How long will it take if you file a personal injury claim? There are so many possibilities when it comes to a personal injury claim that, though many are alike, it’s almost impossible to say exactly how long a personal injury claim will take. After all, you might settle within weeks; other cases drag on over a year.

The typical personal injury claim with no issue of liability – such as an accident causing a minor fracture – may take from 6-12 months. That’s by far not conclusive, but a general average for the basic type of injury and claim.

Why is it so hard to find out how long it takes? It varies as much as person to person vary, as much as any injury is different from another.  Some injuries cause extreme suffering, but cost little medically. Others cause little pain and suffering, but rob a person from being able to work. No two personal injury cases are exactly alike.  People deal with injuries in very different ways. One may have a clear clam, while another with a  similar injury may experience less discomfort. Because of this,you need some help.

You should learn to be patient with this process, and that an experienced attorney can help you in a variety of ways. Personal injury law can be very complex, so you need an attorney to fight your case.  You should also be patient in the settlement, not because it drags on, but because if you wait long enough settlement offers may get better.

You should always wait for a complete doctor checkup prior to considering settlement offers. Many insurers will make you an offer even before the checkup, looking to save money.

Say for example you get an offer, before or after you see a doctor, and decide to take it. A few weeks later, you begin to experience new problem you didn’t know you had. You may have settled on the physical injuries, but did not consider the emotional trauma. Because you settled, there is no going back. That makes it doubly important to consider your options, to hire experienced personal injury attorney, and to never rush into a settlement too early.

Since we know no two settlements are alike, that time varies, what steps can you really take to get this process rolling? What if you don’t receive a settlement offer and have to go to court?

You should both do your own research and ask for some guidance from an attorney. Hiring an experienced attorney is not cheap, but more than worth it, because you can pay him or her with the settlement if you get one. If you do your own research on this injury and all its effects, you can be more confident in your argument for compensation.

If you don’t receive a settlement offer, which is rare because almost all strong cases are settled before trial, winning with the help of an attorney is very possible. It may take longer, but you may get even more compensation than any offer.

A personal injury claim can sometimes be quite short, and other times it can be very long. If you have a strong case, settlement offers may not be good enough; you may be able to get even more compensation with the help of an attorney.

If you’re at fault for a car accident, you should know about how police, insurance companies, and other drivers or pedestrians prove fault. You should also know what to do. This post helps by pointing out how to establish who’s at fault, what to do if there’s been an injury, and how to handle court cases.

Car Accidents – What to Do
Once you’ve been in a car accident, the first step is to write everything down. How did it occur? What did you do? What did the other driver or pedestrian do? And clearly ask yourself if you’ve made a mistake. If you’ve been hurt, of course, you need not go through all this, but in instances where there are no major injuries on both sides, you want to make sure you don’t forget what exactly happened.

You Hit Someone – What’s Next?
Okay, so you hit someone. You must first make sure both of you are okay. What happens is you’ll have to establish who was at fault. If you don’t know the laws involved, and most don’t, then reading is good but hiring an experience personal injury lawyer is best.

Are you at fault?
Who decides if you’re at fault? A police report is your best evidence you were not at fault. If however you broke state traffic laws, such as running a red light or speeding, you are at fault. There are cases where it’s almost always the other person’s fault; for example, if you hit someone taking a left turn, it’s 99% of the time their fault unless you broke some laws.

What do you do?
No matter if you’re at fault or aren’t, you need to see how this occurred. Again, writing down what exactly happened is very smart. You should also be clear with the police on what you believe occurred. The police report is the most important evidence for both sides. If the report says you were careless and made a mistake, you’ll likely lose. If the other driver was hurt, and you broke some laws, you need an attorney.

Who do you hire?
Why hire a personal injury attorney? Whether you or the other driver was at fault for the accident, you need an experienced attorney who can handle your case. Perhaps you hit a pedestrian, but they tried crossing the road when you have a green light. You didn’t see them, and hit them going relatively fast. If you can prove you made no mistake, an attorney can stop any form of lawsuit. This is an invaluable service.

How much will it cost?
The person at fault and their  insurance company will be paying for the personal injury case. In most instances,the insurance company covers things such as medical bills, work loss, and emotional damage. For you to hire an attorney to handle your case, the rates vary, but often the attorney will take a portion of the settlement. If you’re at fault for the accident, your insurance will typically pay for the bill. If you hit someone running a red light, breaking the law, that’s another  story. You need to consult with an attorney in either case before you say too much.

