The valuation math barely changes between crash types. The rest of it changes a great deal: who pays, what you have to prove, and which procedural trap can zero an otherwise good claim. Each page covers one scenario's mechanics with the calculator attached.
Fault presumptions are the most valuable thing on this page and the least discussed. Some crash types hand you liability before you argue anything. Others put you in an evidence race you can lose in the first week.
| Crash type | Presumed at fault | What actually decides it | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear-end collision | Strongly the following driver | Whether a sudden-stop or chain-reaction defence is available to them | Their liability limits |
| Hit and run | Nobody. The at-fault driver is gone | The first 24 hours: police report filed, nearby cameras canvassed, prompt notice to your own insurer | Your own uninsured-motorist coverage pays, which makes your insurer the opponent |
| T-bone accident | Whoever disobeyed the traffic control | Who had the light. Independent witnesses, signal timing and the geometry of the damage | Their liability limits |
| Uninsured motorist | Not a fault question. This is a coverage claim | Your own policy language: consent-to-settle clauses and whether your state allows stacking | Their limits first, then your UM/UIM as the real ceiling |
| Hit by a drunk driver | Near-conceded against the drunk driver | Collectability, and whether your state's punitive cap has a drunk-driving exception | Liability limits, plus possible dram-shop exposure |
| Pedestrian accident | Usually the driver, and jaywalking reduces recovery rather than barring it | Your comparative-fault share, argued on crosswalk position, lighting and sight lines | The most-missed money: your own auto policy's UM and PIP follow you on foot |
| Motorcycle accident | Usually the turning or merging driver | Countering the bias discount, and what your state's helmet law does to comparative fault | Their liability limits. Keep the bike's property claim away from the injury claim |
| Passenger injury | Almost never you. A passenger's fault share is usually 0% | Which policies are actually on the risk, and how the per-accident cap splits between injured people | Possibly several policies at once, including the driver's you were riding with |
Four of these scenarios carry a mistake that is easy to make and close to impossible to undo. A hit-and-run needs a police report filed quickly, and intersection camera footage is routinely overwritten within days. An underinsured-motorist claim can be voided outright by settling with the at-fault driver without your own insurer's consent, because most policies require it. In a modified-comparative state with a 50% bar, a casual concession of fault in a recorded statement can take the claim to zero. And a passenger who assumes they have one claim often has several, because more than one policy can be on the risk.
None of these are hard to avoid. All of them are hard to reverse. Read your scenario before you speak to any insurer, and know what a recorded statement is for before you agree to give one.
One thing the table cannot show you is the coverage ceiling. A conceded-liability claim against a driver carrying a state-minimum policy can still be capped far below what the injury is worth, which is why your own UM and UIM coverage is usually the first thing to check rather than the last.
The fault presumption does half your work. The honest numbers for the most common crash.
Open →Premises liability: the notice problem, then the same multiplier math.
Open →Hit-and-run settlements usually come from your own uninsured-motorist coverage. How the claim works, what changes, and your honest range with the math shown. Free, no sign-up.?
Open →T-bone settlements turn on who ran the light, and side-impact injuries run severe. The fault evidence that decides these cases, plus your honest range with math shown. Free.?
Open →Hit by a driver with no insurance (or not enough)?
Open →A DUI defendant changes the math: liability is near-conceded, punitive damages enter, and several states remove their punitive caps for impaired driving: cited. What changes, with the arithmetic shown.?
Open →Pedestrian claims pair severe injuries with surprising coverage: the driver's policy, your own auto policy's UM/PIP (yes, on foot), and MedPay. Plus the truth about jaywalking and comparative fault. Math shown, free.?
Open →Motorcycle claims run more severe, and get discounted by rider bias. Run the honest multiplier math for your injuries, with every line shown. Free, no sign-up.?
Open →Passengers almost never share fault, the cleanest claims on the road. Which policies pay, the shared-limits trap, and your honest range with the math shown. Free.?
Open →