20,000 for a cast-only break to $650,000+ for a surgically repaired hip or pelvis. Wrist $32,000 to $275,000; ankle $35,000 to $300,000; tibia and fibula $45,000 to $375,000; femur $70,000 to $550,000.
- Surgery is the biggest lever
- A fracture repaired with plates, screws, or a rod typically settles for 2.5 to 4 times what the same bone is worth in a cast. Permanent hardware, surgical scarring, and later arthritis each count as their own item of damage in California.
- Uninsured drivers lose most of it
- An uninsured vehicle owner or driver recovers no pain and suffering at all in California, even in a crash that was entirely the other driver's fault (Proposition 213, Civil Code § 3333.4). On a fracture claim that removes roughly 60 to 75 percent of the value.
- The bill is not the number
- California limits medical damages to what a provider actually accepted, not what was billed, and the billed figure cannot be shown to a jury to argue pain and suffering. Trauma bills carry the deepest discounts, so this hits fracture cases harder than any other injury type.
- The $30,000 problem
- California requires only $30,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, and about 17 percent of drivers carry none. One surgical repair of a leg passes $30,000 before discharge, so available insurance, not the injury, usually sets the outcome.
- Deadlines
- Two years to file for most claims (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). Only six months to file a written claim if a government agency is involved (Government Code § 911.2), which catches people whose bone broke on a public sidewalk or a city bus.
Sources: Civil Code §§ 3333.4, 1431.2 and 3333.3; Vehicle Code § 16056 as amended by SB 1107; Code of Civil Procedure §§ 335.1 and 998; Government Code § 911.2; Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions, Inc. (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541; Corenbaum v. Lampkin (2013) 215 Cal.App.4th 1308; California Civil Jury Instruction 3905A; Insurance Research Council uninsured motorist data via the Insurance Information Institute; SetCalc analysis of California settlement outcomes, 2024 to 2026. Get your free California fracture estimate →
California Fracture Settlement Values, Bone by Bone
Which bone you broke matters more than most people expect. Weight-bearing bones cost more to treat, take longer to heal, and are far more likely to leave a permanent limitation, so they carry the highest California values. These are total settlement figures, covering medical damages, lost wages, and pain and suffering together.
| Bone | Cast or brace only | With surgery | Why it lands where it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finger or toe | $10,000 - $40,000 | $30,000 - $95,000 | Low unless it is a dominant hand or you work with your hands |
| Nose | $12,000 - $45,000 | $35,000 - $110,000 | Visible change to the face raises the disfigurement component sharply |
| Ribs | $18,000 - $70,000 | $60,000 - $225,000 | Multiple ribs, a punctured lung, or surgical fixation move this to the top |
| Hand (metacarpal) | $22,000 - $70,000 | $65,000 - $185,000 | Grip strength loss drives value for trades, drivers, and medical workers |
| Collarbone (clavicle) | $28,000 - $85,000 | $75,000 - $225,000 | Very common in California motorcycle and bicycle crashes; plates often stay in |
| Forearm (radius or ulna) | $30,000 - $90,000 | $85,000 - $250,000 | Both bones broken together roughly doubles the surgical figure |
| Wrist (distal radius) | $32,000 - $95,000 | $90,000 - $275,000 | The most common fracture there is; permanent loss of rotation is what pays |
| Shoulder blade (scapula) | $30,000 - $95,000 | $85,000 - $250,000 | Takes serious force, so it usually comes with other injuries that raise the total |
| Foot (including heel bone) | $30,000 - $95,000 | $90,000 - $285,000 | Heel fractures are notorious for permanent pain and standing limits |
| Jaw or facial bones | $35,000 - $110,000 | $95,000 - $350,000 | Wiring the jaw shut, dental damage, and facial scarring stack up quickly |
| Ankle | $35,000 - $105,000 | $100,000 - $300,000 | Three-part breaks and later arthritis are common; you cannot rest an ankle |
| Upper arm (humerus) | $40,000 - $120,000 | $110,000 - $325,000 | Nerve damage affecting hand and wrist movement is a known complication |
| Kneecap (patella) | $38,000 - $110,000 | $105,000 - $300,000 | Kneeling, stairs, and squatting are often permanently affected |
| Lower leg (tibia and fibula) | $45,000 - $130,000 | $125,000 - $375,000 | The shin has poor blood supply, so slow healing and repeat surgery are common |
| Spine compression fracture | $65,000 - $185,000 | $175,000 - $550,000 | Vertebra collapse; insurers blame age, so imaging timing matters enormously |
| Thigh (femur) | $70,000 - $185,000 | $175,000 - $550,000 | The strongest bone in the body; breaking it means serious force and long recovery |
| Hip | $75,000 - $200,000 | $190,000 - $650,000 | In older adults this frequently ends independent living, which drives the value |
| Pelvis | $80,000 - $225,000 | $200,000 - $750,000 | Among the most serious survivable fractures; internal injuries usually come with it |
Source: SetCalc analysis of California settlement and verdict outcomes, 2024 to 2026. Total claim values before any reduction for your share of fault, and assuming enough insurance exists to pay. For national fracture ranges, see our broken bone settlement calculator.