We’ll be going over the many details of what happens when you go to trial for a personal injury case. However, before we get into all the details, this overview helps with what you can do, what your attorney can do, and what you need.

Personal injury law can be very complex, and you should not base any decisions just on a blog post or article. You need an experienced attorney who can fight your case. That means querying as many as possible and finding the right fit. Let’s go over that more.

Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
Hire one who has experience, time to personally handle your case, and has fair fees for your budget. Hire an attorney who’s won cases, who knows the laws, and perhaps even has experience in your type of case. If you were severely hurt in a car accident by a company truck, you can hire an attorney who has experience in accident law.

Before Court
Before court even occurs, you typically might reach a settlement. You must also be sure you comply with all court requests. Perhaps most importantly, if it will go to trial, the jury will be picked. The jury is questioned by the judge, the defendant, and you. The lawyers on both sides will try to pick a jury they can win with, but more importantly who have no clear opinion on certain types of cases. If someone had been in a car accident before where a lawsuit was filed, using our previous example, the defendants may find that out.

However, the great majority of cases are settled long before a trial. Why? Insurance companies typically want to save money on lawyers, who can be quite expensive. So you’ll almost always get some kind of offer, especially if the case is strong. Whether you accept or not depends on the nature of the case.

During Court
The trial is far from a simple process, and we’ll be going over it more. Once the jury is picked, and if you denied any settlement offers if there were any, you’ll go to trial. The judge or jury will examine evidence, noting if the defendant should be help responsible for injuries against the plaintiff (you). The defendant will also get the chance to prove the plaintiff is inaccurate. Those are the goals of any personal injury trial: plaintiff trying to prove wrongdoing, defendant trying to prove innocence.

After Court
After both cases are made, the jury will go into deliberations. Most states, but not all, require a unanimous decision from the jurors. They will be the deciding factor on if you have a case or not and if so what type of compensation you deserve.

Final Note
All this may sound complicated and troubling, but it should be said again: most personal injury claims are settled before court. You rarely need worry about giving testimony in a trial. You should be prepared, but if you get an offer you and your attorney feel is good, you should consider it. Going to trial, you may lose that chance, or you may get even more compensation for damages. Just remember how important an experienced attorney can be in winning.

Getting hurt for no fault of your own requires compensation — and the worse the injury, the more you deserve. What can you get compensated for? Who can help? And how much can you expect?

Forms of Compensation
There are six forms of compensation typically rewarded in a personal injury case.

Medical Treatment: You should receive money for any and all medical care involved in the accident. If you break your leg in a car accident, suffer a concussion, or any other form of injury you need medical help with, this is part of any settlement with an insurance company and is almost always rewarded.

Income: Using the example where you break your leg, ask yourself how this will effect your work. It might be impossible for you to start immediately, you may not be able to work at all, and that gives you a right for damages related to loss of pay. If you’re in a leg cast for months, for example, you deserve all lost wages.

Property: While this may seem small at first, if your car was completely totaled in the accident, beyond your insurance claim is the cost of the vehicle. Also, any other possessions which were lost or broken in the accident should payed back. If you’re car is totaled, your expensive cell phone ruined, and anything else, you have a right to compensation.

Pain and Suffering: If you suffer a concussion after the accident, or any other injury which is painful. you also deserve compensation. If you have to take strong pain killers, for example, and these make you feel sick, you may claim that. While given less than medical treatment, this can truly make your settlement pay for all the pain and inconvenience involved.

Emotional Pain: Along with pain and suffering, you may have some mental trouble after the accident. Sleepless nights may be your problem. This often occurs in more serious accidents.

Loss of Enjoyment: While this too may seem small at first, it makes sense. If  your injury resulted in  a loss of enjoyment, of having fun doing your regular activities, you can get damages.

Loss of Consortium: Lastly, you may have trouble with your spouse after an injury. If it hurts your relationship, perhaps in the bedroom, you can receive damages. Some states also include this law for hurting relationships  to children who may be deeply affected by the injury. In some cases, the payment for damages is given directly the the affected loved one.

Who can help?
A professional personal injury lawyer can win your fight for compensation. Typically, you can receive substantial benefits. True, the more hurt you are the more of a settlement you’ll get, but an experienced lawyer can win fights beyond just medical and income damages. They earn money in things such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment, which can be harder to prove.

You can expect most settlements to go beyond medical expenses and income losses. Since no two cases are exactly the same, you should first choose a lawyer and then ask him or her how much you can get.