Personal Injury Statistics 2026: Crashes, Injuries, Trials and Payouts

Last updated: November 2026

Personal injury law covers a wide range of harm: traffic crashes, falls, workplace incidents, dog bites, defective products, and medical malpractice. To help you understand the size and shape of the personal injury landscape, we collected the latest personal injury statistics for 2026 from government agencies and other primary sources. Every figure below links to its original source and is labeled with the year the data covers.

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Key takeaways

• An estimated 36,640 people died in U.S. motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2025, down about 6.7% from 39,254 in 2024 (NHTSA early estimate, 2025 data).
• About 2.42 million people were injured in police-reported traffic crashes in 2024 (NHTSA, 2024 data).
• 54.5 million people, about 1 in 5, sought medical attention for an injury in 2024 (NSC, 2024 data).
• Unintentional injuries killed 197,449 people in 2024 and were the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS, 2024 data).
• Dog-related liability claims cost homeowners insurers $1,862 million in 2025, with an average of $65,450 per claim (Insurance Information Institute, 2025 data).
• Plaintiffs won about half of tort trials, but only 22.7% of medical malpractice trials (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005 data, the most recent national BJS tort trial survey).

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Laws, deadlines, and outcomes vary by state and by case.

Frequently asked questions about personal injury

How big is the personal injury industry?

IBISWorld estimated the U.S. personal injury lawyers and attorneys industry at $57.3 billion in revenue in 2024, with 48,397 businesses (IBISWorld industry report, 2024 estimate; IBISWorld).

What are the most common types of personal injury cases?

Among tort cases decided at trial in state courts, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found (BJS, 2005 data; Bureau of Justice Statistics):

• Motor vehicle (automobile) accidents: nearly 60% of tort trials
• Medical malpractice: 15% of tort trials
• Premises liability: 11% of tort trials
• Product liability: an estimated 2% of tort trials

How long do most personal injury cases take?

For tort cases that went all the way to a trial verdict, the median time from filing to verdict or judgment was (BJS, 2005 data; Bureau of Justice Statistics):

• All tort trials: 22.3 months
• Motor vehicle accident trials: 20.1 months
• Medical malpractice trials: 30.0 months
• Premises liability trials: 24.5 months
• Intentional tort trials: 23.2 months

Most claims never reach trial. In a Nolo reader survey, the average time to resolve a personal injury claim was 11.4 months, and 30% of readers waited more than a year (Nolo reader survey, 2017 data; Nolo).

Related: Personal Injury Blog Post Topics

General injury statistics

These figures give a broad view of how often Americans are hurt or killed by injuries of all kinds.

1. There were 43.5 million emergency department visits for injuries in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS, 2022 data; CDC FastStats). Of those, 26.2 million were visits for unintentional injuries (CDC/NCHS, 2022 data; CDC FastStats).

2. 54.5 million people, about 1 in 5, sought medical attention for an injury (NSC, 2024 data; National Safety Council Injury Facts).

3. 271,729 people died from injuries of all kinds (unintentional and intentional), a rate of 79.9 deaths per 100,000 population (CDC/NCHS, 2024 data; CDC FastStats).

4. Unintentional injuries caused 197,449 deaths, a rate of 58.1 per 100,000 population, ranking as the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS, 2024 data; CDC FastStats). The National Safety Council reports that preventable injury deaths fell from 222,698 in 2023 to 197,449 in 2024, but remain far above the 86,777 recorded in 1992 (NSC, 2024 data; National Safety Council Injury Facts).

5. Unintentional poisoning was the leading cause of unintentional injury death, with 75,761 deaths, followed by unintentional falls (48,308 deaths) and motor vehicle traffic (41,241 deaths) (CDC/NCHS, 2024 data; CDC FastStats).

6. Firearm injuries caused 44,447 deaths, a rate of 13.1 per 100,000 population (CDC/NCHS, 2024 data; CDC FastStats).

Car accident and traffic injury statistics

Motor vehicle crashes are the largest source of personal injury litigation, so traffic safety data is the most closely watched set of PI statistics.

1. An estimated 36,640 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2025, a decrease of about 6.7% from the 39,254 fatalities reported in 2024. The 2025 fatality rate was 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the second lowest rate on record (NHTSA early estimate, 2025 data; NHTSA). NHTSA notes these counts will be revised when final files are released in early 2027.

2. 39,254 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024, down 4.3% from 41,025 in 2023. The 2024 fatality rate was 1.19 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (NHTSA, 2024 data; NHTSA).

3. An estimated 2.42 million people were injured in traffic crashes, and police reported an estimated 6.18 million crashes (NHTSA, 2024 data; NHTSA).

4. Using a broader definition that includes non-traffic incidents and deaths within one year of a crash, the National Safety Council counted 42,789 motor vehicle deaths and 4.9 million medically consulted injuries, with total motor vehicle injury costs estimated at $559.3 billion (NSC, 2024 data; National Safety Council Injury Facts).

5. Key crash factors and road users (NHTSA, 2024 data; NHTSA):

6. Florida recorded 3,138 traffic fatalities in 2024, down from 3,375 in 2023; 769 of the 2024 deaths (24%) were in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes (NHTSA, 2024 data; NHTSA).

7. Motor vehicle crashes cost the U.S. economy $340 billion in 2019, and the total value of societal harm, including quality-of-life losses, was nearly $1.4 trillion (NHTSA, 2019 data, revised report; NHTSA).

