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If you've recently been in a car accident, chances are you will soon be involved in a settlement for the accident. Settlements generally work best for both parties because both sides avoid the high costs that are associated with the lengthy court room procedures that characterize most litigation. You also get the added benefit of getting the money that you're owed, instead of waiting what could be months while a case waits to be brought before the court. If you'll be involved in a settlement soon, it is imperative that you know how they work.

From the perspective of the insurance company, it is paying the insurance adjuster to get you to release your car accident injury claim for the least amount of money possible. The adjuster that is assigned to your case most likely has a lot of experience in settling these claims and will have a good idea of how a case will turn out in court and this is used to judge the amount that they will offer you. This will depend a lot on the individual situation that you're in so it's hard to put an exact dollar figure on the amount that you can expect to get. For this reason, if your case involves larger sums of money, it would be advisable for you to hire an attorney who also has experience in handling these cases to make sure that you get the right amount of money.

From your perspective, the settlement amount should take into consideration the dollar figure that includes fixing the car and any medical bills you incurred at the bare minimum. But, the settlement should also include compensation for any work that you missed, transportation costs you incurred, such as having to rent a car, and pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is usually around three or four times the costs of the medical bills to compensate you for having to deal with the injury as the result of someone else's negligence. If the injury you sustained in the car accident has the possibility to be a chronic condition, the settlement should also include expense for estimated future medical bills.

Whether you get a high or low offer will depend on a variety of circumstances. The biggest one is if you have the will to sue the insurance company. If it seems that you lack the will or the smarts to successfully bring a suit against the insurance company, they will hit you with a low ball offer, so make sure to not take the option of going to court off the table. The nature of your accident will also determine the car accident compensation amount. Accidents involving drunk drivers tend to award larger settlements than those that involve sober ones. Accidents that look particularly bad are also awarded larger settlements because the pictures of the accident can be shown the jury, who will be more sympathetic to the injured party.

Figuring out the amount that you are to be awarded in a car accident settlement is not an exact science. For most car accidents, the amount can be fairly straightforward, but there is a significant gray area when personal injury is involved. Make sure that you know all the facts about your case before heading to the negotiation table with the insurance company.

Benedict is a regular contributor to the Auto Accident Settlement Center.

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