If you’ve been involved in an accident and sustained injuries you are entitled to file a personal injury claim. So, you must be wondering what happens next, what other steps in a personal injury case are and the average time to settle a personal injury case.
Read on and we will walk you through the typical personal injury case timeline.
Medical treatment
The first, crucial thing to do after an accident is to see a doctor and get treatment for your injuries. You have to take care of your health and it’s important for your case. If you don’t see a doctor for some time after the accident, it could be a signal to the jury that you weren’t really hurt.
Choosing a personal injury lawyer
The next thing you should do is choose a personal injury lawyer to work on your case. It’s vital to have a lawyer if you’ve suffered significant injury or other losses. Even for a smaller claim, we suggest you use lawyer’s services.
While searching for the best lawyer you should talk to a number of them and then make your decision.
Lawyer’s work
Your lawyer will want to know everything about the accident, you, injuries sustained and any medical treatment you may have. Make sure you tell everything to him/her so he/she doesn’t get surprised in the middle of the case.
The lawyer will, then, go through your medical records and try to determine whether you have a case or not.
The lawyer considers making demand and negotiating
If your case is a smaller one and can be settled before a lawsuit is filed, your lawyer will probably make a demand to the other attorney or the insurance company.
Otherwise, the lawyer will file a lawsuit. Also, demand will not be made until you have reached a point of maximum medical improvement (MMI).
Filing a lawsuit
You should know that every state’s pretrial procedures may be different, but in general, it can take up to one or two years for your lawsuit to get to trial.
Discovery process
Next is a procedure where each party tries to investigate what legal claims and defenses are in your case. This investigation can last for 6 months or even a year if the case is more complex.
Mediation and negotiation
After the discovery process, the lawyers may negotiate and settle the case or they can, together with their clients, go in front of a mediator to settle the case.
Trial
If the mediation doesn’t work, the case goes to trial. It can last a day, or a week or longer. If your trial gets rescheduled or canceled, don’t panic! This happens all the time for different reasons.
If you’re in the middle of a personal injury case and need money for your everyday expenses and medical treatment, feel free to consult with Certified Legal Funding experts and apply for pre-settlement funding. We will help you during this period and the best thing is if you don’t win your case, you don’t have to pay us back! Call today at 800 922-7439!
Recent Comments