Why the numbers differ: NHTSA counts traffic deaths that occur within 30 days of a crash on public roads, while NSC and CDC count motor vehicle deaths from death certificates using different criteria. That is why NHTSA (39,254), CDC (41,241 motor vehicle traffic deaths) and NSC (42,789) report different totals for 2024.

Workplace injury statistics

1. There were 5,070 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2024, down 4.0% from 5,283 in 2023. That is one worker death every 104 minutes, or 3.3 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers (BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2024 data; Bureau of Labor Statistics).

2. Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal work event, accounting for 38.2% of occupational fatalities (1,937 deaths), and fatal falls, slips, and trips totaled 844 (BLS, 2024 data; Bureau of Labor Statistics).

3. Private industry employers reported 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, the lowest number since this data series began in 2003 (BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2024 data; Bureau of Labor Statistics).

4. Work-related medically consulted injuries totaled 3.95 million, and work injuries cost an estimated $181.4 billion (NSC, 2024 data; National Safety Council Injury Facts).

Dog bite statistics

1. About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, most of them children (Insurance Information Institute).

2. Liability claims related to dog bites and other dog-related injuries cost homeowners insurers $1,862 million in 2025. The number of claims rose 25.6% to 28,450, from 22,658 in 2024, while the average cost per claim fell 5.5% to $65,450 (Insurance Information Institute and State Farm, 2025 data; Insurance Information Institute).

3. The average cost per dog bite claim rose 97.0% from 2016 to 2025. California had the most claims (2,830), followed by Florida (2,347) (Insurance Information Institute, 2025 data; Insurance Information Institute).

Trial and success-rate statistics for personal injury cases

The Bureau of Justice Statistics Civil Justice Survey of State Courts remains the most recent national, government source on tort trial outcomes. Its latest tort report covers trials concluded in 2005, so treat these figures as long-run benchmarks rather than current results.

1. Bench and jury trials accounted for an estimated 4% of all tort dispositions; most cases settle or are dismissed (BJS, 2005 data; Bureau of Justice Statistics).

2. Plaintiffs won 51.6% of tort trials overall. Win rates by case type were (BJS, 2005 data; Bureau of Justice Statistics):

• Animal attack: 75.2%
• Motor vehicle accident: 64.3%
• Intentional tort: 51.6%
• Premises liability: 38.4%
• Medical malpractice: 22.7%
• Product liability (non-asbestos): 19.6%

3. Among Nolo readers with a personal injury claim, about two-thirds (67%) received compensation through a settlement, and only 4% saw their case go to trial (Nolo reader survey, 2017 data; Nolo).

4. Westlaw Edge Litigation Analytics data cited by Nolo shows fewer than 1% of personal injury cases filed in federal court from 2019 to 2023 went all the way to a jury verdict (Nolo).

Personal injury compensation and settlement statistics

1. Half of plaintiff winners in tort trials were awarded $24,000 or less. Median final awards by case type were (BJS, 2005 data; Bureau of Justice Statistics):

• Motor vehicle accident: $15,000
• Intentional tort: $38,000
• Premises liability: $98,000
• Medical malpractice: $400,000
• Product liability (non-asbestos): $500,000
• Asbestos product liability: $682,000

2. More than half of Nolo readers received payouts between $3,000 and $25,000, while 26% received more than $25,000; the overall average was $52,900 (Nolo reader survey, 2017 data; Nolo).

3. 70% of Nolo readers held out for a better deal, and they received settlements that were $30,700 higher, on average, than readers who accepted the insurance company’s first offer (Nolo reader survey, 2017 data; Nolo).

4. More than nine out of ten Nolo readers with legal representation received a settlement or award, compared to about half of those who handled their own claims. Readers with a lawyer received an average of $77,600, compared to $17,600 for those without one, and even after attorney fees their average net payouts were nearly three times higher (Nolo reader survey, 2017 data; Nolo).

5. Nolo readers paid an average contingency fee of 32% (Nolo reader survey, 2017 data; Nolo).

6. In 745 federal personal injury cases from 2013 through 2022 that ended with a disclosed settlement or award, the median settlement was $75,000, but in more than 40% of those cases plaintiffs received $5,000 or less (Westlaw Edge data cited by Nolo).

Medical malpractice statistics (Washington State closed-claim data)

Few states publish detailed closed-claim data. Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner does, and its 2025 report covers claims closed from 2020 through 2024. These figures apply to Washington State only (Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner):

• Insurers and self-insurers closed 47.7% of all claims with an indemnity payment to the claimant (2020 to 2024 data).
• Indemnity payments totaled $1.1 billion on 1,428 claims, averaging $777,650 per paid claim (2020 to 2024 data).
• The median indemnity payment rose 33.3% from 2023 to 2024, reaching $350,000 (2024 data).
• Insurers and self-insurers paid $241 million to defend 2,754 claims, an average of $87,338 per claim (2020 to 2024 data).
• Attorneys reported claimants received $141 million on 68 settlements, averaging $2.1 million per paid settlement; attorney fees averaged 28.1% of total compensation (2020 to 2024 data).

Legal deadlines: an example from Florida

Filing deadlines and fault rules vary by state. As one example, under the 2026 Florida Statutes an action founded on negligence must generally be brought within two years (Fla. Stat. § 95.11), and in most negligence actions a party found greater than 50% at fault for their own harm may not recover damages (Fla. Stat. § 768.81). Exceptions apply, so injured people should consult a licensed attorney in their state.

Final thoughts

Traffic deaths have fallen for several years in a row, but millions of Americans are still injured in crashes, at work, at home, and in public places every year. For personal injury firms, that means steady demand and a lot of competition for the same clients.

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