Editorial Policy & Methodology

Last updated: May 18, 2026

This document explains how content is created, reviewed, and maintained on TruckInjuryCalculator.com. We publish this to help you evaluate the trustworthiness of our content.

Editorial Independence

We do not accept money, sponsored content, or referral fees from law firms, insurance companies, or other commercial parties whose interests intersect with our content. The only revenue source for this Site is display advertising via Google AdSense, which is served programmatically and does not influence editorial decisions.

When we mention specific law firms or attorneys in our content, we are doing so for informational reasons (illustrating a notable verdict, citing reported settlement data) — not as endorsements.

Research Process

Every article on this Site goes through the following process:

1. Topic Selection

We prioritize topics based on:

Search demand (what people are actually trying to figure out)
Existing content gaps (where current online resources are misleading, outdated, or commercially biased)
Reader questions submitted via our contact form

2. Primary Source Research

Before writing, we research from primary sources:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) crash data, regulations, and enforcement actions
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash statistics
State Department of Transportation verdict and settlement reports where published
Published court verdicts through PACER (federal) and state court databases
Insurance Information Institute industry data
Bureau of Labor Statistics wage and income data
State statutes for legal procedural information (statutes of limitations, comparative negligence rules)

3. Secondary Source Verification

We verify against secondary sources including law review articles, treatises, and reporting from established legal news outlets (Law360, Above the Law, ABA Journal). We avoid relying on:

Law firm blog posts (often commercially motivated)
Aggregator sites without primary source citations
Outdated articles (we prefer sources from the last 3 years)

4. Writing

Content is drafted to be:

Specific — we cite numbers, dates, and case names where possible
Honest about uncertainty — when data is limited or variable, we say so
Plain language — we avoid legalese where simpler terms work
Updated — every article has a visible “Last updated” date

5. Review

Each article is reviewed against our content quality checklist before publication, with technical legal claims (statutes, negligence rules, damage caps) checked directly against primary sources (see Accuracy & Sourcing below).

Settlement Calculator Methodology

Our settlement calculator uses the multiplier method, a framework commonly used by insurance adjusters and plaintiff attorneys to estimate non-economic damages.

Formula

Settlement = (Economic Damages + (Pain & Suffering Multiplier × Medical Costs)) 
             × State Multiplier 
             × (1 − Fault Percentage)

Pain & Suffering Multipliers (1.5×–5×)

Multiplier	Injury Severity	Examples
1.5×	Minor	Soft tissue injuries, whiplash with full recovery in <6 weeks
2.5×	Moderate	Broken bones, surgery required, 6-month recovery
3.5×	Severe	Permanent disability, ongoing care, scarring
5×	Catastrophic	TBI, paralysis, amputation, wrongful death

These ranges reflect the median multipliers observed in published personal injury verdicts. Actual multipliers in negotiated settlements vary based on evidence strength and adjuster discretion.

State Multipliers (0.7×–1.6×)

State multipliers are illustrative estimates that reflect broad, publicly documented differences in jury verdict averages and insurance settlement patterns across jurisdictions. They are approximations for education — not precise calibrations of any proprietary database — and are reviewed periodically.

Higher-end states (California, New York, Florida) reflect both larger urban jury pools and well-established plaintiff bar networks. Lower-end states (Mississippi, Alabama) reflect documented patterns of more conservative jury awards and tort reform impacts.

What The Calculator Does Not Include

Insurance policy limits (which can cap recovery below the calculated estimate)
Punitive damages (excluded from typical compensatory settlements)
Attorney fees and costs (typically 33–40% contingency plus case expenses)
Medical lien and subrogation payback obligations
Tax treatment of settlement components

Accuracy & Sourcing

Articles addressing legal procedures, statutes, negligence rules, and damage caps are built directly from primary sources — state statutes, government agency data (NHTSA, FMCSA, IIHS), and published court statistics — and cited inline so readers can verify every claim.

We are an independent research team, not a law firm, and we do not employ practicing attorneys; our content is educational and is not legal advice. When we identify an error, we correct it and note the update date on the article.

Content Quality Checklist

Before any article is published, it must:

✅ Have a clear primary source for every quantitative claim
✅ Include a “Last updated” date
✅ Not promise specific case outcomes
✅ Include the standard legal disclaimer
✅ Link to relevant deeper resources where applicable
✅ Be readable at an 8th-grade level for accessibility

Corrections & Updates

We update articles when:

Underlying statutes or regulations change
Court verdicts or settlements change typical ranges
A reader identifies a factual error
An annual review identifies stale information

When we make substantive corrections, the article’s “Last updated” date changes and the change is noted at the bottom of the article.

To request a correction, contact us.

What We Are Not

We are not a law firm. We are not an attorney referral service. We do not provide legal advice. We do not sell user data. We do not accept money from law firms.

For specific legal advice on your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.