How Long Does It Take to Get a Settlement After a Car Accident?

Car accident victims have a common question: how long does it take to get a settlement check in a car accident case?  The next most asked question is how long after a demand letter can you expect to receive a settlement check?   

The reason victims ask these questions is obvious. They want to put the car crash – which may have been very traumatic - behind them. And, understandably, they want as much money as they entitled to as soon as possible. 

Before getting an initial offer which is, of course, the critical first step to getting a settlement check, three things must happen:

First, the client has to either (1) fully recover and need no further treatment, or (2) reach maximum medical improvement, which means that while the client may need additional treatment, this is as good as the client is likely to get.

Alternatively, if future surgery or other medical procedures have not yet been performed, an accident lawyer can ask a doctor to give an estimate of what the costs of the future surgery/procedure will cost. This is often the biggest reason there is a delay in settling a serious injury claim. The solution? The key is knowing the doctors -- at this point, we know so many of them -- or knowing how to reach the doctor to get a report that will allow you to claim your future expenses that are reasonably anticipated.

• How long until the insurance company response to your demand letter to respond to your demand package?  We did our own study to figure out how long individual auto insurers respond to a demand package.
• Example demand letters: sample demand letters in different types of personal injury cases that maximize the value of the claims.
• The value of your case: connect the data to your case to help you figure out what your case's settlement value might be.

If a case is going to be settled fast without a lawsuit for top value, a car accident lawyer will need to obtain all of the medical records and bills for the client. At our law firm and many personal injury firms, it is the lawyer’s job to collect the medical bills and records.

This is essential. Settlement before a lawsuit in an accident claim is going to be based almost exclusively on the nuances of the victim's medical records. How these records reflect the injuries is – at this stage of the game – the most important variable the insurance companies use to determine value.

Are the records enough? It depends. In most cases, the doctor's critical opinions are contained in the four corners of the medical records. In others, we need the doctors to, as we discussed above, offer opinions on future medical care or to clarify ambiguity in the medical records.

After a settlement demand is sent with all of the relevant medical bills and records and other information necessary to resolve the claim, it takes the insurance company time to evaluate the claim. It should not take more than three weeks for most claims, but it often does, and your accident lawyer needs to be following up with the insurance company to keep your case at the front of the line.  We always want to overpromise and underdeliver with our law firm's clients. (If we tell you we can do it in a week, internally that means it needs to be done in three days.)  So we tell people that in most cases, the insurance company will have a settlement offer to us in 60 days. 

If pre-suit settlement negotiations fail, your accident lawyer needs to push the ball forward as quickly as possible to get your money to you as soon as possible. Some insurance companies drag their feet after a settlement has been effectuated. It is important that accident lawyers stay on top of the insurance company to expedite you getting your settlement check as soon as possible. Our firm knows our clients want to get their money quickly and we push the insurance companies to get out the check immediately.