The Dominant Hand and the Working Body
The Surgery and Hardware Jump
Surgical repair, usually called open reduction and internal fixation, is the single biggest value driver in a California fracture claim. It means the surgeon opens the site, realigns the bone, and holds it with hardware. Below is what actually changes when that happens.
Treated in a cast
- • Emergency room, imaging, casting, follow-ups
- • Six to twelve weeks of restriction
- • Some physical therapy afterward
- • Usually no permanent restriction
Pain and suffering typically runs 2 to 3 times the amount paid for medical care.
Repaired with hardware
- • Anesthesia, surgery, and an inpatient stay
- • Three to nine months of recovery
- • A permanent surgical scar
- • Metal that either stays in for life or requires a second operation
- • Frequently a lasting restriction
Pain and suffering typically runs 3.5 to 5 times the amount paid for medical care.
Notice that both the base and the multiplier go up. That is why the surgical column in the table above is roughly two and a half to four times the cast column rather than merely somewhat higher.
Do Not Settle Before Hardware Removal Is Decided
Four California Rules That Move the Number More Than the Fracture Does
These four rules are the reason a California fracture claim cannot be estimated with a generic national calculator. Two of them raise the value. Two of them can gut it.
1. Driving uninsured removes your pain and suffering
Proposition 213, now Civil Code section 3333.4, bars an uninsured vehicle owner or driver from recovering any non-economic damages, even in a crash that was entirely the other driver's fault. Since pain and suffering is normally 60 to 75 percent of a fracture settlement, a $180,000 case becomes a $50,000 case. The same bar applies if you were convicted of driving under the influence in the crash.
Exceptions that save the claim: you were a passenger and did not own the car; you were driving an employer-owned vehicle in the scope of work; the crash happened on private property; the at-fault driver was convicted of a DUI; or you were a pedestrian or cyclist rather than in a vehicle.
2. Your hospital bill is not the number you multiply
California limits past medical damages to what the provider actually accepted as full payment, not the sticker price (Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541). A follow-up decision held the billed figure cannot even be shown to a jury to argue pain and suffering (Corenbaum v. Lampkin (2013) 215 Cal.App.4th 1308). Fracture cases feel this more than any other injury because trauma and orthopedic bills carry the deepest payer discounts. A $140,000 surgical bill settled at $34,000 gives you a $34,000 base in California.
The rule flips if you had no health coverage and remain liable for the full bill, or if you treated on a medical lien. Then your damages are the reasonable value of the care, and the full charges can go before a jury with supporting expert testimony.
3. There is no cap, and partial fault never ends your claim
California places no ceiling on pain and suffering in ordinary injury cases, so a catastrophic pelvis or hip fracture is limited only by available insurance. And California uses pure comparative fault: your percentage of blame reduces the award proportionally and never bars it. Someone 60 percent responsible for their own crash still recovers 40 percent of a California fracture claim. In most of the country that same person recovers nothing.
