What is a car accident claim worth in Vermont?

Every rule below is quoted from Vermont law or a state agency, with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.

Vermont · At fault3 yearsto sue for injuries

The short answer

Nobody can price your claim from a web page, and any site that gives you one number is guessing. What we can show you is real: the amount insurers actually paid per claim in Vermont, and the Vermont rules that raise or lower what you collect. $24,857 was the average injury claim paid in Vermont in 2022.

Six questions, no sign up

Nothing you pick is sent anywhere or saved. The answer appears on this page.

Was anyone hurt?
Who caused the crash?
Does the other driver have insurance?
How bad is the car?
Did anyone miss work?
Did police write a report?

What claims paid in Vermont

Injury claims in Vermont averaged $24,857 each in 2022.

Car and property damage claims averaged $5,385.

Average amount paid per claim in Vermont, 2022. Source: NAIC 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report.
Injury claim paid by the at fault driver's insurance$24,857
Car and property damage$5,385
Medical payments coverage, paid by your own policy$4,004
Collision coverage, paid by your own policy$6,392

These are averages of every claim insurers closed, from the largest to the smallest. A claim with a hospital stay sits far above the average, and a fender bender sits far below it.

What changes the number in Vermont

If you were partly at fault

Vermont uses modified comparative negligence. You can recover damages as long as your share of fault is not greater than the fault of the person you are suing. If your fault is more than the other side's, you recover nothing.

“Contributory negligence shall not bar recovery in an action by any plaintiff to recover damages for negligence resulting in death, personal injury or property damage, if the negligence was not greater than the causal total negligence of the defendant or defendants”

12 V.S.A. § 1036

The other driver's policy limit is the ceiling

The minimum liability limits are $25,000 for one injured person, $50,000 for two or more people injured or killed in one crash, and $10,000 for property damage.

“in the amounts of at least $25,000.00 for one person and $50,000.00 for two or more persons killed or injured and $10,000.00 for damages to property in any one crash”

23 V.S.A. § 800

If the other driver has no insurance

Insurers must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on every auto liability policy, at least matching the state's minimum limits, unless the policyholder chooses different limits.

“coverages under subsections (a) and (b) of this section for new or renewed policies shall be not less than $50,000.00 for one person and $100,000.00 for two or more persons killed or injured”

23 V.S.A. § 941

The deadline that ends the claim

You have three years from the date you are injured, or from when you discover the injury, to sue over injuries from a car crash.

“Actions for the following causes shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues”

12 V.S.A. § 512

What a lawyer takes if you hire one

Vermont has no cap on personal injury contingency fee percentages, but the fee must be reasonable and the agreement must be in writing, signed by the client, and state how the fee is calculated.

“A contingent fee agreement shall be in a writing signed by the client and shall state the method by which the fee is to be determined, including the percentage or percentages that shall accrue to the lawyer in the event of settlement, trial or appeal”

Vermont Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.5(c)

Sources on this page

Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.

  1. 12 V.S.A. § 1036
  2. 23 V.S.A. § 800
  3. 23 V.S.A. § 941
  4. 12 V.S.A. § 512
  5. Vermont Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.5(c)

Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.