If you’ve filed a personal injury claim due to your mounting medical bills, lost wages, and other damages, you may be surprised when the insurance company denies your claim or offers an insufficient settlement amount. When that happens, a personal injury lawsuit is the best course of action to seek fair compensation for the injuries a negligent person caused.
Most victims wonder about the lawsuit settlement timeline for their personal injury settlement. If you are wondering about how long it takes to receive a settlement check and the lawsuit process duration for car accident injuries and truck accidents, you’re not alone. Most people who need to turn a personal injury claim into a personal injury lawsuit wonder the same thing.
Caputo & Van Der Walde is a personal injury law firm committed to fighting for your fair settlement after a personal injury. In this blog post, we discuss the factors that affect the length of personal injury cases and the personal injury settlement process as well as how an experienced personal injury attorney can help you through the complicated legal process
Factors That Affect the Length of Time for Your Personal Injury Claim with the Insurance Company
When you file a personal injury claim, there are many factors that can impact when you might receive your personal injury settlement from the insurance company. In fact, many personal injury cases do not reach a settlement agreement right away, making it essential to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to help recover the settlement funds you deserve.
If you can’t get the insurance company to provide a settlement offer or they only offer low settlement payments, personal injury lawsuits are the next logical step. Unfortunately, they can take a while. Most personal injury cases can take several months before personal injury settlements are issued and others could take years.
Here are the factors that could impact how long your personal injury case takes before you get your settlement funds:
Severity of Injuries for the Injured Party
In a personal injury case, the severity of injuries for the injured person plays a major role in when you can get your settlement funds. Personal injury attorneys need to wait until a personal injury client knows the full extent of their injuries.
Trying to negotiate a settlement agreement with the insurance company before reaching maximum medical improvement is ill-advised as the settlement amount could be for less than you deserve. Additionally, when your injuries are severe, insurance companies will fight harder because your settlement amount will be higher.
Liability
When it’s not clear who the liable party is, insurance companies often make it difficult to negotiate a settlement agreement. With the legal representation of an experienced personal injury attorney, you will have someone who can stand up to the insurance company in the courtroom when they won’t agree to an out-of-court settlement.
Presence of a Legal Team
Choosing an experienced attorney is vital from the start. When you work with a personal injury attorney after sustaining a personal injury, it allows them more time to perform investigations, gather evidence, consult with experts, and begin negotiating with the insurance company for your settlement agreement. The longer you wait to take this step, the longer you may be waiting to receive fair compensation.
How Long Does It Take to Get Lawsuit Money?
How long does it take to get settlement money from the insurance company or the at-fault party? You’re likely saddled with medical expenses from your medical bills for every medical treatment you’ve needed as a result of someone else’s negligence. It can be incredibly stressful as you await a settlement check to cover your financial obligations following a car accident or another type of personal injury scenario.
In general, the more complex your personal injury case is, the more time it will take for your personal injury attorney to negotiate a proper settlement payment. This money should completely cover all medical expenses for your medical treatment and personal injury lawyers will do all that they can to get insurance companies to pay up.
However, if insurance companies are cooperative during the negotiation process, it could take just a few weeks for an injured party to receive their settlement check. A lot can affect a personal injury case and if negotiations aren’t fruitful, personal injury lawyers will need to move the case through the legal system in an effort to recover damages for a personal injury claimant. Sometimes, court caseloads and scheduling can delay the case even further. Ultimately, some cases may take several years before they are resolved.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You with Your Personal Injury Settlement
If you have been in a car accident or suffered another type of personal injury, it is vital that you take the right steps to have the best chance of a full and fair settlement payment. When you work with a personal injury law firm from the start, it will be an easier and less stressful process for you to get your settlement check.
Cases that are won through a settlement negotiation or a verdict will mean that personal injury claimants need to choose between a structured settlement or lump sum payment. This is something to discuss with your personal injury attorney, along with legal fees, attorney fees, and other legal costs as you embark on your journey through the claims process.
An attorney can be instrumental in helping a personal injury client from the initial claim all the way to the payment process. Most law firms offer a free consultation that can help you determine the best course of action to take.
Caputo & Van Der Walde can help you through the claims process by negotiating with claims adjusters and working to get you what you deserve. If negotiations don’t provide sufficient financial recovery, we will file your lawsuit to get you compensation for your lost income and other damages to help you move forward. Contact us today!