Everyone asks this question. It is a great one to ask in the beginning of your personal injury case, but a hard one to answer. Every case is different. Different facts, different injuries, different required medical treatment. So many factors come into play which will determine how long your case may last.
I always say that a general time frame for a personal injury case from start to finish is around the 10 to 12 month range. That does not include the amount of time involved in a case where a lawsuit must be filed for whatever reason. You can expect that time frame to double, or more. Unfortunately, these cases don’t resolve as quickly as I or my clients would like. I wish they did. However, depending on what is happening specifically in your case, the time frame could be less or more than 10-12 months.
As an example, lets take 2 cases that are drastically different for a better explanation. Let’s say one client had a minor fender bender and only suffered a sprained neck and no cervical disc herniations or other significant injuries. This client goes to physical therapy for a month and feels as they did prior to being involved in the accident. The therapist will release them at what is called MMI or maximum medical improvement. At this point, if the client does not need any further medical treatment, then their case is ripe for settlement and can be resolve pretty quickly if there is no need for litigation.
On the other side of the spectrum, let’s say another client is rear-ended by a semi-truck and sustains severe neck and back injuries that will necessitate surgical intervention to repair the damage. This is a case that may very well take longer than 10-12 months to resolve, even without litigation due to what is involved. Again, there will be a ton of factors which come into play with regards to whether or not the case will be settle prior to surgical intervention, which is where Markwood Law’s experience in these types of matters will drastically help you receive the most compensation for your case as possible. Please contact us for further information or if you have any questions about this matter.
