How long does it take to resolve a personal injury case?

 

Personal injury cases will most often take several years to settle. While this may seem “wrong” the reality is that the vast majority of accident cases need this much time to be resolved properly. Personal injury cases that are reconciled quickly are most often settled for too little compensation without regard to the real impact of the injury on the victim. 

Personal injury cases take time to get a complete picture 

The average amount of time for a personal injury claim to be resolved ranges from 2 to 5 years after the accident. The cases that take the longest to settle are the ones that involve complex injuries where extensive treatment and time is needed to determine the extent and severity of the injury. The litigation process is somewhat bureaucratic and the necessary court resources are not always immediately available. However, it would be wrong to entirely blame the “Court” for the time it takes to resolve a case.  Most cases require coordination with many personal injury lawyers and “sides” in a case. These suits require multiple expert witnesses and professionals to work on the case, generate reports, be examined and to have those reports reviewed and tested by other experts who may then also generate their own reports and opinions about what happened and why. 

Compensation for an accident should reflect the severity of the injury 

Healing, treatment, and recovery is never instantaneous and the more serious the injury the more complicated it becomes to know the full effects of that injury. Until we are reasonably able to understand the severity of an injury it is not recommended to aim to settle a case. Proper compensation—and specifically getting enough compensation—requires a clear and thorough understanding of all the consequences of an accident. That understanding takes time to acquire as the accident victim learns how to deal with the injuries and how to get on with their lives. While we work diligently towards settlement or going to trial, we at QTMG LLP are careful not to prematurely resolve a case for compensation that is inadequate in the circumstances.