Waiting for a car accident settlement can feel like an eternity. You’re ready to put it behind you, but the process seems to drag on forever.
If you want to know exactly what’s holding up your case, you can best ask your lawyer.
Don’t have a car accident lawyer yet? Now’s the time to get one.
An experienced attorney can handle the legal complexities and help increase your chances of getting a higher payout. Why not book a While it’s normal for settlements to take several months, delays can happen for all sorts of reasons—case complexity, number of parties involved, and long-winded negotiations, just to name a few. with us so that we can review your case?
In the meantime, you can read on to understand the elements that factor into the car accident settlement timeline.
Although there are several explanations behind a delayed settlement, remember that some factors can be out of your lawyer’s or insurer’s control. That said, here are some common reasons for delays:
1. Difficulties in Gathering Key Evidence
Your law firm and the insurance company will have to gather evidence from multiple sources, including hospitals, doctors' offices, witnesses, and employers. However, this process isn’t always straightforward, and setbacks can occur. For example:
- Medical providers might take longer than expected to release records due to elaborate bureaucratic procedures or a high volume of prior requests.
- Employers may take time to verify employment details or lost wages.
- Witnesses may be difficult to track down or hesitant to provide statements.
These challenges can be frustrating, but rest assured—your legal team is likely doing everything they can to keep things moving and ensure no critical details are overlooked.
2. Your Injuries Still Need To Heal
Your personal injury attorney and the insurance company need a comprehensive understanding of your injuries to evaluate your case properly. That’s why reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) is crucial. MMI means your doctors believe your injuries have healed as much as possible, and you no longer require urgent treatment.
Before you reach MMI, it’s tough to pin down the full scope of your medical expenses, future procedures, and any lasting effects of your injuries. Because of this, your personal injury case may be on pause while you recover. However, keep in mind that this waiting period ensures you get the compensation you truly deserve.
3. Disagreements Over Who’s At Fault
If there’s any uncertainty about who caused the accident, the insurance company will likely take extra time to investigate before making a settlement offer. Both sides will need to meticulously review evidence—police reports, witness statements, medical records, and videos from the accident scene.
In some cases, they might require new evidence to support existing proof. For instance, accident reconstruction experts may be called to piece together exactly what happened.
Things can get even trickier if both drivers share some fault.
According to Texas law, insurance companies must assess each party’s percentage of responsibility in order to determine compensation. This can further extend the process, but it’s all part of ensuring a fair settlement amount.
4. Multiple Parties are Involved
The settlement process can take longer when multiple car accident victims are involved. This is often seen in cases involving multi-car pile-ups.
Each insurance company conducts its own investigation, reviews evidence, and assigns fault and compensation, which can lead to lengthy back-and-forth discussions. Disagreements over liability, medical expenses, and damages can extend the settlement negotiation process, and potentially complex legal proceedings can cause further delays.
5. The Insurance Company is Dragging Their Feet
Some insurance companies may deliberately slow down the process, hoping you’ll get frustrated and accept a lower settlement offer.
Some stalling strategies insurers use include the following:
- Delaying the investigation of your accident.
- Requesting excessive or unnecessary documentation.
- Dragging out negotiations by making lowball offers or responding slowly.
- Switching adjusters midway through the personal injury claim, forcing you to start over.
While these tactics can be discouraging, they don’t have to derail your personal injury case. An experienced car accident lawyer can spot when an insurance firm acts in bad faith and can pressure them to take faster action for your accident case.
If none of these reasons seem to explain the delay, your case may actually be moving along the expected timeline—you just might not be aware of it. Let’s look at the time taken for settlements involving car accidents.
On average, straightforward cases may be resolved within 3 to 12 months.
However, more complex cases, such as those involving multiple parties, disputed liability, or a catastrophic injury, can take 18 months or longer.
A closer look at the timeline for car accident claims can help reveal where delays often occur.
What Does the Typical Timeline Look Like for a Car Accident Claim?
Here’s a breakdown of the settlement process and estimated timeframes:
- Filing a Claim: A few days to a few weeks after the accident.
- Gathering Evidence & Investigation: 2 to 4 weeks to several months, based on the complexity of the case and the availability of records.
- Medical Treatment: A few months to over a year, depending on how long injuries take to reach MMI.
- Settlement Negotiations: Around 1 to 3 months.
- Payout: Within 30 days, as per Texas law.
- Litigation (If Necessary): 3 to 12 months or even several years, particularly for driving accidents involving complex legal disputes.
Keep in mind that your car accident settlement timeline may fall beyond these estimates based on the specifics of your case.
What Is the Longest a Settlement Can Take?
Car accident settlements involving a court trial take 1 to 3 years or longer, depending on the case complexity and the court’s schedule.
But don’t worry. Going to trial is the exception, not the rule. In fact, only about 4-5% of all personal injury cases ever make it to a courtroom, as most are settled before reaching that stage.
If a personal injury lawsuit does happen, lawyers can represent car accident victims in court.
Charge Ahead to a Faster Settlement with No Bull Law
At No Bull Law, our Houston car accident attorneys cut through the red tape and fight for the settlement amount you deserve—without unnecessary delays.
Don’t take on your case alone. Let a personal injury lawyer step in, take a fresh look, and get things moving.
Here’s how we work:
- We begin with a free consultation call, where you get honest, risk-free advice.
- Our dedicated team investigates your personal injury claim.
- If we take up your case, we continue the settlement process and fight relentlessly for your compensation
Ready to kick your case into higher gear?
Get started with a free consultation call.
