When you are involved in a personal injury case (or considering taking one on), one of your questions will likely be, “How long will this case take?”
The answer is, of course, that it depends on all sorts of factors. However, if you’re injured and continually getting bills for your medical procedures, physical therapy, or hospital bills from the time of your stay, then you may be anxious to know how long most PI cases take so that you can start taking care of the debt that’s accumulated as a result of your accident.
Let’s look at the timeline of a personal injury case, which can give you a better idea of how long a typical case might take.
FIRST, YOU MUST SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION
After an accident, you must seek medical attention as soon as possible. Not only is this a good idea to ensure that you stay in good health and get any surgeries or treatments as needed, but it’s also crucial to seek medical treatment after an accident because if you don’t, then it may not look like you were injured because of the accident.
CHOOSE A LAWYER
If you decide to pursue a lawsuit, it’s wise to start searching for a reliable legal team right away. Although you may not think you need a lawyer for a personal injury claim, it’s recommended to hire one, even if you only suffer a few somewhat minor injuries. If you have incurred several life-threatening or long-term ailments that have prevented you from working or that have resulted in a lot of expensive medical bills, it would be in your best interest to hire an experienced lawyer for your personal injury case.
INVESTIGATION, NEGOTIATION, AND TRIAL
Your lawyer will set up a meeting with you to get some information on your background, injuries, how the accident happened, and what medical treatments you needed because of the accident. This will help the lawyer determine if there is a case that could be pursued.
FYI Before we can start negotiations, the client needs to be done with his/her medical treatment or at least got the majority of their treatment done. After that, we will prepare a settlement demand package. We will start negotiations at that time and if unable to settle for a fair settlement then a suit may be file to protect the clients’ interest. Depending on the venue a case in litigation can last from 6 months to 2 years.
Before any action can be taken, the majority of medical treatment must be completed. Once the lawyer determines that there is indeed a case, the lawyer can prepare a settlement demand package. Negotiations can then be started to try to receive a fair settlement. If a fair settlement is not achieved, a suit may be filed in order to protect the interest of the injured party.
The timeline of PI cases completely depends on the circumstances as well as your state’s pretrial procedures, but typically litigation can last from 6 months to 2 years.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident in Georgia that has caused severe injuries or lost wages, you’re going to need a law firm that understands your rights and is willing to work hard for you. Call the Fry | Goehring at (404) 948-3571 for more information or to set up a consultation.
