Sample Attorney Case Summary

Incident narrative

The claimant was stopped at a red light on El Camino Real in San Mateo when a following vehicle struck the rear of their car at an estimated 35 mph. Imaging one week later confirmed a cervical strain and a lumbar strain. The claimant completed 14 weeks of physical therapy and received a cervical epidural steroid injection about eleven weeks after that.

The treating physician records that the claimant has reached maximum medical improvement with a 7% permanent impairment rating to the cervical spine. The intake does not say whether any imaging predates the collision, which is the first thing an insurer will ask about a degenerative-looking cervical finding. Raise it with your attorney.

Liability analysis

Liability is straightforward on the facts provided. The striking driver was cited for following too closely, the police report is in hand, and no share of fault has been identified or alleged against the claimant. The estimate below therefore applies no comparative reduction.

Damages analysis

The figures below are the calculator's output for the stated inputs. The pain and suffering line is the multiplier applied to the economic damages; the deductions are the fixed rates the calculator uses rather than the claimant's actual fee agreement, costs or lien.

Past medical bills

$28,400

Future medical (estimated)

$12,000

Lost wages to date

$14,200

Reduced earning capacity

$8,500

Economic damages

$63,100

Pain and suffering (x3.32)

$209,807

Gross settlement estimate

$272,907

Estimated gross range

$191,035 to $382,070

Attorney fee

- $90,878

Case costs

- $15,010

Medical liens

- $3,408

Estimated net take-home

$163,611

Estimated net range

$114,528 to $229,055

State legal framework

Filing period

2 years from the incident

Comparative fault rule

the pure comparative negligence rule

California does not cap non-economic damages in this kind of claim, so no ceiling was applied to this estimate.

Filing deadline

The deadline below is computed from the incident date and the filing period above. It is the one figure in the document that is never written by the model: it is recomputed in code and compared before the summary is released, because a wrong deadline is the most damaging thing this product could tell someone.

Filing deadline

March 2, 2028

Next steps

1. Obtain and retain every medical record, bill and image relating to this injury, from every treating provider.
2. Start a short daily note on pain and function: what hurts, what you cannot do, how you slept. Contemporaneous notes carry weight that recollection does not.
3. Collect pay stubs, deposit records, and a letter from the employer confirming the dates and wages lost.
4. Obtain the complete police report if it is not already in hand.
5. Ask two or three licensed personal injury attorneys in the state whether they offer a free initial consultation, and take this document to whichever you meet.
6. Do not accept an offer from any insurer before an attorney has read the file. Early offers arrive before the treatment picture is complete.

Disclaimer

This document is an informational case summary prepared from information you provided. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Consult a licensed attorney in your state before making decisions about your claim.