How we research

Editorial standards

How we research personal injury claims

InjuryCompass explains US personal injury and accident claims using public, verifiable sources. This page shows where our information comes from, how we handle settlement figures and how our calculators work, so you can judge how far to rely on what you read here.

  • Official sources
  • Labeled estimates
  • No paid placements
  • Last updated: October 28, 2026
In short: we are not a law firm and we do not sell legal services. No law firm, insurer or referral service can pay to change what we publish. Every guide links to its sources and shows when it was last reviewed.
Who does the research

One editor, accountable for every guide

Our guides are researched and written by the InjuryCompass Editorial Team, led by founder and editor Gerard Cabana. Every deadline, rule and figure is checked against the sources linked in each guide before it is published.

Gerard Cabana, founder and editor of InjuryCompass

Gerard Cabana

Founder and editor

A qualified engineer based in Barcelona, Spain. Not a lawyer. More on our About page.

Sources

Where our information comes from

Laws and deadlinesState statutes and official legislature, court and government websites. When a law changes, such as a filing deadline, we update the guide and its date.
TaxesThe Internal Revenue Code and IRS publications.
Safety and accident dataFederal agencies including NHTSA, FMCSA, OSHA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CMS.
Claims and settlement dataPublished industry figures, such as Insurance Information Institute data on average claim costs, and government databases such as the National Practitioner Data Bank.
Workers’ compensationEach state’s workers’ compensation board or agency and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Lawyers and feesState bar associations and the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
Settlement figures

How we handle settlement numbers

Most personal injury settlements are confidential, so there is no complete public database of what claims are worth. That is why we:

Use averages only with a sourcePublished averages appear only when we can link to the source and its date.
Label every estimateIllustrative examples and ranges are marked as estimates, with how they were built.
Explain the factorsWe show what raises or lowers a claim’s value instead of promising a number.
Say when sources disagreeIf figures differ, we show the range and explain why.
Calculators

How our calculators work

Our calculators use the methods insurers and attorneys commonly use, such as the multiplier and per diem methods for pain and suffering, and standard contingency fee math. Each one:

  1. Shows its formulaSo you can see exactly how the result is reached.
  2. Uses your inputsThe result depends entirely on the numbers you enter.
  3. Stays in your browserNothing you type is stored or sent to us.
  4. Gives an estimateAn educational figure, never a valuation of your case.

Try them on our Tools page.

Updates

How we keep guides current

  • 01Every guide shows a “Last reviewed” date.
  • 02State-by-state tables and published figures are rechecked when laws take effect or new data is released.
  • 03When sources disagree, we say so.
  • 04When we find an error, we correct it and note the change.
Limits

What we don’t do

  • We don’t give legal advice or evaluate individual cases.
  • We don’t recommend specific lawyers or law firms, or sell your information to them.
  • We don’t publish guaranteed settlement amounts: every case depends on its facts, the state and the available insurance.

For advice on your own situation, speak to a licensed attorney in your state.

Spotted an error or an outdated rule?

Tell us which guide and what needs checking, or use our contact page.

contact@injuryycompass.com

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