Being injured in a car accident can be very frustrating. In addition to the damage to your vehicle, you may suffer physical injuries. Those injuries likely require hospitalization, outpatient medical care, and time away from work. Injuries sustained in a car accident can result in a significant financial hardship for the accident victim. Filing a claim with the responsible party’s insurance provider may be the best way to recover compensation for your losses. In the article below, our Tennessee auto accident attorneys discuss car accident cases and why some cases take longer to settle than other cases.
Top Three Factors That Impact The Time It Takes to Settle a Car Accident Case
The length of time it takes to resolve a car accident case depends on numerous factors. The three top factors that may cause your case to take longer to resolve include:
- The Severity of Your Injuries
The time it takes for you to heal from your injuries has a significant impact on the length of your case. You should not rush to settle a car accident case before you know the full extent of your injuries. Your injuries may require surgery and extensive physical therapy.
Settling your claim before you complete treatment may result in you being financially responsible for a large portion of your medical costs and lost wages. If you sustain permanent impairments or disabilities, you may also be entitled to compensation for future damages. Therefore, the severity of your injuries has a large impact on the time it takes to settle the case. The more severe the injuries, the longer the case may take to complete.
- Dispute Regarding Liability
A party who causes a traffic accident may be held liable for damages related to that accident. However, proving that a party is at fault for a crash can be difficult. The accident investigation can take longer if multiple vehicles were involved or other factors, such as weather, road conditions, or defective parts, were factors in the cause of the crash. If the insurance provider disputes liability, you may need to retain experts to recreate the accident to prove that the other party was responsible for causing the collision.
- Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit
You may need to file a car accident lawsuit if the other party does not accept liability. In most cases, an insurance provider hires a defense attorney to represent the other party. The defense attorney may draw out the case with unnecessary motions and discovery requests, which can lengthen the time it takes for the case to go to trial. Also, the court’s schedule also impacts how long it may take to resolve a car accident lawsuit.
The insurance company may decide to settle the lawsuit before trial if it realizes that your case is strong. However, the company may wait until right before trial to agree to a settlement. Unfortunately, this process means it takes longer for you to get your money for a car accident case.
Contact a Tennessee Car Accident Attorney for Help
A Tennessee car accident attorney will evaluate your case and advise you of your options for recovering compensation from another party. Contact the personal injury attorneys at Cummings Law today. We endeavor to resolve all cases as effectively and quickly as possible. However, we do not take steps that might harm your chance of recovering full compensation for your damages. We keep you advised of the progress of your case and provide you with experienced legal counsel so that you can choose the option that is best for you.
Posted in: Car Accidents