How Long Does a Personal Injury Claim Take to Settle?
The amount of time required to settle a personal injury claim depends upon a variety of factors. The type of accident and the parties liable for your harm all play an important role in how fast your claim progresses toward a possible settlement.
A personal injury lawyer can represent you during the legal process. This allows you more time to concentrate on your injuries and your recovery. With good communication, your lawyer can keep you informed about the state of your claim.
Your injuries may prevent you from working. This can cause you great stress about your finances, but pursuing a fair settlement takes time. While compensation is not promised, it can help ease your stress if you secure a financial award.
What You Should Expect from the Negotiation Process
An insurance company wants to protect its financial bottom line. In order to do so, it could try a variety of tactics designed to confuse you when you are most vulnerable.
One tactic they may try to use is to blame you for the accident which caused your injuries. An insurance company representative may try to blame you for a slip and fall accident, car accident, or some other type of accident involving negligence.
Another possible tactic you may face could involve the company offering you a settlement that is far less than you deserve. The money may appear like enough for your expenses, but it might not cover your future medical costs.
To protect your best interests, it is best that you not speak with insurance companies without legal representation. Anything you say regarding your injuries or the accident that caused them may result in a denial of your claim. Accepting a settlement offer prevents you from pursuing legal action in the future—a serious problem if your medical condition worsens.
A Possible Trial
The American Bar Association affirms that most cases settle out of court. However, some do not. While this may make the process of recovering compensation longer, it is important to remain patient.
Securing the best possible outcome for your injuries is essential for your financial future. A lawyer can prepare your case for both negotiations and a possible trial if you suffered serious injuries due to the negligence of:
- Another person
- A property owner
- Some other third party
Potentially Recoverable Damages for Your Personal Injury Claim
The Legal Information Institute (LII) states that “damages refers to the sum of money the law imposes for a breach of some duty or violation of some right.” How long your personal injury claim takes to settle also involves how much compensation you may receive—if any.
Your personal injury lawyer could pursue the following types of compensation:
- Medical expenses
- Continuous medical expenses for long-term or permanent injuries
- Lost wages due to your injuries
- Diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
Your medical bills and other related expenses will not wait for your return to work. Pursuing compensation for the best possible outcome requires patience. However, a lawyer can work for you.
How You Can Help Your Lawyer Get to Work as Soon as Possible
You can help your lawyer get to work sooner by providing them with as much evidence as possible. This can include but is not limited to the following:
- A police report
- A store incident report
- Pictures of the accident scene
- Contact information for witnesses
- Your medical reports
These (and other) types of evidence can save your lawyer valuable time in preparing your case. You can also help your case by limiting what you share with friends and family. Their interests and care regarding your accident and injuries is understandable. However, the wrong post on social media can potentially harm your chance at compensation.
The Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP Can Help You Purse Compensation
At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP we offer a No Fee Promise. This allows you to secure our services with no money down. We collect our agreed-upon percentage from any compensation we secure for you.
The pursuit of compensation for your injuries is too important to leave to chance. The amount of time required to settle a personal injury claim depends upon a variety of factors. A member of our team can investigate your accident to determine the best approach for your personal injury claim.
It can take some time to secure your financial award, but that is because we want to look for all possible avenues for recovery. If your injuries prevent you from coming to us, we can come to you.
The decision to pursue legal action is an important one and one that requires quick action. We can help you if your life changed due to:
- A faulty product
- A drunk driver
- Some other form of negligence
Call the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP now for a free case evaluation: (866) 878-6774. Let us negotiate a settlement for you.
