How Long Will It Take?

llHow Long Will My Case Take? Often people who have been injured want to know how long it will take to settle their case—and for good reason. Frequently they find themselves in a situation where the medical bills are piling up, or, even worse, they are out of work and don’t know how they are going to make their car payment or put food on the table. So of course they are very anxious to know how soon they can get paid on their claim by the insurance company for the person who caused the injury. Although instinct would tell us that where there is no doubt about who was responsible, payments to cover known expenses such as medical bills and lost wages should be made right away, this unfortunately is not the way our system works. Even though the police report makes it clear as to who was at fault, and even if the other person admitted his fault, the insurance company is not required to pay anything until the case is settled in full. Occasionally an insurance company will voluntarily pay some of the medical bills in advance, but this is not the norm. In almost every case an injured person would be making a big mistake to settle the case quickly, before the full extent of the injury and the time for treatment and healing are determined. For this reason the answer to the question, “How long will my case take?” is not easily answered shortly after the accident. It will generally take as long as it takes for the injury to be treated and heal. This is not the best news for the person who is facing unpaid bills, but under our system there is no way to force the insurance company to pay in advance of a full settlement or until the responsible party is found at fault in court.