When experiencing the chaos that comes with an injury from a car accident, it’s natural to want to know for certain how quickly your legal claim will resolve. Unfortunately, the car accident settlement timeline can vary greatly depending on the severity of your injury, the complexity of your case, and the willingness of the insurance company to negotiate.
On this page, Rob Levine Law’s experienced car accident lawyers will walk you through the different factors that can influence how long it will take for you to receive a settlement. We understand what you’re going through, and we’re ready to help you pursue the compensation you deserve.
Medical and Injury Factors
The severity of your injuries is among the most important factors determining the value of your car accident claim and can also greatly influence how long it takes to resolve. Cases tend to get more complicated the worse the injuries involved are, as you may be entitled to pursue a variety of damages, both financial and emotional.
Depending on how badly you were hurt, it could take some time for you to reach your maximum medical improvement, or MMI—the point where you’ve recovered to the fullest extent possible. Reaching MMI is key to evaluating whether you’ll need future medical treatment to manage any permanent impacts from your injuries, and to estimate how much you can seek in damages for those treatment costs. Settling a case before you reach that point may lead you to take less than your case is really worth.
Legal and Liability Factors
Proving the other driver’s liability for your injuries can be critical to successfully recovering compensation after a car accident, especially in at-fault states like Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Though Massachusetts is a no-fault state, you still must show liability to pursue a claim for serious injuries.
Further complicating matters, some motor vehicle accidents can feature more than one liable party, particularly those involving trucks. Your attorney may need more time to thoroughly investigate all potentially liable parties involved and build strong cases against each of them.
The strength of the available evidence can significantly impact the car accident settlement process. Even considering the threat of a lawsuit, insurance companies may be content to drag out a case they see as weak, believing they will likely succeed at trial if they can’t persuade you to accept a lowball offer. If you do need to pursue litigation, court backlogs and other legal factors can further extend your timeline.
Insurance and Negotiation Factors
Complications in the negotiation process can further extend the car accident settlement. Some key factors that can impact the negotiation timeline include the following:
- Insurance company tactics: If the liable party’s insurer is cooperative, negotiations can be relatively quick and painless. However, some may believe that dragging their feet and refusing to agree to a fair deal is what’s best for their bottom line. You may have to go all the way to trial to prevail over a combative insurance company.
- Complex damage calculations: Your lawyer can’t maximize your compensation if they don’t know the full value of your claim. Some damages, such as the previously mentioned future medical costs, can take more time and effort to evaluate than others.
- Need for expert witnesses: Expert testimony can serve as valuable evidence to support your car accident claim. However, it can take time to obtain the services of an expert, have them review the circumstances of your case, and prepare their formal opinion.
- Liens and subrogation: Your insurer or health care provider may have liens that entitle them to repayment for your medical costs before you receive any funds from your settlement, further delaying your payout.
How Can Rob Levine Law Help With Your Settlement Timeline?
With more than 25 years of experience, Rob Levine Law has helped over 50,000 clients like you recover over $2 billion in total compensation. We’ve handled countless car accident cases and know how to minimize the time you need to wait to receive a settlement.
Our knowledgeable team can help you prove liability with strong evidence, account for the full range of your damages, and push back against insurance companies that don’t want to pay you what you deserve.
Win or no fee™, that’s the Fee Free Guarantee®. Contact us online or call (800) 742-3920 today to get started with a free consultation.
Calculate the Value of Your Case
Use our free personal injury settlement calculator to determine how much your case may be worth. This calculator is designed to give you a value with a range based on thousands of case we have settled.
