If you have been in a car accident in Florida and have suffered from serious injuries, it is only natural that you are very concerned about how long your accident claim will take to be paid out. As medical bills continue to accumulate, lost wages continue as you miss work due to medical appointments, recovery, and other accident-related issues, and your stress increases about how you are going to manage all of this, it helps to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
When you first make a claim, you will be working directly with a car insurance company to determine how much money you are entitled to, but it is important to remember that the insurance company understands the situation that you are in, and will work to use it to their advantage. This is why it is extremely important that you work with a personal injury lawyer starting as soon as possible after your car accident. The reasons will become clear in a bit.
Contact 1800-Injured to be connected with a personal injury and car accident attorney in Florida that is ready to take your case as soon as possible. Our robust referral network is an excellent tool for connecting victims of car accidents with a personal injury attorney who is vetted, experienced, and trustworthy without you needing to spend hours researching and worrying about making the right choice.
Filing a Car Accident Claim With an Insurance Company
After your accident, you will need to contact the car insurance company that is representing the driver who caused your accident. There is a four-year statute of limitations from the time of your accident for you to file a personal injury lawsuit, but you must contact the insurance company to begin your claims process as soon as possible. Speak with your own insurance company to learn about the exact deadlines for this filing process.
When you are working with a representative of the insurance company in order to calculate the damages that you are owed, it is extremely important that you are aware of their motivations. While it is illegal for an insurance company to refuse payments for valid things, they will not be volunteering additional information to you about things that you could be collecting money from them for. Their primary interest is to limit their payments as much as possible while still protecting themselves and their client from legal repercussions.
When the insurance company makes you an offer, they are counting on the stress of your financial situation and your hopeful ignorance about what you are actually owed so that you will waive your future legal rights. The offer that they will make is likely nowhere near the amount you are actually owed, which is why a personal injury attorney uses this offer as the start of negotiations.
How Long Do Negotiations Last?
There is no set amount of time that a negotiation will last, and it all depends on the complexity of your injuries, the various issues that are being considered, and more. Ultimately, you will work with your personal injury attorney in Fort Lauderdale to determine an amount that is fair and equitable to accept as an out-of-court settlement, and if you are unable to reach this number, will then decide to move forward with a personal injury lawsuit. Additionally, you may find that you are nearing the time limit on filing a lawsuit and will need to take legal action in order to ensure that you have the right to recover compensation.
In some cases, a negotiation may end in a settlement agreement in a short period of time. In other cases, the negotiation may last more than a year. While this length of time is dependent on the success of the negotiations, it is additionally dependent on the amount of time that you and your attorney are willing to apply towards negotiations before pursuing a full lawsuit.
Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit
If you and your attorney decide to move forward with a full personal injury lawsuit in the Broward County Courts, then you will be starting an entirely new process. The timeline for your lawsuit will, again, depend on the complexity of your case, the level of cooperation between your legal team and the insurance company’s legal team, and more. Your accident and injuries are unique to your situation, as will the amount of time that is required in order to reach a final resolution to your case.
When you are working with an attorney through 1800-Injured, you will be able to develop a strategy early into your process, which will be very informative about what to expect given their past experiences with situations similar to your own. The only thing that is certain is that the sooner you begin working with an attorney, the sooner you will be able to have a better idea of where your case is heading and can begin moving forward with confidence that you are being taken care of by an aggressive, experienced attorney.