How Long do Personal Injury Compensation Claims Take?

This is the question which is asked often by injured car accident victims. 

If your matter involves a dispute on liability, then these disputes can easily continue for a very long period of time. In reality lots of the cases that wind up in court, do so as a consequence of an impasse on liability. It is essential for you to collect as much evidence as you can early in your matter, to make certain there is a good prospect of achieving success. Most no win no claim lawyers are entirely aware of the justifications that could be employed in your matter, but the more evidence you bring to the table, the stronger your matter will ultimately be.

Insurance companies in the past have done very little to support the compensation claims procedure and have turned out to be rather aggressive in dealing with insurance claims. Even so because of the latest reforms, the settlement method is now considerably quicker than it used to be and it is rare that an insurance company will needlessly hold up a insurance claim without a good reason. Insurance companies won't for instance argue liability where there is little or no proof to assist a defence. They are more likely to save time and costs by taking a reasonable perspective of any given scenario. It is still for the claimant to prove his or her claim and you should bear in mind that after you make allegations, you eventually must prove them.

How long your claim will take will depend totally on the liability situation and the nature of the injury you have suffered. If you have an easy case on liability but the injuries are complex for example involving broken bones etc. then such a claim must not be rushed through. It is essential that the process of recovery completes or certainly reaches an advanced period before settlement is achieved. The reason for this is quite simply that it rules out the possibility of the injuries deteriorating through the settlement phase and decreases the risk of being under-compensated. You can not re-open a compensation claim after the case settles.

Normally though, it's fair to convey that a straightforward soft tissue injury compensation claim, really should settle fairly adequately inside a 6 month period, assuming there are no issues on the liability. Slightly more complicated injuries could take as much as 18 months to heal. In a case that involves litigation, this might take anywhere from one to 7 years to decide based on the severity of the injuries or the liability problems that occur. It is not for example unusual for brain injuries claims to require seven years to arrive at trial. Very much of this time is used on enabling recovery to complete prior to damages being correctly considered.

Speak with your lawyer if you have any doubts regarding the amount of time your claim may take, you should be given some guidance around the complexities of your matter before you begin the process. A good no-win no fee solicitor is able to guide you through the issues associated with your matter and will offer you some information about what are the time frames required. 

Also remember that it might be possible to get interim compensation payments well before a final payment, in cases where there is hard times or numerous out-of-pocket costs which are interfering with your daily existence. It is not the case that you should delay until the very end of the matter before acquiring some compensation. This is a matter to discuss in more detail with the lawyer.