When a client is weighing the decision to move towards litigation, they often ask: “How long will a personal injury lawsuit take?”
The short answer: a few months to a few years. However, complex personal injury cases rarely resolve quickly. Two main variables will dictate the timeline of a personal injury lawsuit: the client and the insurance company.
The Client
The client is often the most powerful variable in gauging the length of personal injury litigation. Two client specific factors influence the timeline: the injury and the client’s willingness to settle.
Client Injury
Serious and life-threatening injuries will complicate a case. In these circumstances, a client has often spent extended time in a hospital or rehabilitation facility, visiting with numerous medical experts, and amassing a lengthy medical history. Ongoing treatment and projections for future medical needs will extend the length of a personal injury lawsuit. The personal injury attorneys at The Gutierrez Law Firm will make sure that each client is near the end of his or her major medical treatment before resolving a matter. Settling too soon may sacrifice funds for paying doctor bills.
Willingness to Settle
The injury attorneys at The Gutierrez Law Firm are legally bound to relay all settlement offers to our clients. With this information in hand, the client must decide how to proceed. Clients willing to accept reasonable settlement offers will reduce the length of their personal injury lawsuits. Rejecting offers in favor of further negotiation will lengthen the case, but it is often necessary to achieve a fair settlement. Negotiation time is specific to each personal injury case.
Insurance Companies
At the end of a lawsuit, where does the money come from? An insurance company is typically the entity that makes the payment. Big insurance companies have deep pockets, but they don’t make millions by doling it out easily to every claimant. Insurance companies are in the business of making money and keeping that money in-house. The timeline of a personal injury lawsuit will be influenced by insurance adjuster offers and the details of litigation.
Insurance Offers
Lowball offers from insurance carriers are a common negotiation technique. The provider is hoping that you need the money for bills and lost wages and you will jump at the first number they offer. Accepting this offer will shorten the case, but most initial offers are so low that clients should negotiate further.
Litigation
If your case goes to court, expect a two- to four-year process. The personal injury attorneys at The Gutierrez Law Firm have little control over the court’s schedule and the delay tactics used by insurance companies. When litigation becomes necessary, we prepare our clients to buckle in for a long and potentially bumpy road. We prepare by gathering evidence, filing it immediately, and hiring the necessary experts to help design discovery requests. We do everything we can to trim down the time between injury and completion of your claim.
Get Help With A Corpus Christi Personal Injury Lawsuit Today
Our goal is a just and timely resolution of your personal injury claim. Some variables are out of our control, but we have the experience to prepare clients well and to keep our cases moving. To discuss your case with a team of personal injury lawyers, call The Gutierrez Law Firm today.
