A common question that personal injury attorneys are asked by clients is – how long will their case take to settle? Because each case is different, the total amount of time this will take is dependent on a number of factors. Some of these can cause some cases to take much longer to resolve than the others.
It’s a good idea to hire a personal injury attorney for help with your case, but you can also get to know the factors that may delay your case, as well.
The Length of Your Medical Treatment
In most situations, your personal injury attorney won’t recommend that you try to settle your claim until your injuries are completely healed or until you have reached maximum medical improvement. After you have reached this point, it will be much easier for you to calculate your total medical expenses and to estimate the anticipated expenses in the future.
The longer that it takes you to conclude your medical treatment, the longer that your personal injury claim is going to take.
Delays with Your Insurance Claim
Another factor that will affect how long your personal injury case takes to finalize is the insurance company involved. There are some insurance companies that will be able to efficiently handle the claims, which means you can receive a settlement faster, while there are others that are going to drag their feet.
Also, the process of negotiating the amount you receive is a factor. Usually, insurance companies are going to offer you a low settlement at the start of the process with the hope that you will take it. The main goal of the insurance company is to pay you as little as they can.
If you don’t take this offer, your attorney will likely be able to negotiate with the insurance company for a better offer. However, the insurance company can take several weeks to respond. Depending on what you believe you deserve, this is a process that may take a while.
Liability Issues
Liability refers to the legal responsibility for specific acts and is dictated by the state law for all personal injury cases. In many cases, this all comes down to negligence. This is when an entity or person acts with such carelessness that it results in a victim suffering damages.
If liability is clear, the insurance company is going to be much more likely to settle with you because they don’t want to risk the jury giving you even more. However, if the insurance company has reason to believe that you were partially responsible for the accident or if liability isn’t clear, it my not really want to settle your case. If your case winds up going to trial, then the process could take a year, or more.
The Involvement of Significant Compensation
With a significant amount of compensation is involved, the insurance company is going to delay paying the money owed until they have taken time to investigate and analyze all aspects of your case. To receive the compensation you deserve, you and your attorney must prove that your injuries were severe, that you are credible in front of a jury, and that the insurance company doesn’t have a good defense for your case.
Hire a Florida Personal Injury Attorney to Help
If you are facing a personal injury situation, it is a good idea to reach out to a competent and experienced personal injury attorney for help. You can contact us at Zimmet & Zimmet by calling 386-255-6400 for help and information.