4. Each defendant pays only its own share of pain and suffering
Under Proposition 51, now Civil Code section 1431.2, non-economic damages in California are several only. You can collect all of your medical bills and lost wages from any one defendant, but each one owes only its own percentage of your pain and suffering. If a jury splits fault between a trucking company and a driver with no policy, the uninsured driver's share of your pain and suffering is simply lost. This is why identifying a second, solvent defendant early changes fracture outcomes so much.
For a deeper walk through how California values the pain and suffering portion itself, see our California pain and suffering calculator.
The Real Ceiling on Most California Fracture Claims
Here is the uncomfortable truth about California fracture claims. The value tables above assume there is money to pay them. Very often there is not.
California requires drivers to carry only $30,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 per crash, and $15,000 for property damage. Those minimums rose from 15/30/5 on January 1, 2025, the first increase since 1967, and they rise again to 50/100/25 in 2035. Even after the increase, $30,000 does not cover one night in a California trauma center plus a surgical repair.
A typical California surgical leg fracture against a minimum policy
- • What the claim is worth on the merits: about $210,000
- • At-fault driver's bodily injury coverage: $30,000
- • At-fault driver's collectible assets: none
- • Your own underinsured motorist coverage: $100,000
- • Realistic total recovery: about $100,000, made up of the $30,000 liability payment plus $70,000 from your own policy
California underinsured motorist coverage works by offset. Your carrier pays the difference between your limit and what the at-fault driver paid, not your limit on top.
Where else the money can come from
- ✓Your own underinsured motorist coverage. California insurers must offer it, and you can only decline it in writing. Check your declarations page. Many people have it and do not know.
- ✓The vehicle owner, if it was not the driver. A borrowed car brings the owner's policy into play.
- ✓An employer. If the at-fault driver was working, delivering, or driving a company vehicle, a commercial policy applies. California's port and logistics traffic means this is common on the 710, the 60, and the Inland Empire corridors.
- ✓A commercial or interstate truck. Federal rules require $750,000 to $5,000,000 in coverage, which changes the entire analysis.
- ✓A property owner or a government agency. A fracture from a broken sidewalk, an unlit stairwell, or a parking structure defect is a premises claim with different, usually larger, coverage.
- ✓A defective product. A seat, a helmet, a ladder, or a machine that failed brings a manufacturer into the case.
About 17 Percent of California Drivers Carry No Insurance
What a Fracture Is Worth After the Bone Heals
Adjusters like to value a fracture as if the story ends when the cast comes off. It rarely does. Each of the following is a separate item of damage in California, and each one you can document raises the number.
Permanent hardware
Metal that stays in your body for life sets off airport scanners, aches in cold weather, and limits some imaging and future procedures. California juries are instructed on physical impairment and inconvenience as their own categories, and permanent hardware fits both.
Surgical scarring
Disfigurement is named directly in the California jury instruction. A California court explained the point plainly: there is no market price for a scar, and that is exactly why a jury sets the amount. Photograph any scar at 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months in consistent lighting, because scars fade before anyone sees them.
Post-traumatic arthritis
When a break runs into a joint surface, arthritis in that joint is a well-recognized consequence, often appearing years later. If your surgeon documents that risk, it supports future medical costs and future pain and suffering, which California does not discount to present value.
A bone that heals badly or not at all
A nonunion means it never knitted. A malunion means it healed crooked. Either one typically means another surgery, sometimes a bone graft, and a much longer story. The shin is the most common site because of its poor blood supply.
Nerve damage and lasting numbness
Upper arm and wrist fractures can leave permanent numbness, weakness, or drop in the hand. Nerve conduction testing turns a subjective complaint into objective proof, which is very hard for an adjuster to argue away.
Permanent work restrictions
A written lifting, standing, climbing, or kneeling limit is the highest-value document in most California fracture files. It supports lost earning capacity, which in California is the money you can no longer earn going forward, not just the paychecks already missed.
Ask for a Functional Capacity Evaluation
If You Broke the Bone at Work in California
California workers compensation covers the medical treatment, pays temporary disability while you are off, and pays a permanent disability rating at the end. What it does not pay, at all, is pain and suffering. That is the trade the system makes: you get paid without proving anyone was at fault, and you give up the largest part of an injury claim.
