If you have found yourself injured in a car accident, workplace accident, or other situation, you will likely have serious injuries requiring medical treatment. Along with this, you may find yourself unable to return to your job for an extended period of time, and face months of daily pain and suffering. When this happens, you can file claim for compensation. However, once you speak to a knowledgeable personal injury attorney, you may discover the time it will take to settle your case is longer than you anticipated.To help answer your questions, here are additional details regarding the length of time it takes to settle these cases.
Insurance Company Offers
In many cases, an insurance company representing the defendant will make you an offer to settle your case without going to trial. However, while accepting this offer will put some money in your hand within a few weeks of your accident, it likely will be a very small amount of money that may not cover your medical bills, let alone your lost wages and pain and suffering. While the insurance company will attempt to convince you they are doing this simply to help you during a difficult time, the fact is they know if the case does indeed go to trial, they will likely have to pay out much more compensation. Therefore, unless you are extremely desperate for immediate money, let your personal injury lawyer file a lawsuit on your behalf.
Complex Cases
In even what appears to be the most simple and straightforward personal injury case, there are numerous complexities. For example, if you were injured due to a defective product, there may be more than one party at fault. Thus, these cases will require extensive investigation, and will also involve additional lawyers and insurance companies. As a result, it may take months or even years before these cases are settled, especially if the defendants appeal time after time.
Negotiating a Settlement
In many personal injury cases, your attorney can negotiate a settlement with the defendant’s insurance company before the case makes it to the courtroom. This can often be done after the discovery phase of a case, which consists of gathering the necessary evidence for your lawsuit. Once this is done, it may become clear to the defendant and their insurance company that you have a very strong case, and are likely to win a trial. As for how long it will take to negotiate a settlement, it varies from a few days to several weeks, depending on the specific details of the case. However, since an insurance company will be eager to put this behind them, they will likely make every effort to reach a settlement as soon as possible.
If you find yourself injured due to the negligence of others, contact a personal injury lawyer to schedule a free consultation. By doing so, you will ensure your legal rights will be protected during each step of your personal injury lawsuit.
