How Long Does It Take to Get Car Accident Settlement?

After a wreck, accident victims need money. You probably need to take your car to a body shop, which doesn’t work for free, and you’ll need to get to the hospital to have your injuries treated. Trying to pay these sudden expenses will add stress to almost anyone’s budget.

Generally, it will take around 6 months to receive a car accident settlement. That’s the amount of time it takes to negotiate with the other side toward a reasonable amount of money that fairly compensates you. However, certain factors could drag out the process. Our Wytheville car accident attorney reviews the most significant of these.

Is There a Dispute about Fault?

The driver who is at fault for the accident is the one who pays compensation to those injured. However, fault isn’t always clear cut. If you got into a sideswipe accident on the freeway, the other driver could claim you didn’t make room for him to merge when, to your eyes, he didn’t slow down. If you were involved in a T-bone collision at an intersection, the other driver might claim he had the green light, whereas you are convinced you did.

Disagreements about fault can take months of evidence collecting. We will need to talk to multiple witnesses who saw the accident and possibly visit the accident scene or work with accident reconstructionists.

How Badly Were You Injured?

Accident victims can receive compensation for medical care, such as:

• Surgery

• Rehabilitation

• Prescription medication

• Diagnostic testing

• Doctor visits

• Prosthetics

• Mental health counseling

Ideally, you want to wait to make a demand for compensation until you have reached maximum improvement. At that point, you will know the full cost of your medical care. If you make a demand too early, you are only guessing at how much your medical care will cost.

Someone with very serious injuries needs more time to rehab. For example, someone with spinal cord damage will need years of rehab to regain as much functioning as possible. By contrast, someone who suffers mild whiplash will probably recover in a couple of months. The victim with spinal cord injuries will need to wait longer to find out the full cost of medical care.

You can’t wait too long, though. If settlement talks falter, you’ll need to file a personal injury lawsuit, and Virginia gives you a maximum of two years after an accident to file.

The Defendant’s Motivation to Settle

Another consideration is how motivated the defendant is to settle with you. If your claim is worth only a few thousand dollars, then some insurers will cut a check quickly rather than engage in months-long investigations. However, if you are requesting a large settlement, an insurer has more incentive to fully analyze the claim and possibly push back. 

Contact The Jackson Law Group

We have negotiated many settlements for car accident victims, and we are eager to discuss your case. Please contact us today to discuss your chances of receiving a settlement after a car accident. We will do everything possible to get you the compensation you need as quickly as possible.