What Can Change The Timeline Of Your Personal Injury Case

Have you suffered an injury and want to go through the legal channels necessary to receive compensation? If so, you're likely wondering how long this process will take. Here are some factors that can affect the timing of your personal injury case.

The Type Of Case

There are many types of personal injury cases out there, with the complexity of each case being a big factor in how long it will take to complete the process. If you have a relatively simple case, such as a slip and fall accident, it should go quickly. However, a medical malpractice case can be very complex and take much longer to reach a settlement. You should have a good idea of the complexity of your case when you start looking at the evidence you have to present to prove that you deserve compensation.

The Damages

You'll find that the amount of money you are requesting will make a huge difference with how fast you reach a settlement. If you have minor injuries that do not require much compensation, the defendant is more likely to settle and avoid a legal hassle. However, requesting more in damages will make the defendant less likely to settle and want to fight your claim.

The Severity

There are many factors that surround the severity of the injury since more severe injuries will take longer to recover from. You may want to wait until you've seen the maximum amount of medical improvement possible, or see trends that you are making firm progress in your recovery. The last thing you want to have happen is to settle early and discover that the injury is much more severe than you thought.

The Case Load

If your case does need to go to court, the current caseload within your legal jurisdiction is going to have a big impact on when the case can be heard by a judge. If there is a huge backlog of cases, it may take a while to get your day in court.

The Defendant

While many personal injury cases are settled in mediation, that really depends on the defendant that you are suing and how willing they are to settle your case. If they are being stubborn and will not settle the case in mediation, then you'll have no choice but to take it to court. This only adds time to your overall injury settlement timeline and will drag things out.

For more information, contact a personal injury attorney.