How long will it take to settle my car accident case in Tennessee?
Many car accident cases in Tennessee will settle within nine months. Most will be resolved within two years from the date of the wreck. However, no two cases are the same. Injury severity and the length of medical treatment will impact how long it takes to settle a Tennessee car wreck case. Negotiating a personal injury settlement while not knowing the full extent of your damages is a bad idea. The short one year statute of limitations does not terminate your case, it is merely a time when a lawsuit must be filed.
If you want to settle fast, the insurance company will likely make an early offer. They hope you will accept because it is typically low. If you accept the offer, your case can be resolved in weeks. Car accident injury victims want their case settled quickly and for the most amount of money. This is understandable and is not greedy. In Tennessee we get, ‘one bite at the apple’. This means one lump sum payment will compensate for all losses. Settlement means the claim is released forever. It takes time to accurately compute damages. Once a case is released and settled there will be no future payment.
We tell our Tennessee car accident injury clients, ‘This is not a fast process.’ Most want to collect their settlement and put the crash in the past ASAP. Personal injury cases take time to resolve correctly. If you, or a loved one, were injured and have questions contact Car Accident Lawyer George Angelopoulos today at 615-422-7171 to start a free consultation.
Why do car accident settlements take so long?
The number one reason car accident settlements take so long is because of the length of medical treatment needed to make a full recovery. However, this is not the case conclusion. At the end of treatment or Maximum Medical Improvement is declared the following must happen before injury clients are paid:
- Medical records and bills must be obtained along with any expert opinions to support future lost income and medical care. This will take a minimum 30 days.
- A record review is required to understand injuries from a medical perspective. Extracting the information needed for the insurance company to pay the most is critical. We prepare demands to maximize the initial settlement offer. This will take about two weeks.
- Medical Bills and liens must be verified. When possible this occurs while obtaining medical records. However, until money is available most lien holders will not negotiate. This generally extends into post settlement time.
- Getting an opening settlement offer usually occurs between 2 weeks and 6 weeks from demand delivery. If we are close then we negotiate and if not, we will file a lawsuit which begins a timeline outside the scope of this article.
- Negotiation is an art which requires evaluation of the strength of each side. Speed is not the best approach. Offers are conveyed and counter offers received, which usually will complete within two weeks. Clients make the settlement decisions.
- Post settlement: Once resolved we need a check. This requires returning an executing a release to the insurance company. Once the insurance company has the release they will mail the check. Many times the gross check requires a client endorsement prior to depositing in Trust for disbursement. This will take a about two weeks.
- Once liens are finalized a settlement statement will be produced. Here is where the client net settlement is determined after the medical liens are paid, attorney fee is calculated and costs are reimbursed. Final settlement usually occurs within one week of depositing the gross settlement check in Trust.
Need help with your Tennessee Car Accident Settlement?
Stop playing insurance games. Call Tennessee Personal Injury Attorney George Angelopoulos at 615-422-7171. We handle the stress and allow you to focus on returning to health. We will dot the I’s, cross the T’s and enforce your rights.
