How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take to Settle

If you’ve initiated a lawsuit against the at-fault party in your personal injury case, you’re likely wondering how long you should expect the case to take. The answer is anywhere from a few months to over a year. This is a wide range, but the reality is that numerous factors can affect your case’s timeline and duration. 

How long does a personal injury case take to settle? Larry Wall Trial Law, personal injury lawyers in Wichita, KS, explain a few factors that will affect your settlement timeline. 

Maximum Medical Improvement

The amount of money you seek in a personal injury case should completely cover your medical bills and other expenses. But if you’re still going through medical treatments, you may not know exactly how much your case is worth. 

Your attorney may recommend waiting until you reach maximum medical improvement, which is the point at which your condition has stabilized and is unlikely to improve further. At this point, you’ll have the bulk of your medical treatments behind you and can better calculate your damages. 

Liability Discrepancies

Personal injury cases in which liable party typically move faster than ones with liability issues. For example,

• Is the defendant attempting to pin some of the blame for the accident on you?
• Is there confusion surrounding how the accident occurred?
• Were multiple parties responsible for your injuries instead of just one?

These issues could lengthen your case, as both sides will need to spend more time in the discovery process. 

The Court Schedule

It’s not uncommon for court docket delays and scheduling issues to push back your court date at least once or twice. While you should be ready for your original court date, anticipate that it may change. The civil justice system is slow-moving, and many variables outside your control can affect how long your personal injury case takes to settle. 

Your attorney will help you adhere to all laws and statutes of limitations to keep your personal injury case on track, but you should still expect delays. 

Significant Damages 

If you experienced serious, life-altering injuries in your personal injury accident, your case may take longer simply due to its high value. If your case goes to trial, the judge will want to hear every detail of the accident to make an informed decision about liability, negligence, and damages. They won’t want to award you hundreds of thousands of dollars without doing their due diligence. 

In this case, the long timeline will be worth the significant financial relief and settlement you can expect at the end of the road. 

Seek Legal Assistance From Larry Wall Trial Law

Larry Wall Trial Law is prepared to see your case through to the end, no matter how long it takes. We can answer “How long does a personal injury case take to settle?” after evaluating your case’s unique circumstances. Then, we can guide you through the settlement or trial process. 

Contact us today at 316-265-6000 or fill out our online form for help seeking damages after a personal injury accident in Wichita, KS.