Wyoming Car Accident Settlement Calculator

How the Estimate Works

No tool can predict a car-accident settlement — every case is different and the number depends on the facts, the available insurance, the venue, and negotiation. This calculator applies the multiplier method: it adds your economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, vehicle damage), then estimates pain and suffering as a multiple of your medical bills (about 1.5× for minor injuries up to 5× or more for catastrophic ones), and shows a wide range. It then applies Wyoming's fault rule and flags the insurance limits that cap a real payout.

Wyoming Is an at-fault (tort) state

Wyoming is a traditional at-fault (tort) state. There is no statutory no-fault/PIP scheme. Title 31, Chapter 9 is the "Motor Vehicle Safety-Responsibility Act" (W.S. 31-9-101 et seq.), a fault-based financial-responsibility system: the at-fault driver's liability insurer pays the injured party. Wyoming is NOT one of the 12 traditional no-fault states (FL, MI, MN, NY, ND, HI, KS, KY, MA, NJ, PA, UT). An injured person recovers directly against the at-fault driver and that driver's insurer; there is no PIP-first layer and no threshold to clear before suing for pain and suffering.

Minimum Insurance & UM/UIM in Wyoming

A settlement is only collectible up to the available insurance. Wyoming's minimum required liability coverage is $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $20,000 for property damage. Many drivers carry only the minimum, so a large claim can exceed the at-fault driver's policy. Wyoming requires minimum liability limits of 25/50/20: $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more persons per accident, and $20,000 for property damage per accident. These figures are set in the definition of "proof of financial responsibility" at W.S. 31-9-102(a)(xi), incorporated by the registration/insurance requirement (W.S. 31-9-405(b)) and the operate-without-insurance prohibition (W.S. 31-9-401 et seq.). Note the property-damage minimum is $20,000 (not the more common $25,000).

Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM): if the other driver had no insurance or fled the scene, your recovery comes from your own UM/UIM coverage. In Wyoming, UM/UIM is must be offered (you may reject it in writing). W.S. 31-10-101 ("Required coverage; rejection") requires every liability policy delivered or issued for delivery in Wyoming to include uninsured-motorist bodily-injury coverage in the BI limits set by W.S. 31-9-102(a)(xi) (i.e., 25/50), UNLESS the named insured rejects it. The insured may reject the coverage; once rejected, the insurer need not include it on renewals unless the insured later requests it in writing. "Uninsured motor vehicle" includes a vehicle whose insurer is insolvent (W.S. 31-10-102). UM is therefore a mandatory-offer (rejectable) coverage. Underinsured-motorist (UIM) coverage is not separately mandated by statute and is typically offered as an optional addition.

Fault & Your Recovery: modified comparative negligence (51% bar)

Wyoming follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). Your award is reduced by your share of fault, and you recover nothing once you are 51% or more at fault.

Deadline to File a Wyoming Car-Accident Claim

Wyoming generally requires a car-accident injury lawsuit to be filed within 4 years of the crash (the statute of limitations). Wyoming's general personal-injury statute of limitations is 4 years (Wyo. Stat. Ann. 1-3-105(a)(iv), actions for injury to the rights of a plaintiff not arising on contract and not otherwise enumerated). This 4-year period applies to negligence-based auto-accident bodily-injury and property-damage claims and remains current. Wrongful-death claims arising from a crash carry a separate 2-year limit under W.S. 1-38-102(d); claims against governmental entities under the Wyoming Governmental Claims Act have shorter notice/filing requirements. Miss it and your claim is usually barred no matter how strong it is, so do not wait to talk to an attorney.

• Wyoming is an at-fault (tort) state: the driver responsible for a crash, and that driver's liability insurer, pays for the other party's injuries and property damage. There is no no-fault/PIP system and no injury threshold to sue.
• Drivers must carry minimum liability limits of 25/50/20 — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, and $20,000 property damage — set by W.S. 31-9-102(a)(xi). Note property damage is $20,000, lower than many states' $25,000.
• Uninsured-motorist (UM) bodily-injury coverage must be offered with every policy at the 25/50 limits, but you can reject it (W.S. 31-10-101). UM also covers crashes where the at-fault insurer is insolvent.
• Wyoming follows modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar (W.S. 1-1-109): you can recover only if you are 50% or less at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault.
• The deadline to file most auto-injury lawsuits is 4 years from the crash (W.S. 1-3-105(a)(iv)). Wrongful-death suits have a shorter 2-year limit, and claims against government entities have special, much shorter notice deadlines.

Source: Wyo. Stat. Ann. 31-9-102(a)(xi) (minimum liability limits 25/50/20); 31-9-401 to 31-9-415 (Motor Vehicle Safety-Responsibility Act / financial responsibility); 31-10-101 (uninsured-motorist coverage required, rejectable); 1-1-109 (modified comparative fault, 51% bar); 1-3-105(a)(iv) (4-year personal-injury SOL).

Disclaimer

This estimator is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a prediction of any outcome. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm. The value of a car-accident claim can only be assessed by a licensed attorney reviewing your specific facts.

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