The part people miss is that workers compensation is not always the end of it. If someone other than your employer or a co-worker caused the injury, California lets you bring a separate claim against that person or company on top of the workers compensation case, and that claim does include pain and suffering (Labor Code section 3852).
Common third-party fracture cases in California
- • You were driving for work and another motorist hit you
- • A subcontractor on the same job site created the hazard
- • A delivery driver from another company struck you
- • A defective machine, ladder, or scaffold failed
- • You fell on property owned by someone other than your employer
Your Employer's Insurer Will Want Its Money Back
California Fracture Values by County
Insurance companies price claims against what a jury in that county would likely do. The gap between the top and bottom of this table is roughly 40 percent on identical injuries.
| County | Wrist, cast only | Leg with surgery | What drives the difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $38,000 - $108,000 | $145,000 - $425,000 | Largest injury docket in the country and consistently high awards |
| San Francisco | $40,000 - $112,000 | $150,000 - $440,000 | Highest medical costs and wages in the state lift every component |
| Alameda (Oakland) | $36,000 - $102,000 | $138,000 - $405,000 | Claimant-friendly jury pool; heavy freeway and port truck traffic |
| San Diego | $33,000 - $94,000 | $125,000 - $370,000 | Middle of the range; large military and medical presence in the jury pool |
| Orange | $32,000 - $90,000 | $120,000 - $355,000 | More conservative than neighboring Los Angeles on identical facts |
| Sacramento | $30,000 - $86,000 | $115,000 - $340,000 | Moderate awards; more public-agency defendants than anywhere else in the state |
| Riverside and San Bernardino | $26,000 - $76,000 | $100,000 - $300,000 | Lowest of the major venues, but the heaviest commercial truck exposure |
Source: SetCalc analysis of California county settlement and verdict outcomes, 2024 to 2026. Total claim values assuming adequate insurance.
Four Worked California Fracture Examples
Each example runs the full California sequence: the amount actually paid rather than billed, a multiplier that reflects the injury, the fault reduction, and whatever else California law does to the number.
Example 1: Wrist fracture in a cast, Los Angeles County
The facts
- Rear-ended at a stoplight, no fault on the claimant
- Distal radius fracture, non-displaced, cast for seven weeks
- Billed $21,000, health plan paid $6,800
- Lost wages $3,400
- Full recovery, no lasting restriction
The California math
- Base under the paid rule: $10,200
- Multiplier 2.5 to 3
- Pain and suffering: $25,500 to $30,600
- No fault reduction
Settlement range
$36,000 - $42,000
A clean break with a clean recovery. The x-ray does the work that a soft tissue claim never gets.
Example 2: Tibia and fibula with a rod, Alameda County, shared fault
The facts
- Motorcycle down at an intersection, claimant 25 percent at fault
- Both lower leg bones broken, rod inserted
- Billed $186,000, health plan paid $47,000
- Lost wages $28,000, six months off
- Permanent limp, 8 inch surgical scar, arthritis expected
The California math
- Base under the paid rule: $75,000
- Multiplier 4 to 4.5, surgery plus permanent effects
- Pain and suffering before fault: $300,000 to $338,000
- Subtotal $375,000 to $413,000, less 25 percent fault
Settlement range
$281,000 - $310,000
Assumes enough coverage exists. Against a $30,000 minimum policy with no other defendant, the realistic recovery drops to whatever underinsured motorist coverage the rider carried.
Example 3: The same leg fracture, but the rider's policy had lapsed
The facts
- Identical injury, identical surgery, identical recovery
- Rider owned the motorcycle and coverage had lapsed
- Still only 25 percent at fault
- Other driver not charged with a DUI
The California math
- Medical damages: $47,000
- Lost wages: $28,000
- Pain and suffering: barred by Civil Code § 3333.4
- Subtotal $75,000, less 25 percent fault
Settlement range
About $56,000
Same shattered leg, same permanent limp, roughly $225,000 to $255,000 of value erased by a lapsed policy.
