How Long Do Personal Injury Cases Take?

Accumulating medical bills, lost wages, and the journey of physical and mental recovery after an accident can leave you trying to calculate when you’ll finally get the settlement you deserve. The timeline of your personal injury case depends on factors such as the complexity of the accident, the severity of your injuries, and the actions of the insurance companies.

Personal injury attorneys in Phoenix, Arizona can help, but knowing some basics can help you prepare for what’s ahead.

Many Cases Take Longer Than You Expect

Before talking about important factors in the length of personal injury cases, it can be helpful to set your expectations. One of the biggest reasons cases take longer than victims expect is medical recovery. It can take a long time until doctors can accurately assess your injuries and determine what future treatment will be necessary.

A longer case isn’t inherently a bad thing. Sometimes, settling too early can leave you with a reward that doesn’t completely cover your expenses. Also, in many situations, additional time allows your attorney to build the strongest case possible.

Factors That Affect Personal Injury Case Timelines

A number of details combine to affect the speed at which a personal injury claim moves forward. These factors include:

• The severity of your injuries
• How long medical treatment will be required
• The amount of evidence available
• Whether or not liability is disputed
• Whether or not expert opinions are needed
• The insurance company’s willingness to negotiate
• If the case goes to trial

An accident in which one person is clearly liable and the victim suffered minor injuries can move relatively quickly. An accident with multiple parties, disputed fault, an antagonistic insurance company, and catastrophic damages can take years.

The statute of limitations for injury claims also matters here, as sometimes the timeline of cases is prolonged when injuries caused by the accident aren’t discovered immediately.

The Role of Insurance Companies

The stereotype of a slow-moving claim is often overworked lawyers failing to prioritize your case. However, a case’s timeline is often influenced much more by insurance companies. These companies are motivated to pay as small an amount as possible in damages, and one of the tools they use to achieve this is prolonging the process. 

Insurance adjusters might dispute medical treatment, request extensive documentation, or investigate liability to extend your case. While doing this, they might also repeatedly offer you relatively smaller compensation, hoping you accept just to end the process.

Get Gage Mathers on Your Side

An extended personal injury case doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When you work with experts like the lawyers at Gage Mathers, you’re not facing insurance companies on your own, and every day the process continues on is a day they can use to strengthen your case. We’re on your team, and we’re here to answer any questions you want to ask a personal injury lawyer.

The aftermath of an accident can be terrible, and it’s normal to want it to be over. However, your goal should be the best outcome possible, not the shortest one. This is exactly what Gage Mathers will work to get for you!

About the Author

Joseph D'Aguanno

Guided by the belief that being a highly skilled specialist in a narrow field is better than being ordinary in everything, Joseph “JD” D’Aguanno leads Arizona’s best personal injury law firm in Phoenix, AZ. Having extensive cross-training in pre-litigation negotiations and trial lawyer skills, with decades of experience, JD strives to provide clients with the most valuable legal services a personal injury lawyer can provide. Under his direction, Gage Mathers Law Group is an award-winning personal injury law firm providing aggressive representation to victims of a car accident, medical malpractice, dog bite, motorcycle accident, and other injurious events. Gage Mathers is trusted by thousands of lawyers and clients throughout the country because of their reputation for getting clients the maximum compensation they deserve.

Years of experience: Over 24 years
Bar number: 020421
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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