Types of Auto Accident Leads — Seven Case Types, Seven Different Pre-Screens, Seven Different Economics
A rear-end collision with soft tissue injury and a truck accident with spinal cord damage are both “auto accident leads.” They are not the same product. They are not worth the same money. They do not require the same pre-screen. And they do not produce the same settlement.
Not All Car Accident Leads Are the Same Case at the Same Price
Most lead vendors sell motor vehicle accident leads as a single category. One funnel. One price. One qualification process. The firm receives a mix of case types and sorts them at intake — burning hours and dollars figuring out which leads are actually worth pursuing.
The alternative: sub-type-specific qualification. A truck accident pre-screen confirms commercial carrier and FMCSA insurance context. A rideshare pre-screen confirms Uber/Lyft driver period for insurance tier determination. A hit-and-run pre-screen confirms UM/UIM coverage because that’s the primary recovery vehicle. Each sub-type has different liability dynamics, different insurance structures, different case values, and different qualification criteria — which means each one needs a different pre-screen before the lead reaches intake.
This page covers all seven auto accident lead sub-types, what makes each one different, how qualification criteria change per type, and how pricing reflects the downstream case economics.
The Seven Auto Accident Lead Sub-Types
95% of U.S. PI firms want motor vehicle accident cases. That category includes everything below. Firms that buy car accident leads generally accept all seven sub-types — but the case values, qualification complexity, and pricing differ meaningfully across them.
1. Car Accident Leads
What it covers: Every car-on-car motor vehicle accident that does not fall into one of the six specialist categories below. Rear-end collisions, intersection accidents, highway accidents, multi-vehicle pileups, T-bone impacts, sideswipe collisions, head-on collisions, lane-change accidents, and single-impact crashes involving two or more passenger vehicles. This is the bread-and-butter case type — the highest volume, most predictable, and most commonly purchased auto accident lead in the market.
Why firms want them: Car accidents are the highest-volume case type in personal injury. Contingency fee economics work reliably because the cases are predictable — liability is usually clear, insurance is usually present, and settlement values fall in a modelable range. 95% of PI firms that buy leads are buying this case type as their core product.
Key qualification criteria: SOL window verified, at-fault party confirmed as the other driver, active insurance on the at-fault vehicle, injury with medical treatment documented, not currently represented, police report status.
Typical settlement range: $15,000–$75,000 for standard cases. Soft tissue injuries (whiplash, cervical strain) settle at the lower end. Cases with documented imaging (herniated discs, fractures) settle higher. Multi-vehicle accidents with clear liability and multiple injury types can push above $100,000.
Pricing: Standard auto accident lead pricing — $250–$450 depending on state tier. No sub-type uplift. This is the baseline product that all other sub-type pricing is built on top of.
Car accident lead qualification details — page coming soon
2. Truck Accident Leads
What it covers: Semi-truck, 18-wheeler, box truck, delivery truck, and commercial vehicle collisions.
Why firms want them: Truck accidents are the highest-value MVA sub-type. Federal regulations under FMCSA require commercial carriers to carry minimum insurance of $750,000 for general freight and up to $5,000,000 for hazardous cargo — orders of magnitude above state minimum auto coverage. Multiple defendants (driver, carrier, shipper, broker, maintenance provider) expand the liability pool. Injuries are almost always severe because of the mass differential between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle.
Key qualification criteria: Commercial vehicle confirmed (not a standard pickup truck). Carrier or trucking company identified where possible. At-fault driver confirmed as the truck operator. Active insurance confirmed at FMCSA federal minimums. FMCSA hours-of-service violation or safety failure referenced where the claimant has that information. Injury severity at ER treatment or hospitalization level. Police report filed. Not currently represented.
Why the pre-screen is different: A standard car accident pre-screen does not ask about commercial carrier identification, federal insurance minimums, or hours-of-service context. Truck accident cases require this information because it determines the recovery picture — a case against an identified commercial carrier with $750K+ in federal minimum insurance is fundamentally different from a case against an uninsured passenger vehicle. The intake team needs to know the carrier context before the first call.
Typical settlement range: $100,000–$500,000+ for severe cases. Wrongful death trucking cases can exceed $1,000,000.
Pricing: Base motor vehicle accident lead pricing + $25–$75 trucking uplift. California truck accident leads can run $400–$500+.
Truck accident lead qualification details — page coming soon
3. Rideshare Accident Leads (Uber/Lyft)
What it covers: Accidents involving Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare vehicles — where the claimant was a passenger, or was hit by a rideshare driver.
