How Long Should It Take To Get Your Money After An Accident?
Brian O Sutter
Personal Injury
When you’re hurt in an accident of any kind, it can be difficult to know just what to do. Your physical recovery is always of paramount importance, but once you’re healing what will become of your finances? An accident can cause serious financial difficulty and knowing the options you have in front of you is important. For many, filing an insurance claim and getting a settlement is the first step. Often, this may need to be followed by a personal injury lawsuit. In either case, knowing what to expect and how long it may take to get your money is important. It’s also an issue that’s not easily answered since every case is different.
Settlements
Settlements are the natural progression in most accidents. After being injured, those involved will file a claim with the appropriate insurance company. This may mean a worker’s compensation claim, an auto accident claim, or something else. Regardless, filing the claim is the first step.
In a perfect world, it will only take a few days to get your funds. But this isn’t always the case, for several reasons.
• First, many insurance companies will do all that they can to avoid paying out a dollar more than they have to. They’ll try plenty of tactics including stalling or outright refusal to pay. This means that it can take far longer than it should to get what you’re owed.
• In other situations, insurance companies may try to offer an amount that is far less than you really deserve. The hope is that you’ll accept this lower amount and negate your rights to get what you’re really entitled to.
In either situation, insurance companies do their best to reduce the amount that they pay and to avoid paying at all. As such, you may need the help of a personal injury attorney. They can argue with the insurance companies to make sure you get the funds you’re entitled to more quickly. And, it may also be important to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Personal Injury Lawsuits
In many situations, filing a personal injury lawsuit is something that may be needed. Those hurt in an accident of any kind may be able to seek compensation if they can show that their injuries were caused by the reckless or negligent actions of someone else. Negligent or reckless actions include things like:
• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Texting while driving
• Failure to maintain a safe work environment
• Failure to maintain a safe public space
• And more
In these situations, filing a personal injury lawsuit may be able to speed up the time it takes to get your compensation. The exact time it can take will vary greatly, but the main thing to remember is that with a personal injury lawyer on your side you can get the restitution you’re really owed – not some lowball settlement amount.
The Advantage Of Having An Attorney
While there are several steps involved when you contact an attorney and receive a settlement through them, the benefits make having them on your side well worth it. If your settlement is negotiated and finalized, you’ll have a few steps before you get your money:
• Agree upon the settlement
• Sign a release
• Process the release
• Wait for the attorney to deposit your check and pay all liens
• The attorney next deducts legal fees
• You’re sent the check
Regardless of these basic steps, there are numerous reasons that having an attorney on your side can actually speed up the process. The main one is respect. Without a personal injury lawyer, insurance companies and legal teams for the other side know that they can push you around. When you have a personal injury lawyer working for you, however, that stops. Instead, you get respect and all that comes with it.
The other side works faster to close your case, is more likely to agree upon a settlement, and will work to avoid reaching the point where the case will go to trial – something that risks costing them even more.
If you want to ensure that you get your money as soon as possible and that you get an amount that is really fair, you’ll want the pros on your side. Contact our team to learn more about what your rights are and to see what we may be able to do for you.