How Long Does an Auto Accident Lawsuit Take?

When it comes to auto accident claims, many San Antonians want to know, “How long does the auto accident lawsuit take?” or, “When can I expect to receive my claim?” Unfortunately, the answer is somewhat two-fold: there is no guaranteed timeframe, and it depends. Because the details of every accident are so different, your lawsuit could take mere weeks to resolve, or it could take up to several months, or even years.

The Texas auto accident attorneys at Carabin Shaw are standing by to make sure your lawsuit is handled with speed, precision, and care. To get things moving, we offer a free case review & initial consultation.

Call our toll-free number at 800-862-1260. English or Spanish-speaking staff are available 24/7 to speak with you.

The process for coming to a settlement has several steps, but before anything can happen, your medical condition must be up to par. Once your Maximum Medical Improvement (or MMI) has been determined and you have been released from a hospital’s care, your attorney can begin approaching your insurance company to negotiate your claim — a process which could take up to 6 months to even begin. If you or the other party are in the hospital for an extended period of time, your lawsuit will not begin until you are released from medical care.

Who is truly at fault? Coming to this conclusion could take much deliberation. If there were eyewitnesses at the scene who were able to share their account of what happened during your accident, interviewing them could be time consuming. However, if you are in a car wreck in San Antonio, Texas’s “at-fault” insurance policy means the person who caused the accident will then have to have their insurance company pay the claim.

In order to get an accurate settlement, a lawyer will need to determine the full cost to you as the victim. That means any medical costs, car repairs, or other extraneous costs must be accounted for. Because of the intricacies of every accident, these factors could vary greatly from case-to-case.

In many instances you may be able to settle out of court and cut down on the time of your lawsuit. However, in the case that your lawsuit does go to court, this could extend the time that your case can come to a conclusion.

This is much more likely to be the case if major bodily injury is sustained by anyone involved in the crash. In this scenario, you’ll need a reputable San Antonio TX car accident lawyer to ensure that your case is handled correctly in court.

If your case does go to court, one factor often overlooked that can contribute to your case taking longer than normal is the fact that the courts may have reached their caseload capacity! Depending on the severity of your case, you may have to wait for other more pressing cases to be handled before getting to yours.

To add to this, if you have suffered a major injury in Texas, “tort reform” ensures that your insurance company must file a lawsuit as quickly as possible with the courts. All of this can extend the time to which your case is resolved.

The litigation and negotiation process is different for each auto accident lawsuit. The best way to make sure your case is handled quickly and carefully is to enlist the help of dedicated professionals — professionals like those at the Carabin Shaw Law Firm. Take a look at Carabin Shaw’s client reviews to see what others have said about their experience.