What
actually
happens.
The public record of what civilian-to-civilian car accidents really cost the people who live through them.
Before you sign
anything.
The policy limit is the ceiling.
Most civilian-to-civilian cases are capped at $15K–$30K by the at-fault driver's state-minimum policy. That is the whole universe — before the lawyer and the chiropractor take theirs.
Extended treatment destroys your net.
Every additional month of chiropractic care adds to the medical lien, not your settlement. The longer you treat on a low-limit case, the less you keep.
Fees are on gross, not net.
The lawyer takes 33% of the headline number, not of what actually reaches you. On a policy-limit case with a stacked lien, that fee comes out of a pool that was never truly yours.
Utah. Rear-end.
19% net.
A single civilian-to-civilian rear-end collision in Park City, 2023. The founder's own. The math, in two columns.
What they told me.
"Gross of $15,300. Standard contingency. Usual medical liens. You'll get a check in a few weeks." No net estimate. No mention of policy ceilings. No warning about extended treatment.
What actually happened.
548 days from accident to settlement. Gross of $15,300. Attorney fee $4,600. Medical liens $7,192. Costs $600. Net: $2,906 — nineteen percent. A totaled car and a year and a half of waiting.
Just had an accident?
Do these three things.
Eight questions. Learn which of the four case types you actually have before you sign with anyone.
Printable checklist. Questions to ask the lawyer and the chiropractor. Red flags. Your rights.
1 stories. Searchable by state, insurer, accident type. Numbers labeled with sample size.
One row in the record.