Why firms want them: Rideshare cases have a unique insurance structure that can produce higher recoveries than standard car accidents. Uber and Lyft carry $1,000,000 in liability coverage for accidents occurring during active rides (Period 3). During Period 2 (en route to pickup), coverage is also $1,000,000. During Period 1 (app on, waiting for request), coverage drops to $50,000/$100,000. The driver period at the time of the accident determines which insurance tier applies — and the qualification funnel must capture this.
Key qualification criteria: Uber or Lyft confirmed as involved. Driver period (1, 2, or 3) documented — this determines the insurance tier and therefore the recovery potential. Claimant was the passenger or was hit by the rideshare vehicle. Injury documented with medical treatment. Not currently represented.
Why the pre-screen is different: A standard auto accident lead pre-screen does not ask about rideshare platform, driver period, or the distinction between passenger and third-party claimant. Without driver period documentation, the intake team does not know whether the case has $50,000 or $1,000,000 in available coverage — a 20x difference that determines whether the case is worth pursuing.
Typical settlement range: $25,000–$150,000 for Period 3 accidents with documented injuries. Period 1 accidents with minimal coverage may not be economically viable for the firm.
Pricing: Standard car accident lead pricing. No standard uplift, but dedicated rideshare campaigns can command slightly higher pricing because the qualification is more complex and the case values on Period 2/3 accidents are higher.
Rideshare accident lead qualification details — page coming soon
4. Motorcycle Accident Leads
What it covers: Collisions between motorcycles and other vehicles. Not single-vehicle motorcycle crashes (those are typically not viable PI cases because there is no at-fault third party).
Why firms want them: Motorcycle accidents produce disproportionately severe injuries relative to the speed and force of impact. Riders have no structural protection. Road rash, fractures, spinal injuries, and traumatic brain injuries are common. Higher injury severity means higher settlement values — and firms that handle motorcycle cases often specialize in the medical complexity.
Key qualification criteria: Not a single-vehicle accident — the claimant was hit by another vehicle. At-fault other driver with active insurance confirmed. Injury at ER-level or requiring ongoing medical treatment. SOL verified. Not currently represented.
Why the pre-screen is different: The critical filter is single-vehicle vs. multi-vehicle. A motorcycle rider who laid their bike down on gravel with no other vehicle involved has no third-party liability claim in most jurisdictions. The pre-screen must confirm another vehicle was involved and that the other driver was at fault — otherwise the case is not viable regardless of injury severity.
Typical settlement range: $30,000–$200,000+ depending on injury severity. Catastrophic motorcycle injuries (TBI, paralysis) settle substantially higher.
Pricing: Standard auto accident lead pricing. Catastrophic injury motorcycle cases may carry the +$50–$125 severity uplift.
Motorcycle accident lead qualification details — page coming soon
5. Pedestrian Accident Leads
What it covers: Accidents where the claimant was a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle — in a crosswalk, parking lot, road shoulder, or intersection.
Why firms want them: Pedestrians have zero fault in most crosswalk and intersection scenarios, which simplifies the liability argument. Injuries are almost always severe because pedestrians have no protection against a vehicle. And the emotional sympathy factor in pedestrian cases is high, which can influence settlement negotiations.
Key qualification criteria: Claimant was a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Crosswalk or intersection context documented. At-fault driver identified with active insurance. UM/UIM (uninsured/underinsured motorist) coverage confirmed if the at-fault driver fled or is uninsured. Injury with medical treatment. SOL verified. Not currently represented.
Why the pre-screen is different: The UM/UIM question is unique to pedestrian cases. If the driver who hit the pedestrian fled the scene or has no insurance, the claimant’s own UM/UIM coverage becomes the primary recovery vehicle. Without confirming UM/UIM status, the intake team cannot assess whether there is a viable path to recovery — a pedestrian hit by an uninsured driver with no UM coverage may have no case regardless of injury severity.
Typical settlement range: $25,000–$150,000+. Severe pedestrian injuries (multiple fractures, TBI, spinal) settle higher.
Pricing: Standard motor vehicle accident lead pricing.
Pedestrian accident lead qualification details — page coming soon
6. Hit-and-Run Accident Leads
What it covers: Accidents where the at-fault driver fled the scene — the claimant does not have the other driver’s information.
Why firms want them: Hit-and-run cases are viable when the claimant carries UM/UIM coverage, which becomes the primary insurance recovery path. These cases can settle well when the claimant’s own policy limits are meaningful. The challenge is that without an identified at-fault driver, the case is built against the claimant’s own insurer — a different legal dynamic than standard third-party liability.
Key qualification criteria: Police report filed (this is critical — without a police report documenting the hit-and-run, the insurer will challenge the claim). Claimant UM/UIM coverage confirmed as the primary recovery vehicle. Injury documented with medical treatment. SOL verified. Not currently represented.