Example 4: Hip fracture on a public sidewalk, San Diego County
The facts
- 68 year old tripped on a raised, previously reported sidewalk slab
- Hip fracture, surgical repair, four weeks in rehabilitation
- Billed $164,000, Medicare paid $41,000
- Now uses a cane and no longer drives at night
- Written claim filed with the city inside six months
The California math
- Base under the paid rule: $41,000, no wage loss (retired)
- Multiplier 4.5 to 5.5, permanent loss of independence
- Pain and suffering: $185,000 to $225,000
- Less 20 percent fault for not watching the walkway
Settlement range
$180,000 - $213,000
Had the six month government claim deadline been missed, the entire case would be worth nothing regardless of the injury.
These are illustrations built from typical California payer discounts, fault splits, and award patterns, not reports of specific cases. For more scenarios, see our settlement examples guide.
California Deadlines That End Fracture Claims
Two years for most claims
You have two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit in California (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). That sounds like plenty until you remember that a serious fracture takes 12 to 24 months to reach maximum medical improvement, which leaves very little runway between finishing treatment and the deadline.
Six months if a government agency is involved
A city bus, a public sidewalk, a county vehicle, a transit platform, a school district van, a state highway crew. Any of these requires a written administrative claim within six months of the injury (Government Code section 911.2), and then a lawsuit within six months of a mailed rejection. Miss the six month claim and the case is usually over, no matter how badly you were hurt.
Fractures on public property are common and this deadline is brutal, because the bone is often still healing when the six months run out.
Children get more time
For a child injured in California, the two year clock generally does not start until the 18th birthday. The six month government claim requirement is a separate matter and should be treated as urgent regardless.
A California Tool That Costs the Insurer Money
What Shrinks a California Fracture Claim
- ✗Settling before maximum medical improvement. Fractures develop late problems more than any other injury. Hardware removal, a bone that heals crooked, and arthritis all appear after month six. A release closes the door on all of them permanently.
- ✗Skipping physical therapy once the cast is off. Adjusters read a stopped therapy course as proof you were fine. It also genuinely costs you the documentation of your remaining limits, which is what future damages rest on.
- ✗Letting a gap open in treatment. Six weeks of silence in the medical records is the most reliable way to lose value in California, and it is the first thing an adjuster looks for.
- ✗Not confirming coverage was in force on the crash date. A policy that lapsed for non-payment means Proposition 213 removes your pain and suffering. Get the declarations page before you value anything.
- ✗Posting on social media. One photo of you standing at a barbecue gets shown next to your testimony about a permanent limp. It proves nothing and it does not have to. It only needs to create doubt.
- ✗Accepting the first offer. Opening offers on California fracture claims routinely land 50 to 70 percent below fair value, because the adjuster is pricing the cast and ignoring everything that came after.
- ✗Multiplying the billed amount. It produces a number three or four times too high, you anchor to it, and every real offer then feels like an insult. Start from what your providers actually accepted.
One Fracture Detail Insurers Attack Constantly
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average settlement for a broken bone in California?
There is no single average, because a broken finger and a shattered femur are not the same claim. In California, fractures that heal in a cast typically settle between $20,000 and $110,000. Fractures needing surgery with plates, screws, or a rod typically settle between $90,000 and $375,000. Weight-bearing bones sit at the top: a surgically repaired femur or hip commonly lands between $175,000 and $650,000. California pushes above national numbers because there is no cap on pain and suffering in ordinary injury cases and because medical care and wages both cost more here.
How much is a broken leg worth in a California car accident?
A tibia or fibula fracture treated without surgery typically settles for $45,000 to $130,000 in California. The same break with surgical repair typically settles for $125,000 to $375,000. A femur fracture, the thigh bone, runs higher: about $70,000 to $185,000 without surgery and $175,000 to $550,000 with a rod or plate. Femur and tibia breaks are worth more than arm breaks because they carry your body weight, take longer to heal, and frequently leave permanent limits on walking, standing, and stairs.
Does surgery increase a California fracture settlement?
