If you are interested in opening up a personal injury case after an accident, you may be wondering how long it might take for you to access your compensation. Whether you’ve been involved in a small slip and fall accident, or a motorcycle accident it’s important to know that as you begin medical treatment that you can eventually get access to the funds you need to pay for long term care.
Thinking about when a personal injury case might end can be highly stressful. The speed at which you will receive compensation usually depends on a number of factors. Depending on the type of medical treatment that you need, the extent of your injuries, and the situation that you are currently in, you could receive expedited support for your personal injury case.
A Case That Resolved Quickly
If you’re involved in a car accident where you were not determined at fault and your neck has been permanently damaged, you can receive access to compensation for your medical bills within just a few weeks. If you receive an MRI after your accident that proves you have a permanent injury to your neck and you’ve incurred $10,000 in medical bills, PIP under the at-fault driver’s insurance will cover those bills with a quick response.
Cases That Take Longer
If you’re involved in a car accident where you sustain back and neck injuries that require less immediate care like physiotherapy or massage, it may take six months or more for you to access the funds that you need to continue treatment. Your medical records will have to be assembled and then demand will have to be drafted with the help of a professional attorney. After the demand is sent out the insurance company will have to negotiate with the attorney.
Access to further funds as your treatment plan changes will also take a bit longer. If you need to access something like cortisol injections or further chiropractic care, you may need to work at opening up a new demand with your attorney especially if your physical therapy is no longer working. This can extend your demand for compensation further and the rate at which you will receive a payment from the at-fault driver’s insurance provider.
Depending on the nature of your care, your personal injury suit may take 2 to 3 years to get fully covered.
How Much Compensation Can I Access?
The value of the compensation for the damages that you’ve sustained comes down to the nature of your medical bills and your treatment. Every case of personal injury is unique and your attorney will have to consider all of the circumstances that have caused damage to find the value of the compensation that you can access.
You can access compensation for more than just your medical bills. Included in your compensation can be a case for personal injury damages such as special and general damages. Special damages include the repair and replacement of property, compensation for your replaceable items, covering the extra costs of the accident or injury and more. Gen. damages include compensation for your emotional suffering, impairment, physical pain, and more.
In some cases, a personal injury case can also allow you to seek compensation for damages that have led to a loss of earnings or future earnings with your job. Wrongful death claims on behalf of a family member who deceased at the time of an accident or develops the condition after the accident can be another form of compensation to access.
An attorney will also need to present your case before a jury and provide sufficient evidence that you need to access this form of compensation. Attorneys may have to prepare everything from audiovisual aids of the accident or a complete medical record of your treatment to prove your case. If you have extremely solid evidence and can prove that you are not at fault, this can help to reduce the total amount of time it will take to receive compensation.
The main factors that will play a role in the length of time your case will take come down to the process of determining fault in the case of your accident, how harm was evaluated in the evidence as well as the extent of your personal injuries. It is possible to settle a personal injury case before it goes to trial but you may not be able to access the maximum amount of compensation that you are entitled to without working to complete the full process.
If you’ve been involved in an accident and would like to work with a professional attorney, contact us today and we can begin the formation of your case. It is important you contact an attorney immediately after you’ve received early medical care, we can start the process of your case so that no evidence is missed.