Every personal injury case is different, especially when it comes to timelines. The length of time an injury case takes to settle will depend on several factors, including the lawyer’s professional ability, congestion in the courts, the at-fault party’s insurance carrier’s reasonableness, the claimant’s reasonableness in deciding to accept or reject a fair offer, and much more. If you are currently involved in a personal injury case, you are likely eager to settle, but you should only settle your case if you are getting full and fair compensation, based upon all the facts of the case.
Continue reading to learn the top three reasons why personal injury claims take time to settle or go to trial, plus who to consult for more answers to your accident case questions.
Top 3 Causes of Accident Claim Delays
Do you feel as if your personal injury claim is taking longer than usual to reach a settlement? Well, before you place the blame on your lawyer or surrender too quickly to a low-ball offer, look at these 3 common reasons that contribute to accident claim delays:
1) Challenging Legal Matters and Disputes
The basis of virtually all personal injury claims comes down to two elements: first, establishing fault by proving negligence, and second, proving the full value of a victim’s damages and losses. If your personal injury case poses convoluted or challenging legal issues, such problems can make a case take longer to resolve. This is typically due to the argument of proving liability.
In a negligence lawsuit, the claimant, or plaintiff party, carries the burden of proving their case. In order to do so, they must provide evidence to establish that the opposing party had a duty of care, breached that duty of care, and as a result, caused an accident that led to serious losses and damages of the victim or to their surviving family.
2) High Settlement Case
If your personal-injury claim is one that involves a significant amount of money in terms of damages and demanded compensation, it can cause the case to drag out a bit longer. When such quantities of money are involved, more negotiations are likely to occur because insurance companies simply won’t payout more than they have to unless they have done their due diligence. An insurance company will investigate a big money case longer for a few reasons, but mostly if they don’t already have a good defense on the claim, or they believe that a claimant’s injuries and damages are not as severe as they have alleged them to be.
3) Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
If you are still receiving medical treatment for the injuries you suffered as a result of your wrongful accident, you have not yet reached maximum medical improvement (MMI), the point in which your injuries can no longer be improved. It is important to have patience while receiving medical treatments for the injuries caused by your accident because you could be entitled to further damages, such as permanent disability, loss of consortium, loss of companionship, loss of ability to work, future pain and suffering and more. You never want to settle a personal injury claim until you have reached maximum medical improvement. This way, you can ensure that you are given a settlement that covers all your losses and damages, both past and future.
Our law firm does not get paid until we obtain a settlement or verdict for you. That being the case, we strive to obtain a settlement or verdict as quickly as possible for our clients, but with the understanding that the settlement must be full and fair, based upon all the evidence for the case. Contact the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to schedule a free initial case evaluation with a skilled civil litigator and discuss your pending personal injury lawsuit in Indianapolis, Indiana. We represent injured persons throughout the state of Indiana.
Related Posts:
Can I Receive Personal Injury Compensation Without Filing a Lawsuit?
How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawsuit Cost?
Does Personal Injury Compensation Cover Mental Health Treatment?
