The time a car accident settlement requires depends on your injuries and the liable parties’ willingness to accept financial responsibility for your losses. These variables make it difficult to project your settlement timeline or even if your case will settle.
If you want to settle your case as soon as possible (and for a fair sum), hire a Trinity car accident attorney. Your lawyer will use their negotiation experience, legal training, and experience to fight urgently for the money you deserve.
Most Car Accident Cases Reach a Settlement (Eventually)
While it is difficult to generalize about settlement timelines, we can speak reliably about the number of cases that settle. Lawyers know that, even when they sue on behalf of a car accident victim, it’s highly likely the case will result in a settlement.
Both you, your lawyer, and liable parties (possibly including an insurance company) may want to settle because:
- It is in everyone’s interest to resolve the open claim or lawsuit and move on
- The financial outcome of a trial is in the hands of a jury or judge (and, therefore, there is financial risk to both the plaintiff and defendant)
- Going to trial can cost the liable party a lot of money
- Trial takes time, preparation, and energy, so most sides want to avoid the investment if possible
This is not to say that your case won’t go to trial, or that you shouldn’t go to trial. You and your attorney can have that discussion if necessary.
Just know that even if it sometimes seems that a settlement is far off, the numbers indicate that you will eventually receive an acceptable offer from liable parties.
What Affects the Timeline for Settling a Car Accident Case?
Each car accident case differs, and countless challenges and considerations may influence the timeline of any given case. Some of those considerations include:
Who Owes You Compensation for Your Losses
Some of the parties who might owe you money include:
- Your auto insurance provider
- A negligent driver’s insurance provider
- A negligent driver (who you might eventually sue)
- A negligent driver’s employer
- A company that manufactured a defective vehicle
- A municipality (which may be liable for potholes, defective traffic lights, and other unsafe driving conditions)
Consider, for example, whether an uninsured motorist caused your car accident. That motorist may deny responsibility for your accident, and your lawyer may need to sue that motorist because they don’t have insurance.
As a counterexample, you might seek compensation from an insurance company that accepts full responsibility. In such a case, a settlement can come relatively quickly.
Whether Liable Parties Approach Your Claim in Good Faith
Attorneys know that:
- Nobody is eager to pay money for a car accident, even if they are clearly responsible for that accident
- Those directly responsible for car accidents (like negligent motorists) often blame others when a collision occurs
- Insurance companies use a wide variety of strategies to avoid paying car accident victims
- It often takes a convincing case, and even the threat of a lawsuit or trial, to secure fair compensation for liable parties
If liable parties accept fault and liability, securing a settlement becomes far easier. This rarely happens.
Whether You Have a Disabling Injury
Being disabled is costly, and not just in a financial sense. The financial stress, psychological challenges, and physical realities of a disability can warrant a sizable settlement, and securing large sums of money can take time.
It’s true that:
- Disabling injuries are typically more expensive than non-disabling injuries, so you may be fighting for a large amount of money (and predictably receiving resistance from those who owe the money)
- It may take time for you to understand your long-term symptoms and medical needs, which can delay the start of settlement negotiations
- The severity of your injuries may be one of the most important considerations in how long your case takes
Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other potential ailments can cause lifelong symptoms. Whether or not you secure a settlement quickly, your lawyer will obtain all the compensation you deserve.
Whether You File a Car Accident Lawsuit
Filing a lawsuit generally means extending the life of your case. That said, attorneys can sometimes reach a settlement agreement shortly after filing a lawsuit. Filing a suit doesn’t necessarily mean your case will go to trial, and the lawsuit can place greater pressure on liable parties to offer a fair settlement.
Whether Your Lawsuit Leads to a Trial
Trials tend to take longer to complete than settlement negotiations. Therefore, if you and your attorney decide to pursue a court case, it will mean a longer case (and, potentially, no settlement at all).
A Lawyer Will Work to Settle Your Car Accident Case as Soon as Possible
Car accident lawyers have many duties to their clients. One of those duties is to obtain a fair sum of money as soon as possible.
Having such urgency is necessary because:
- No car accident victim wants an open-ended claim or lawsuit lingering, as this is a matter they deserve closure for
- Many car accident victims face great financial uncertainty, and only a fair settlement or verdict can provide the certainty they deserve
- When a client receives fair compensation, they can pay for medical and mental health services (and are therefore can heal as they need to)
Attorneys also want to help their clients and, when they have closed the case, continue to help more clients. For these reasons, you can trust that your car accident attorney will work to secure the settlement you deserve as soon as possible.
How Attorneys Work Towards Speedy (But Fair) Settlements
There are several reasons to believe a lawyer is best positioned to secure a fair settlement as quickly as possible.
Car accident attorneys:
- Have the time necessary to build your claim or lawsuit right away (while you may be busy resting, seeing your doctors, and receiving mental health services)
- Have experience that allows them to secure evidence, document your damages, and build other features of your case without delay
- Often work with paralegals, experts, investigators, and others who can help build a case efficiently (teamwork can dramatically increase efficiency)
- Keep pressure on insurance companies, who may have strategic reasons to delay the completion of your claim
Your lawyer will be your advocate throughout your claim process or lawsuit. Trust them to get the financial result you deserve and to achieve that result as soon as they possibly can.
