Every personal injury case is different. Depending on the specific circumstances of the incident, it could take anywhere from a month to a whole year to be completed.
In fact, according to Bojat Law Group, a law firm that specializes in personal injury cases, the exact timeline can be difficult to determine without a prior consultation with a professional.
Still, however, understanding the process behind every personal injury case is of the utmost importance. It can help you reach the results you deserve, all while providing you with an estimated timeline for your specific circumstances.
Filing an insurance claim is the logical first step
After suffering injuries in an accident, the most logical place to turn to is the at-fault party’s insurance company. First, you’ll notify the company of your upcoming insurance claim, collect the needed evidence and documentation, and then file an official insurance claim to get compensated for your injuries.
Now, after you’ve done that, an adjuster will be assigned to your case to investigate the validity of your claim. This is where you’re better off hiring an attorney. There’s a limit to what the adjuster is legally entilted to ask of you – an attorney can ensure you’re not disclosing something that can eventually be used against you.
Proper investigation is key
Parallel to the official examination done by the insurance adjuster, lawyers at Bojat Law Group reccomend that you conduct your own investigation to collect relevant documentation to support your claim.
The easiest way to go about it is to hire an experienced attorney that knows where to look for evidence and how to collect it. This won’t only make the process much simpler, but it will also speed it up in more ways than you think.
Settlement
After you collect the needed evidence and file your claim, you’ll probably recieve a settlement offer. It’s up to you whether to accept it or not. However, if it feels unfairly low, you should certainly contact a specialized attorney to help you determine the likelyhood of increasing your compensation later in the process.
Either way, as noted by the Bojat Law Group, if you reject the initial offer, you’ll soon recieve a counter offer that’s likely to be higher than what was originally on the table.
Negotiation
If you’re not satisfied with the settlement offers but you don’t want to go to court, there’s two things you can do. The first one is called mediation, where you and the at-fault party will try to negotiate a resolution with the help of a professional mediator.
The second option is arbitration, which may feel like a court proceeding at first. You and your legal team will provide your arguments to a neutral party called an arbitrator to try to resolve your case.
Going to court
Going to court is usually seen as a last resort in personal injury cases. However, if you and your attorney feel like it’s the best way to get you properly compensated for your injuries, there’s no reason not to go for it.