Substantially. In California, a fracture repaired with hardware typically settles for two and a half to four times what the same bone is worth in a cast. Three things drive that jump: the surgery itself costs far more, so economic damages rise; the recovery is longer and more painful, which supports a higher pain and suffering figure; and permanent hardware, surgical scarring, and later arthritis are each compensable in their own right under California law. California juries are specifically instructed that disfigurement and physical impairment are separate items of damage.
Can I get pain and suffering for a broken bone if I was driving uninsured in California?
Usually no, and it is devastating to a fracture claim. Proposition 213, now Civil Code section 3333.4, bars an uninsured vehicle owner or driver from recovering any pain and suffering, even when the other driver caused the entire crash. Since pain and suffering is normally 60 to 75 percent of a fracture settlement, this typically removes most of the claim value. The main exceptions are: you were a passenger who did not own the car, you were driving an employer-owned vehicle at work, the crash happened on private property, or the at-fault driver was convicted of a DUI.
Do I multiply my hospital bill or the amount that was actually paid?
In California you use the amount actually paid and accepted, not the amount billed. Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541 limits past medical damages to what the provider took as full payment. Corenbaum v. Lampkin (2013) 215 Cal.App.4th 1308 held the full billed figure cannot even be shown to a jury to argue pain and suffering. This hits fracture cases hard because trauma bills carry the largest discounts of any care type. A $140,000 surgical bill that health insurance settled for $34,000 gives you a $34,000 base in California.
What if the at-fault driver only had minimum insurance in California?
This is the practical ceiling on most California fracture claims. California requires only $30,000 in bodily injury coverage per person. A single surgical repair of a tibia or femur passes $30,000 before the patient leaves the hospital. When the at-fault driver carries only the minimum, the real question stops being what your claim is worth and becomes where else money can be found: your own underinsured motorist coverage, a second at-fault party, a commercial vehicle policy, an employer, or the driver’s personal assets. About 17 percent of California drivers carry no insurance at all, so this comes up constantly.
How long do I have to file a broken bone claim in California?
Two years from the date of injury for most personal injury claims, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a government agency is involved, a city bus, a public sidewalk, a county truck, or a transit agency, you must file a written administrative claim within six months under Government Code section 911.2, and then file suit within six months of a mailed rejection. Fractures on public sidewalks and in public parking structures are common and the six month deadline catches people out, because the bone is often still healing when it runs.
I broke a bone at work in California. Can I still get pain and suffering?
Not from workers compensation. California workers compensation pays medical treatment, temporary disability, and a permanent disability rating, and it pays nothing for pain and suffering. But if someone other than your employer or a co-worker caused the injury, a delivery driver, a property owner, a subcontractor, or a defective machine manufacturer, you can bring a separate third-party injury claim on top of the workers compensation case, and that claim does include pain and suffering (Labor Code section 3852). Your employer’s insurer will then seek repayment out of the recovery, and that share is negotiable.
Does a broken bone that healed completely still have value in California?
Yes. California juries are told they may award money for the injury itself, not only for lasting pain. A displaced fracture that required setting under sedation, six weeks in a cast, and two months of therapy is worth real money even with a clean final x-ray. Where a fully healed fracture loses value is on the future side: with no permanent restriction and no ongoing pain, there is little basis for future pain and suffering, and the case is valued on what you went through rather than what is ahead.
How long should I wait before settling a California fracture claim?
Until your treating doctor says you have reached maximum medical improvement, meaning you are as recovered as you are going to get. Fractures are the injury type most likely to develop late problems: hardware that has to be removed in a second surgery, a bone that heals crooked or does not heal at all, post-traumatic arthritis in a nearby joint, and nerve damage that shows up months later. A release signed at month four closes the door on all of it. Most California surgical fracture claims settle 12 to 24 months after the injury for exactly this reason.
Among the 143 reported California fracture results SetCalc tracks, half came in above about $1 million, and the smallest was $100,000. Reported cases are mostly the big ones, so a routine California fracture claim settles for far less than that. Browse the reported results.
What Is Your California Fracture Claim Actually Worth?
Get an estimate built on your specific bone, whether hardware was used, your county, your share of fault, and the California rules that most calculators leave out. Free, and reviewed by a licensed personal injury attorney.
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