What is a good personal injury settlement?

Okay, so you want to know what a “good” personal injury settlement is, huh? Well, let me tell you, that’s a tricky question. I mean, there’s no magic number, no one-size-fits-all answer, you know?

I see these articles sometimes throwing around figures like “$52,900 is the average settlement” or “$3,000-$10,000 for moderate injuries.” And honestly? Those numbers just feel…cold. Like, they’re missing the whole point, aren’t they?

Because what about the emotional stuff? The fear that sticks with you after a car accident, even after the bruises heal? The anxiety every time you get behind the wheel again? That’s real, you know?

To me, a truly good settlement would have to do more than just cover the basics, like medical bills and lost wages – although, of course, those are super important! But it also needs to really acknowledge the pain, the suffering, the trauma that I experienced. It should be enough to allow me to heal, to actually move forward with my life, not just barely scrape by and keep worrying about money all the time.

I remember my cousin Sarah getting rear-ended a few years ago. She had whiplash, sure, but the worst part was she couldn’t sleep for months afterwards. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d see the other car coming at her. The settlement she got did cover the physical therapy, but it barely touched the therapy she needed for the PTSD. Was that a good settlement? I don’t know. It felt like it fell short, you know? Like the system just saw her injuries as a dollar amount, not as a real person’s pain.

So, yeah, what’s a good settlement? It’s personal. It’s about what you need to feel whole again. And that’s different for everyone, isn’t it?