Often, a case will last one year from the date the complaint was filed to the settlement. It could also be six months. In only a minority of cases, a personal injury lawsuit will take two to three years to resolve. Resolving a car accident case can take anywhere from 90 days to over a year in complex cases.
In some cases, resolving the matter quickly with the at-fault driver's insurance company is the most cost-effective strategy. In other cases, the at-fault driver may not have had insurance even though North Carolina requires minimal car insurance. In those cases, or if the amount of the insurance payment is unfairly low, victims of car accidents may need to file a lawsuit. Depending on the details of your case or settlement agreement, the actual time it takes for the check to be delivered varies.
While many agreements are finalized within six weeks, some agreements can take several months to resolve. Here are some of the reasons why your settlement check may arrive later than expected. Half of our readers resolved their personal injury claims within two months to a year, while 30% of readers waited more than a year for their cases to be resolved. The overall average was 11.4 months.
It's natural to want a quick payment, but a faster resolution doesn't necessarily mean a better outcome. What if you have a personal injury case and don't want it to drag on for months or even years? You might be wondering if you can resolve your case quickly even if you have to accept less money to do so. The answer is yes, but that doesn't mean it's a good strategy. That's why insurance adjusters, as well as attorneys who help injured people, are often motivated to reach a personal injury settlement.
If you have a personal injury case and think you just want to resolve it quickly without getting involved in a lengthy litigation process, you should contact a personal injury lawyer for tailor-made advice about the risks of a quick settlement. While most personal injury cases are resolved and lawsuits are rare, insurance companies are clearly more inclined to make a reasonable settlement offer if you show them that you are serious and follow through with a lawsuit. The insurance company will not make a reasonable settlement offer until it is convinced that your lawyer can present a doctor to testify that the defendant's action (or inaction) caused your injuries. When you finally reach an agreement, there are a few more things you and your lawyer must do before the defendant hands the check to your lawyer.