Personal Injury Settlement Timeline

Answer:

When I meet with new clients, one of the main questions I get asked is, “How long will it take for my case to get resolved?” That can be a complex question to answer. In general, when we represent people on personal injury cases, we have a four-year statute of limitations that applies. A different statute of limitations applies to medical malpractice claims and some other claims as well. We want to make sure, when we pursue that claim, that we know within reasonable certainty what harms, losses, and damages you have sustained. We also need to know that, to be able to show what the long-lasting effects of the injuries are, and how those losses and injuries will impact a person’s life in the future and their future earning capacity.

We want to be able to make those determinations so what we tell our clients is, as soon as we have a very solid idea and we’re able to determine what your losses are from the injuries that you have sustained, then we’re going to be in a position to pursue the claim against the at-fault party’s insurance company. In general, that might take a year or less. Sometimes it can take up to two years. Sometimes, if the case is quite complicated, it can take longer than two years.

We want to make sure that, when we decide to pursue the claim and file our demand with the insurance company, that we have a very good understanding of what your losses are, how those injuries affect you in your day-to-day life, in your relationships with your family, and in your occupation. Those are the things that we’re going to be wanting to know, and when we have a very good understanding of what that is, we’re going to be able to pursue that claim.