Obtaining full and fair value requires careful planning and diligent case work-up. This takes time. While some claims may seem more clear than others, all claims take thorough investigation, careful planning and skillful strategy to get the insurance companies to pay full value.
How long a settlement takes varies considerably depending on your injuries and the type of claim. For example, the average time to resolve a medical malpractice claim is 3-5 years; while the average time to resolve a much less complicated car crash claim with no permanent injuries can be as little as 6 months.
There are many reasons for this variation. A medical malpractice claim requires an intensive investigation into your health history and the treatment at issue. The time to acquire all the necessary medical records alone can be 6-9 months or more. Then, these records need to be reviewed by independent and well-qualified, similarly-trained doctors to determine if your medical care fell below-accepted standards of care. Then a legal complaint will be filed and various legal procedures will ensue before such a complicated claim can be ready for a settlement discussion.
This stands in contrast to a less complicated car crash claim with no permanent injuries because there are far fewer medical records to gather, a shorter time for medical review, and typically a greater appetite for settlement by an automobile liability insurance company. Of course, there are many variations to these time frames that are quite fact-dependent. For instance, an injury that takes time to heal must heal, and a prognosis must be learned before we can feel comfortable entertaining a fair settlement on your behalf.
We have resolved many different types of injury claims over the many decades we have been around–from wrongful death claims to medical malpractice claims to nursing home negligence claims, to product liability claims to car crash claims to fall injuries to boating accidents to motorcycle accidents to tractor trailer crashes and countless others. We know what we are doing when it comes to the settlement process and evaluation. You should never settle an injury claim without the advice of a seasoned and respected law firm. We would be honored to be that law firm for you.