Personal Injury Case Time Frame
How Long Does it Take to Settle a Personal Injury Case?
In the following educational legal video, experienced Hamburg injury lawyer Daniel J. Chiacchia details the personal injury case time frame, and explains how long it takes to settle a personal injury case.
Download Our Free Personal Injury Guide
Quite often, clients come in and ask us, “How long is this going to take?” Until we know more about their specific cases, that is a very tough question to answer. I really get annoyed when I see commercials presented by other law firms that say, “Our average time to resolve a case is 18 to 19 months,” or whatever it is. Claims like that don’t do clients any service because, first of all, a lot of the correct answer depends on how their medical treatment is progressing.
I prefer not to settle any claim until I’m sure my client has reached a near-end point of their medical issues. That’s important. For example, what happens if I settle a claim with someone early on – perhaps it’s a neck complaint – and then, later on down the road, they need neck surgery? At that point, the value of that client’s case increases dramatically – but we’ve already settled the case. As lawyers, we need to be patient, and we tell our clients that all the time.
The other primary cause of delays in these cases can be the insurance company and their lawyers. They like to delay things. It’s important to understand that some insurance defense lawyers are on the clock, and they are paid by the hour. I don’t know if that’s always a motivating factor, but it certainly could be. A lot of things are going on at once and, sometimes, court congestion can be a big problem. We try to get our cases scheduled for trial as quickly as we can, but some of the judges’ schedules are backed up as much as a year or two, so it’s not always easy to get an immediate trial date.
In those situations, we sometimes try to pursue other avenues such as mediation or arbitration in an attempt to resolve cases. That’s why, to give a blanket answer about how long a given case is going to take is simply impossible. I will tell you that we’re going to move it as quickly as we can, and we will do so based on all of the circumstances that are presented for your specific case – not everybody else’s.
Did you suffer an injury due to the negligence of another party and have questions regarding how long it will take until you receive compensation? Contact the experienced Hamburg injury attorneys at Chiacchia & Fleming, LLP to learn about the personal injury case time frame, and receive a free consultation. We treat your case and your injuries seriously and do everything in our power to bring you relief.
Download Our Free Personal Injury Guide
Out of Town Resources
These Naperville Personal Injury Attorneys have done a great job creating educational content. If you need help with a personal injury claim in Naperville, we recommend you take a look at their website.