After suffering injuries in a car accident, you may be facing multiple financial hardships. Medical bills add up quickly at a time when you may be unable to work. How long does a car accident settlement take? It depends on the facts in your particular case, but it’s possible for cases to take anywhere from a few months to a few years to settle.
Highly complex cases that involve disabling injuries could take even longer. Learn more about how legal representation could help you keep your case moving forward.
Factors Affecting the Settlement Timeline
Determining how long a car accident settlement takes depends on multiple factors, including the following:
Severity of Injuries
If you, as a victim, have significant injuries because of the car crash, your medical treatment plan could involve steps spread over several months and multiple surgeries. Other treatment plans may only need a few weeks to complete.
More severe injuries take more time to diagnose, lengthening the time required to reach a settlement.
Complexity of the Case
Sometimes, insurance companies will not accept fault for the car crash on behalf of their clients. If this happens to you, your car accident lawyers will need to thoroughly investigate the case, seeking facts that show fault on the other driver’s part.
If the insurer believes you are primarily at fault for the crash, you cannot seek any money in a settlement. Until your attorneys complete the investigation of liability determination and find facts that show you were not at fault, the insurance negotiation over a financial award cannot begin. This makes having a seasoned legal professional on your side crucial.
Medical Treatment Progress
It’s difficult to answer the question “How long does a car accident settlement take?” until you make great strides in or complete your medical treatment. Without that information, car accident attorneys almost certainly will not recommend agreeing to a financial settlement, as you may get less than your case is worth.
Once you agree to accept an award from the insurance company, you cannot request more money later if your doctors find new injuries. Therefore, your attorney will hold off on seeking a settlement offer until you reach maximum medical improvement.
Insurance Company Involvement
How long your car accident settlement takes might depend heavily on the insurer’s willingness to start negotiations. Sometimes, insurance companies show little interest in trying to settle your claim. They may be waiting to make an accurate compensation calculation of your case’s value. They also might hope that by delaying negotiations, you will be willing to settle for a lower amount to end the case faster.
Your attorneys will work hard to keep the case moving by urgently trying to convince the insurer to participate in the negotiation process.
Typical Settlement Timeline Range
So, how long does a car accident settlement take? The answer could range from a few months to a few years.
Straightforward Cases
Relatively straightforward cases typically take less than a year. In cases like this:
- The at-fault party is not in dispute.
- Doctors agree on your injuries and treatment plan.
- You make good progress in your injury treatment.
- The insurance company is willing to negotiate.
- The two sides have similar valuations for the case.
Moderate Injuries and Disputes
When disputes arise in the case, the settlement process can lengthen significantly. Such cases often take more than a year. Particularly complex cases could take several years. Factors that lengthen the amount of time required to settle your car accident injury case include:
- The at-fault party is in dispute.
- The insurer does not agree with your doctor’s treatment plan.
- The insurer disputes the severity of your reported injuries.
- You have moderate or significant injuries that will take several months to treat.
- You may have setbacks when going through injury treatments.
- The two sides assign far different starting valuations to the case.
- The insurer has little interest in settling.
Stages of the Settlement Process
The majority of car accident injury claims require the completion of multiple steps. If you are wondering, “How long does a car accident settlement take?” look closely at each of these steps.
Initial Investigation and Medical Treatment
At the same time as you are undergoing treatment for your injuries, you can hire car accident lawyers. Your lawyers can then begin investigating the case to show how the accident led directly to your injuries.
If you have complex injuries, such as a back injury from a car accident, your medical treatment could take several months to show any measurable improvement.
Evidence Gathering and Case Building
After you hire car accident lawyers, they will begin looking for facts that show who is at fault.
When the insurance company attempts to blame you for causing or contributing to the crash, your attorneys will look for facts that show you did nothing wrong.
Demand Letter and Negotiation
Your attorneys send an initial demand letter to the insurance company, outlining what you want to see happen with the claim, including the financial award you seek. For personal injury attorneys, this letter often serves as the starting point for negotiations.
Settlement or Litigation
The two sides will attempt to negotiate a settlement on a financial amount. If this effort fails, the two sides might agree to have a mediator step in to try to reach a settlement.
If the two sides still cannot agree, the case may end up being litigated at trial.
Tips To Expedite the Settlement
One effective way to expedite your settlement is to hire experienced car accident attorneys who work hard to keep the case moving forward. If that much is obvious, what else can you do to shorten how long a car accident settlement takes?
Seek Medical Attention Promptly
The faster you seek medical attention, the faster you can receive a full diagnosis of your injuries and begin treatment.
If you wait to see a doctor until several days after the accident, the insurance company may argue that you cannot prove the accident caused your injuries. This type of dispute can lengthen the time to reach a settlement.
Gather and Organize Documentation
If the cause of the accident is in dispute, it’s important to collect evidence that shows you did not do anything wrong. You could see a reduction in your settlement claim if you cannot show you are not at fault for the crash.
If you hire car accident attorneys, they will take this step for you.
Communicate Clearly and Honestly
Always be honest when discussing your goals for the case with your attorneys. They can deliver a higher level of representation when they know what you want to see happen in the case.
Additionally, you should be honest with your doctors about the level of pain and hardships you are experiencing. This is no time to try to tough out your pain and suffering.
Alternatives to Settlement
If you want to see the case come to a conclusion as fast as possible, one alternative to negotiating a settlement is requesting mediation. A mediator brings the two sides together and tries to help them quickly reach a middle ground that’s acceptable to both without requiring drawn-out negotiations.
Accepting the Insurance Company’s Offer
Another way to reduce how long a car accident settlement takes is to simply accept the award that the insurer offers. However, you probably will receive a smaller amount than you might be able to negotiate in a settlement.
Going to Trial
If you and your attorneys believe that a negotiated settlement simply isn’t possible, you can choose to go to trial. Although a trial lengthens the time until you receive a settlement, it occasionally can be faster than a drawn-out negotiation.
Importance of Legal Representation
Having legal representation is often helpful when hoping to speed up the car accident settlement process.
Lawyer’s Role in Expediting Settlement
Your injury lawyers can help you complete each of the necessary steps to reach a car accident settlement faster than you would on your own. Motor vehicle accident attorneys regularly deal with cases like this, and their experience is invaluable.
Having a legal team on your side sometimes convinces the insurance company that you are taking the case seriously. If you are representing yourself, the insurer may try to take advantage of your lack of experience by delaying the case, hoping you’ll agree to a smaller amount just to get the case over with.
Negotiating for a Fair Settlement
Your car accident attorneys should have significant experience negotiating with insurance companies. They can estimate the value of your case, providing a starting point for negotiations. With an accurate valuation in hand, it’s easier to determine whether the insurer is treating you fairly in its settlement offer.
How long does a car accident settlement take? Settlement timelines vary significantly based on the complexity of the case. The team at Sadaka Law works hard to help you win a fair settlement as quickly as possible, taking steps to keep the case moving forward. To discuss your situation and legal rights, call us today at (800) 810-3457.
