Hi S.. I am going through the same thing personally right now, and I also worked as a plaintiff's personal injury paralegal for 5.5 years. Unfortunately, there is no "formula" as to what is fair. With your minimal medical bills, I think you're going to be hard pressed to come out with a big chunk of money on this thing. The ins co will take the position of "how much could she have suffered if she only incurred $1,000 in bills?" 3x is a very general rule, but it always depends upon the circumstances. But there is a method to deal with the insurance company that most people don't know. First of all, stay in the driver's seat. Don't sign any medical release forms. You should track down your own medical records and bills from your providers and submit them to the ins once you are all done treating, with a detailed "demand" including what happened during the accident, a description of your treatment, as detailed as you can get, visit by visit if you can, and an itemization of your medical bills. Then tell them that you will settle for X amount, which should be a number that is highballing where your case actually might settle. For instance, my medical bills and wage loss were just over $4,000. I demanded $16K. They came back with a low offer, which I countered, and they have now brought their offer up again, which I plan to counter again. This is all a game. Don't give the insurance company any more power than they need to have. if you have any questions, let me know! I hope this was at least a little help for you!
After reading the other responses, I would like to add this: I wouldn't recommend getting a lawyer for your accident, unless the insurance company is really screwing you around. If you do decide to get a lawyer, please, please, please do not call ANY of the law firms that advertise on TV. They are ALL awful (I used to work for one of those back in the day and nothing has changed). The firm I worked for for the last 5.5 years was really good. They are good lawyers who don't need to sink to TV ads. They are Bohm & Jones. I worked for Robert Bohm. Their number is ###-###-####. Let them know that you were referred by B. Maple (I left there on great terms). They won't charge you anything up front. I saw a couple responses saying that lawyers won't cost you anything, which is not entirely true. Personal injury lawyers do not charge you anything up front, but they do take a percentage of your settlement, as well as pay themselves back for any costs they incurred in representing you. So again, I would try to handle it on your own before you give up 1/3 of your settlement to pay a lawyer. Good luck!