Legal troubles and dealing with lawyers comes in a wide variety of ways. Nobody wants to be sued or have to sue somebody, but the world is an unfair place and more often than not we are met with decisions that we simply have to take. In case of getting the justice you deserve, the best chance you get is by hiring a lawyer and starting a case against the other party.
One of the most common lawsuits that happen around the world are personal injury cases. If you end up injured due to someone else being to blame for the accident, you should have all the basis you need for a strong personal injury case that will likely end up in your favor. For example, if you were injured in a traffic accident, or any accident for that matter, in which the other party was not careful and exhibited negligence, you can sue them for compensation.
The timeline of the whole case often prevents people from chasing justice however, especially if it is their first time dealing with laws and lawyers. In order to help you get what you deserve, we decided to write this short article in the form of a guide and reveal to you how long personal injury lawsuits generally take.
The Timeline
In total, the case can take anywhere from almost a year to several years, with five years being the most you could wait. However, this countdown only starts when a lawyer has been hired. Before that there are certain things that need to happen.
Every case is different and a lot of factors exist that will influence its total length. The severity of the injuries, the complexity of the situation, the damages to property, the schedule of the court, and the skills of the lawyers of both sides are all important in the total expected time that passes before you are done with the case. The insurance companies and their willingness to cooperate the right way or even be reasonable is often what makes the cases take longer than needed.
Before you hire your lawyer though, you have to deal with the medical treatment. No matter the severity of the injuries, this is the first thing that needs to happen both for you to receive the help you need and get back on your feet, and for medical documentation to be made and ready for the case. Make sure always to visit a doctor so that the insurance company has a reason to do its job and not assume your injuries are not severe.
After you are okay, it is time to look for a lawyer. This can take more time than you planned because it is not easy to find the right person for the job. You want somebody experienced and skilled, a dedicated Personal Injury Lawyer that specializes in such cases. When you hire a lawyer, they will open the investigation, examine the evidence, and file a lawsuit. By then, months or even a whole year could pass and you are only getting started. Therefore, to answer the titular question, you should expect anywhere from at least a year to five years for the whole thing to be done.
