Timing of a Personal Injury Settlement

One of the most common questions asked by victims of personal injury accidents is, “How long will it take to resolve my claim?” Every personal injury case is different, and each case can take different amounts of time because of a number of important factors including:

Nature of the case

Standard cases, like vehicle accident cases, get resolved faster than other types of cases. Cases with complex factual or legal issues, such as medical malpractice or premises liability,  may take a longer time to settle.

Complexity of the case

When important aspects of a case are in question, like the issue of liability and damages, it may require more time to process.

Jurisdiction of the case

Different jurisdictions may take different amounts of time to resolve cases. A jurisdiction that has a long list of cases for trial may take a longer time to resolve a case than a jurisdiction with fewer cases.

Medical evaluation

A personal injury attorney usually waits for all of the medical expenses and other damage reports to come in before settling the case. This may take longer if the extent of the injury is not known.

Insurance company that handles the case

The insurance company handling the claim can have a significant impact on how long a case may take to be resolved. Some have policies in place to resolve claims within a certain time period, while others take a long time to evaluate and resolve.

Liability

When there is a dispute, the case may proceed to court in order to determine which party was at fault. If there is no dispute over liability, a case is settled quicker.

The personal injury lawyer

Every personal injury lawyer is different and may take different amounts of time to handle cases. Some delegate tasks to multiple people, while others handle the investigations, pleadings and negotiations on their own. Some attorneys take more time to settle a case because they handle many cases at the same time.