If you are hurt in a car accident and it looks that the other driver was at fault, you might be unsure of what to expect from the case and question how long it will take. In a personal injury suit, we will go through the full process and settlement processes.
Consult with a Personal Injury Attorney
It is always good to go over all of your alternatives with a personal injury attorney in any accident case. If the injury is minor and you feel at ease throughout the process and are nearly certain that you will receive a favorable conclusion, you can handle it yourself. However, if you’ve experienced a serious injury, you might require competent and helpful counsel, or if your opponent is utilizing facts to build their case against you, you should get a lawyer. To increase your chances of receiving first-rate medical attention for your injuries as well as fair compensation, it is always advisable to consult a lawyer with decades of experience defending car accident victims in trial and appellate courts. In general, it’s always advisable to see a qualified lawyer like Kansas personal injury lawyer if you shattered a bone or have a big medical expense.
Demands and Bargaining
Before a lawsuit is ever filed, certain personal injury claims are frequently settled. It is your attorney’s responsibility to make demands of your opponent’s lawyer or the insurance company if he thinks the matter can be settled. The nation’s top attorneys frequently maintain their composure and refrain from raising issues until the plaintiff has fully recovered medically. Since the plaintiff is currently only partially recovered, estimations would be simpler. The matter will move on to the litigation phase if the settlement process slows or if the parties are unable to reach an agreement.
Bringing Case to Court
When you and your attorney jointly file the personal injury claim, litigation officially begins. The moment the lawsuit is filed, the clock starts ticking and determines when the case will go to trial. Although the majority of cases take between one and two years to reach trial, each state’s pre-trial procedures vary. Always keep in mind that any case must be filed within the statute of limitations, or time restrictions, established by the specific state.
Discovering Stage
Investigating the topics that the other party allegedly relies on to support its case is part of this process. The attorney representing your adversary will send out document requests and interrogatories, then depose witnesses and any other pertinent parties. Depending on the specifics of the case and the dates established, the discovery period lasts at least six months.
Mediation and Bargaining
As the discovery phase draws to a close, attorneys from both parties will start accepting settlement offers. In rare circumstances, the attorneys could reach an understanding simply by speaking. However, if mediation is chosen, both parties will receive assistance from a neutral third-party mediator who will work to find a solution.
The Trial
The majority of the time, mediation negotiations are successful but, if they are unsuccessful, the case will be set for trial. The length of the trials, which might be a week or longer, could vary depending on the state since in some, they just last a half day while in others, they last all day as they hear the claims of the opposing parties. If your hearing takes place on a half-day, your trial’s time will be doubled.
But it’s important to remember that even while the case has a trial date set, that doesn’t guarantee that the trial will actually take place on that day. The judge’s schedule can require that the date of your trial be changed, and if that occurs, it might indicate that negative proceedings are now taking place. The majority of trials take longer than expected for a variety of reasons, but you should still hope for the best result.
Conclusion
In general, you must demonstrate both that you were wounded and that it was due to other party’s negligence in order to win a personal injury case. As you battle for your just compensation, make sure to communicate with your attorney at every step of the way and have evidentiary documentation on hand, such as police reports, photos, and medical bills. Data collecting will be crucial to the claim process.