Why the pre-screen is different: The entire recovery theory changes. Standard auto accident leads are built on third-party liability — the at-fault driver’s insurance pays. Hit-and-run leads are built on first-party UM/UIM coverage — the claimant’s own insurance pays. If the claimant has no UM coverage, there may be no recovery path. The pre-screen must confirm UM/UIM status before the lead is worth delivering.
Typical settlement range: Depends entirely on the claimant’s UM/UIM policy limits. $25,000–$100,000 is common where coverage exists.
Pricing: Standard car accident lead pricing.
Hit-and-run lead qualification details — page coming soon
7. Wrongful Death (Auto Accident) Leads
What it covers: Cases where the claimant’s family member was killed in a motor vehicle accident — car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, or any road traffic fatality.
Why firms want them: Wrongful death cases produce the highest settlement values in the entire MVA category. The damages include loss of companionship, loss of income, funeral expenses, and pain and suffering of the decedent before death. A single wrongful death case can settle for $500,000 to $2,000,000+ depending on circumstances, liability clarity, and the decedent’s earning capacity.
Key qualification criteria: Eligible family member confirmed — spouse, child, parent, or legal dependent depending on state wrongful death statutes. Estate status noted (some states require the claim to be filed by the estate representative). At-fault party identified with active insurance. Wrongful death SOL verified per state — this is often different from the standard personal injury SOL and varies significantly by jurisdiction. Police report and accident reconstruction context documented where available.
Why the pre-screen is different: The claimant is not the accident victim — they are the surviving family member. The pre-screen must confirm the relationship to the decedent, determine who is eligible to file under the state’s wrongful death statute, and verify a different SOL than standard personal injury. Wrongful death SOLs can be shorter or longer than PI SOLs depending on the state, and some states restrict who can bring the claim to specific categories of relatives.
Typical settlement range: $500,000–$2,000,000+. Trucking wrongful death cases with clear liability and high-earning decedents can settle substantially higher.
Pricing: Base auto accident lead pricing + $50–$125 severity uplift. The highest-value leads in the entire MVA category.
Wrongful death lead qualification details — page coming soon
How Case Type Affects Auto Accident Lead Pricing
Not all motor vehicle accident leads are priced equally, even within the same state. Two variables create pricing differentiation by case type:
Insurance availability. Truck accident leads carry a premium because FMCSA requires $750K–$5M in coverage. Rideshare Period 3 leads carry implicit premium because Uber/Lyft maintain $1M policies. Standard car accident leads are priced against state-minimum auto insurance, which varies from $15,000 to $50,000 in most states. Higher available insurance means higher potential recovery, which means the firm can pay more per lead and still produce a strong return.
Injury severity. A car accident lead with a confirmed herniated disc and ER treatment is worth more than a lead with self-reported neck pain and no medical visit. Catastrophic injury leads — hospitalization, spinal cord, TBI, multiple fractures — carry uplifts of $50–$125 per lead because the case values are 3–10x higher than soft tissue cases. Wrongful death leads are at the top of the severity scale.
The pricing ladder for motor vehicle accident leads, from lowest to highest case value:
Which Car Accident Lead Types Should Your Firm Buy?
The answer depends on two things: what the intake team can handle, and what the practice focuses on.
Full-spectrum MVA firms — firms that handle everything from fender benders to wrongful death — should buy the standard motor vehicle accident lead product with all sub-types included. The funnel routes case types to intake, and the team evaluates each one. This is the highest-volume, most cost-efficient approach because it doesn’t restrict the funnel to a narrow sub-type.
Truck-focused firms — firms that specialize in commercial vehicle litigation and want the highest case values — should buy truck accident leads with the dedicated pre-screen that confirms carrier, FMCSA context, and severity. Volume is lower. Price per lead is higher. Case value per retainer is 3–5x a standard car accident case.
Catastrophic injury firms — firms that only take cases with hospitalization-level injuries, spinal damage, TBI, or wrongful death — should buy with injury-severity filters active. The pre-screen confirms injury type and treatment level before delivery, so the intake team doesn’t waste time on soft tissue cases the firm won’t sign.
General PI firms testing motor vehicle accident leads for the first time — should start with the full-spectrum product and let 50–100 leads of data show which sub-types their intake team converts best. Then narrow or expand based on actual performance, not assumptions.
Calculate your cost per retainer by case type ›Frequently Asked Questions
Seven Case Types. One Qualified Lead Source.
Every sub-type pre-screened with type-specific qualification criteria. Truck, rideshare, hit-and-run, wrongful death — each gets the right pre-screen before delivery.