There are a lot of things that can impact car accident settlement duration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This might not be what you want to hear; when you\u2019ve had an accident, suffered injuries, and been handed a large stack of medical bills, you want the insurance process to work quickly. Unfortunately, it can often take many months for claimants to get the money they\u2019re entitled to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this post, we examine the five factors that determine how long a car accident settlement takes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This might not have been the first thing you thought of when you read the title of this article. However, the reality is that your insurance company (or the insurance company of the at-fault party in your case) is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Insurance firms are profit-seeking entities that will do what they can to devalue your claim or avoid paying out altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other cases, insurers will use stalling tactics to increase your car accident settlement duration. These companies realize that car accident<\/a> victims like you are often impatient when it comes to money; you\u2019re dealing with medical bills, lost wages, and other costs, and you need your settlement as soon as you can get it. The longer the process goes on, the better the company\u2019s chances of settling your claim for less than it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Common tactics insurers use to make the claims process more difficult include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The list above is a long one, but it\u2019s not exhaustive. Insurance companies have countless tricks up their sleeve when it comes to fighting claims. You\u2019ll need to work with an experienced attorney<\/a> who can combat these tactics and keep things moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more minor your injuries are, the quicker the settlement process is likely to be for you. Minor injuries result in lower medical costs and less time away from work; this means the insurance company you\u2019re dealing with will have less of an incentive to drag out your claim. It might decide that fighting you will increase its costs unnecessarily by taking up its agents\u2019 time, and that the sensible decision is to issue a payout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, claims for severe injuries tend to take much longer. As well as the increased insurance company attention that\u2019s typical in cases like these, your attorneys will need time to build a strong case on your behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019d like to learn more about how the extent of your injuries is likely to affect your case, contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation<\/a>. We can sit down together to discuss your injuries, your situation regarding work, and your needs going forward. With our expert input, you\u2019ll be able to make an informed decision regarding your next steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it\u2019s not clear who\u2019s to blame for a crash, insurance companies will investigate to see if they can minimize their liabilities. This is common in cases involving multiple parties or conflicting evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vicarious liability<\/a> is another potential complication here. If you get into an accident with a commercial driver who\u2019s working for a company at the time of the collision (such as a truck driver<\/a> delivering a load for a haulage firm), the company might be liable, rather than the driver. However, this isn\u2019t always clear-cut. Employers often try to shift liability onto employees in this situation, which can further delay the settlement of your claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also important to remember that a lot of car insurance policies in Pennsylvania work on a no-fault basis. This means that you can file a claim with your own insurer regardless of who was to blame for your crash, and that you don\u2019t need to prove liability before your claim can succeed. This makes the process a lot quicker, assuming your no-fault policy is sufficiently comprehensive to cover all your costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there\u2019s some dispute over the validity of your claim, you\u2019ll need evidence to support your side of the story. In certain cases, this evidence is simply hard to come by. We\u2019ve had a look at some of the crucial types of evidence we tend to rely on most often in car accident cases below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bystanders or other road users may be able to provide an impartial account of the circumstances surrounding your accident. This will be particularly useful if they saw the at-fault party speeding, running a red light, or engaging in another form of reckless behavior on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the police come to the scene of an accident (which they generally do in cases involving injuries or property damage), they will compile a report<\/a> about it. These reports contain all potentially important details about collisions, so they\u2019re very useful as evidence. Plus, because they come from the police, there\u2019s never any dispute regarding their reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
2. Injury Severity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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4. The Availability of Strong Evidence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Eyewitness Accounts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Police Reports<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cameras<\/h3>\n\n\n\n