Auto Accident Settlement Timeline: How Long Does It Take to Get Paid?

If you were severely injured in a car crash, you’re likely wondering how long it takes to complete a settlement. After all, your auto accident settlement timeline determines how soon you’ll be able to cover medical treatments, repair costs, and other life expenses.

Unfortunately, there’s no universal answer to how long a car accident settlement takes. Each crash is unique, and dozens of factors can either speed up or slow down your claim. Our team has spent decades pinpointing the factors that affect auto accident settlement timelines. We use this knowledge to help our clients get every cent they need quickly.

Act Fast and Start Your Accident Settlement Now

• An Average Auto Accident Settlement Timeline
• What Causes Car Accident Settlement Delays?
• How Lane Brown Speeds Up Settlements
• Why Time Is Vital to Your Case
• Get the Maximum Auto Accident Settlement With Minimal Delays
• Auto Accident Settlement Timeline FAQ

An Average Auto Accident Settlement Timeline

Auto accident settlements involve several steps. These steps vary in length based on factors like evidence availability, opponent’s willingness to settle, medical treatment length, and the number of involved parties.

1. Investigation: Every claim begins with an investigation. During this time, our attorneys will work with investigators to collect evidence, such as witness statements, police reports, medical treatment logs, and auto repair bills. This step must happen first, as evidence can degrade over time. It only takes a few months for traffic camera data to get overwritten and witness memories to fade. Finding the most effective evidence ASAP helps us build settlement cases that resolve quickly.
2. Claim filing: After gathering all the evidence needed to prove your innocence and the other party’s negligence, we’ll craft a demand letter. This document details the injuries and expenses we believe the negligent party should cover.
3. Negotiation: Once the at-fault party replies to the demand letter, negotiation starts. If your legal opponent quickly agrees to the terms in your letter, this step can resolve quickly. However, the more disagreements you and your opponent have regarding your demands, the longer this step takes. During negotiation, we counter any low offers and fight for the largest settlement possible.
4. Trial: Most car accident cases resolve via settlement. However, we prepare each case as if it will go to trial, which helps us recover the maximum amount possible for our clients, and if not, be prepared to take the case to trial, if necessary.

Please note that the timeframes involved in each case are unique. One of our car accident lawyers can give you an accurate estimate after reviewing the details of your case during a free consultation.

Start Your Claim Settlement Clock Today

What Causes Car Accident Settlement Delays?

Several things can add weeks or even months to the average auto accident settlement timeline, including:

• Missing or weak evidence: When evidence is difficult to locate, like old CCTV footage, investigations take longer. Additionally, a lack of evidence can slow down the negotiation process, as a negligent driver is less likely to accept a settlement if they feel they can win a trial.
• Unresponsive parties: Your opponent’s insurer or legal team likely knows that you’re in a difficult financial situation after a car crash. They may take as long as possible to reply to communications in the hopes that you’ll accept a smaller settlement.
• The severity of your injuries: Our car accident lawyers need to have a comprehensive understanding of your diagnoses and the treatments you’ll need to recover from your injuries. The more severely hurt you are, the longer these treatments and diagnoses will take.
• Multiple liable parties: The greater the number of parties involved in your accident, the harder it becomes to assign liability. Our attorneys must investigate every involved party to find who is at fault and how much liability they bear.

Don’t let these issues slow down your auto accident settlement timeline. Hire a qualified auto accident lawyer from Lane Brown, LLC to clear these obstacles and avoid costly delays.

How Lane Brown Speeds Up Settlements

Lane Brown, LLC has spent decades shortening auto accident settlement timelines for our clients. During a case, we do everything possible to get the largest settlement in as little time as possible. Some strategies we use to speed up cases include:

• Independent investigations: We work with private investigators and accident specialists to get our hands on high-quality evidence quickly.
• Effective negotiation strategies: Our lawyers know exactly how at-fault parties try to push against your demands. If they try to delay negotiations or refute our damage claims, we’re ready to counter their pushback with time-tested negotiation methods.
• Trial prep for every case: While cases rarely go to trial, we treat every claim as if it could end up in court. By gathering the amount of evidence needed for a trial, we can easily overcome any objections during negotiation.

Settle Faster With Lane Brown and Start Now

Why Time Is Vital to Your Case

Our team fights to win settlements quickly for all the following reasons:

• Statute of limitations: Illinois has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. If your claim isn’t filed within this window, the court may dismiss it. To make sure this doesn’t happen, we try to gather evidence as quickly as possible.
• Evidence deterioration: Over time, dashcam footage gets deleted, and witnesses forget details. As soon as you contact us, we get to work gathering evidence to ensure we get our hands on the most information possible.
• Financial impacts: After an auto accident, many victims are unable to work and end up saddled with medical debt. The faster we can secure a settlement for our clients, the sooner they can cover medical and living expenses without additional stress.

Serving Chicago and the Surrounding Communities

Get the Maximum Auto Accident Settlement With Minimal Delays

When you’re dealing with medical debt and a worsening financial situation, you can’t wait for a years-long case. Our capable team of car accident attorneys will always push to settle cases quickly for the maximum possible amount.

Lane Brown, LLC has helped countless people in Chicago and the Chicagoland area recover millions of dollars in damages. We know how devastating the effects of delays are, and we work tirelessly to prevent them. Schedule a free consultation to see how much your case is worth today.

Call to Begin Your Car Accident Settlement Claim

Auto Accident Settlement Timeline FAQ

What happens if my medical condition worsens after a settlement is reached?

Unfortunately, the full impact of auto accident injuries can take years to uncover. While both our team and your doctor do their best to account for all scenarios, sometimes your health can take a negative turn after you’ve agreed to a settlement.

In this situation, nothing can be done to change the settlement. However, not all is lost. If you chose to work with a capable auto accident lawyer, like those at Lane Brown, LLC, you likely received a settlement that accounted for the worst-case health scenarios. As a result, your settlement should be capable of covering the full scope of your future treatment needs.