If I hire a personal injury lawyer, how long will it take to settle my claim?
Video Transcript
There’s really no good answer to that question. Every case is different and every case has to be evaluated on its own merits, but here’s what I can tell you generally.
In order for us to begin to try to settle your case, you have to get the point where you’re either done treating or you’ve got a permanent prognosis from your doctor.
So your attorney won’t be able to even move to the next step of trying to settle your case until you’re done treating. Now typically that can be anywhere from six months, nine months, a year, two years after your auto accident.
That’s when they can actually move to the next step of trying to settle your case. Ultimately an attorney will tell you what they think your case is worth but it’s up to the insurance company to offer the money. If the insurance company doesn’t offer the money that your attorney tells you your case is worth, the only option left is for you to file a lawsuit.
If you file a lawsuit, that can often make things take a lot longer, sometimes a year, sometimes even more. So there’s really no good way to tell any individual person how long it’s going to take to resolve their case.
It’s partially up to you, and the type of treatment you get. And it’s partially up to the insurance company and whether or not they make a reasonable offer from the beginning, or whether they make you jump through a series of hoops to get to that reasonable number.
If you have been injured in a car accident, and you think you may have a claim, please contact us right away for a free case evaluation.