If Liable Parties Won’t Settle Fairly, Suing Can Be Your Second Option
Many car accident lawyers will do what is best for their clients, even when the law firm takes on substantial risks. For instance, if an auto insurance provider repeatedly refuses to offer you a fair settlement, your attorney may take your case to trial—even though, if a jury does not award you money, the attorney won’t get paid for their services.
As you look for a lawyer, seek a law firm that:
- Has a record of case results that includes multiple trial verdicts (not just settlements)
- Has client reviews detailing how the law firm went to trial for them
- Assures you, in no uncertain terms, that filing a lawsuit and going to trial is a viable option in your case
If you prioritize these criteria, you will select a lawyer willing to file a personal injury lawsuit and go to trial if needed. Lawyers who will sue and go to trial have considerable leverage when negotiating settlements.
When You Hire a Car Accident Lawyer, They Manage Every Aspect of Your Case
In simple terms, your lawyer’s job is to get the settlement you deserve. When you zoom in, though, you can see that much strategy and effort goes into achieving such an outcome.
Your car accident attorney—plus any experts, paralegals, and others who work on your case—will take responsibility for:
Case-Related Communications and Administrative Duties
As soon as you hire a lawyer, they:
- Stop unwanted communications from insurance companies
- Help you make any necessary statements to insurers
- Ensure that nobody can mislead you, badger you, or compromise your claim
- Handle all case-related paperwork and all other administrative responsibilities
Your attorney takes accountability for every detail of your case, from phone calls to fine print.
Proving the Cause of Your Car Accident
Before insurance companies or liable parties agree to a settlement, they typically demand proof of fault for a car accident.
Your attorney will secure this proof, including:
- Any video footage showing the collision (or events leading up to or following the accident, like a driver racing through traffic before the accident)
- Eyewitness testimony supporting your account of the car accident
- An expert’s reconstruction of the accident
- Photographs of vehicle damage, which can indicate how the vehicles collided
Law firms have systems—like dedicated investigators—that enable the immediate collection of evidence.
Document Each of Your Losses
Your lawyer will learn as much as possible about your accident and related damages.
They will learn about the harm you suffered, and they may document that harm with:
- Medical images, doctors’ formal diagnoses, doctors’ notes, medical bills, and other relevant healthcare records
- A qualified mental health service provider’s diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, accident-related anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and other pain and suffering resulting from the collision
- Pre- and post-accident income statements supporting your lawyer’s calculation of your lost income
- Bills for the repair or replacement of your damaged car
Your attorney may also present your account of suffering after the accident. After all, nobody but you understands the full extent of your emotional anguish, physical pain, and other forms of suffering.
Pinpointing the Value of a Fair Settlement (and Demanding That Settlement)
Attorneys must also be proficient mathematicians. Car accident victims often face long-term medical care and other complex financial damages, and your lawyer may work with economists and other experts to calculate your economic losses.
Pain and suffering (and certain other non-economic damages) will also factor into your case value. Your attorney will know the two primary methods for calculating these damages, and they will use the method that’s most fitting for your case.
Drafting, Filing, and Proceeding with Any Lawsuit You Want to File
A car accident victim may decide to file a lawsuit because:
- An uninsured motorist hits them, and suing that motorist (or other liable parties) is the most logical strategy
- Insurance policy coverage limits are lesser than the cost of accident-related losses
- Insurance companies unjustly deny claims
- Insurance companies refuse to cover certain losses (and possibly expensive losses)
There can be many reasons to file a car accident lawsuit. Your lawyer will pick your brain, listen to your goals and feedback, and help you decide whether to sue.
Representing You in Court, If Circumstances Require
If you file a lawsuit against any liable party, your case may still settle. If your lawyer and liable parties cannot reach an agreement, let your legal team seek compensation from a jury.
What Damages Do Car Accident Lawyers Include in Settlement Demands?
Your attorney’s settlement demands will reflect your:
- Pain and suffering (which is a highly personal class of damages unique to each accident victim)
- Lost income
- Vehicle repair costs
- Temporary transportation costs
- Lost income
If you seek counseling, need medical equipment, or have other economic or non-economic damages, your lawyer will present those damages to liable parties.
The most effective lawyers take a hardline on their client’s behalf, and that’s what you should expect from your own attorney.
Find and Hire Your Car Accident Attorney Today (Waiting Is Very Risky)
Those who wait to hire a Trinity personal injury lawyer risk:
- Missing the statute of limitations for car accident lawsuits
- Procrastinating and, eventually, accepting a lowball settlement that places them in financial distress
- Making a mistake that has catastrophic results for their case
The solution to these risks is clear and simple. Find a well-reviewed, highly accomplished car accident attorney and hire them today.
James Wayne Holliday
James Wayne Holliday has been practicing law since 1995. He has been named as a “Best Attorney” Lifetime Charter Member in Florida, an honor awarded to less than one percent of the nation’s lawyers.
Mr. Holliday has earned a reputation as a relentless trial lawyer because of his outstanding work ethic and thorough preparation of his cases for trial.
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