how much money should i expect to get from my car accident

The general rule is that value of a personal injury claim depends on three factors:  fault, damages, and recoverable assets.  In this case, if you have a police report stating that the elderly lady caused the accident, then you will probably be able to demonstrate fault.  Your damages will depend on the "disability rating" that your treating physician assigns to your shoulder injury.  The higher the disability rating, the higher the value of the case.  The last element that is relevant for these purposes is recoverable assets.  If the only applicable insurance policies only cover for a maximum of $20,000, and the old lady does not own any other assets (like a home, etc.) then the maximum you are likely to recover is $20,.000.00 regardless of your damages.  However, if there is a higher insurance policy available or other recoverable assets, then your recovery may be higher or may otherwise correspond to the severity of your injuries.

I highly recommend that you and your girlfriend consult with and/or retain a personal injury attorney to protect your interests arising out of this claim from this point forward.

The amount of money you should expect depends on many factors.  The fact that you needed surgery indicates that this was a fairly serious injury and that you might have ongoing issues for a while, so I wouldn't be too quick to settle unless you are coming up against the statute of limitations which is two years from the date of the accident in CT.  The insurance adjuster will look at the facts, whether or not their insured was 100% at fault, the severity of your injuries, what your present and future expenses will be, loss of income as a result of your injury, and any special factors (such as having to hire someone to do your housework now or take care of your kids).  Then they put together a value range and submit it to their supervisor.  A typical range is in the neighborhood of 3 times the medical bills, but that is far from a hard and fast rule.  If your bills are around $5K, for example, you can expect them to pay you that, plus your lost wages, plus any other expenses, plus your future med bills (to the extent they can be accurately estimated), plus an amount for pain and suffering.  I'm estimating (without knowing futures and lost wages and any other expenses) that if you have bills of $5K, they'll offer something in the range of $12K-$18K.  Again, this is a guess based on no information other than what your injury was.  Hope that helps.