Delays in Settlement in Wichita Falls Car Accident Cases
Consider this: you were in a Wichita Falls car accident. You sought medical
treatment and you’ve been following the doctor’s treatment plan. You’ve been forced off of work because of your injuries. Your medical bills are piling up. The insurance company keeps calling you, but they aren’t willing to pay you anything.
At this point, you may feel a bit helpless, wondering how long it will take for your car accident case to get settled and for the insurance company to pay you what your claim is worth. The truth is your case could take as little as a few months to much longer. The length of time it takes for your case to settle all depends on several factors.
At our Wichita Falls car accident law firm, our main goal is to provide you with quality and efficient services. We provide the efficiency of larger firms with a small firm feel. You will never be just a number on a file. We take the time to get to know our clients and their problems, so we become invested in their situation. We want to provide real results to our client’s problems, and we want to do so in a timely manner. Often, legal issues require a great deal of time to run their course and get resolved properly because pursuing legal claims is complicated, and some things are simply out of the lawyer’s control. But we will do everything in our power to make sure everything gets done on our end as quickly as possible so that when the time comes, there is no delaying in getting your settlement.
Why Your Car Accident Case Hasn’t Settled
Many factors can affect the amount of time it takes to settle your car accident claim.
1. You are still treating from your accident injuries.
It’s difficult to put an accurate value on your case when you are still treating for your injuries because you are going to have ongoing medical bills. For this reason, it’s not good practice to settle your case if you are going to have ongoing medical treatment. If you settle early, you are going to end up having a lot of medical bills that aren’t accounted for and that you will end up having to pay for yourself.
Insurance companies often require evidence of your injuries. This can be done by providing them with your medical records and bills (but be cautious of what you provide to the insurance companies and no matter what, do not give them an authorization for them to collect the records themselves). If your medical records and bills are not complete due to your treatment not being completed, this could affect the value of your case. Having to deal with all this while you are trying to properly treat your injuries can be frustrating. A good car accident lawyer can help you figure out other sources of payment to help you continue to get the treatment you need while your settlement is still under review.
In some cases, the impact and injuries will be so severe that you will have to continue some type of medical care for the rest of your life, or you may have permanent impairments and limited functionality from your accident. In these instances, your car accident lawyer should be able to use experts to project what your costs will be like for your future care.
2. There are facts that are either unknown or being disputed.
If there is a dispute over who was at fault for the accident, it will be a huge impediment to getting a quick settlement. In fact, it may even take filing a lawsuit before you are able to resolve it. In these types of cases, your lawyer will need to conduct a thorough investigation and gather evidence to support your case and prove that the other drive was the one who caused the accident.
In other types of cases such as hit-and-run accident, cases involving large commercial trucks, or cases involving uninsured or under-insured motorists, recovery can be more complicated than the average car wreck case. It can take a good amount of time to figure out what insurance is available and which policies apply.
In any of these situations, it might be necessary for you to file a lawsuit in order to get the compensation you deserve. This course of action will unfortunately further delay your settlement, but it may be necessary for you to even get it.
3. Your case involves serious injuries with high medical bills.
When there is a large policy and a lot of money involved, insurance companies tend to move pretty slowly. Often times, they may delay sending payment, deny coverage, or otherwise force you to file a lawsuit. These insurance companies know you need to money to pay for your treatment and sometimes they will drag their feet so you get desperate and accept an amount that is lower than what your claim is worth.
Hire a Wichita Falls Car Accident Lawyer You Can Count On
Often a critical component of your success in resolving your car accident claim is getting an experienced and knowledgeable Wichita Falls car accident lawyer on your side. They can handle all the hard work for you: conducting an investigation, gathering the necessary evidence, dealing with the insurance companies, collecting the medical records, and if necessary, filing and litigating a lawsuit. Not only that, but they know how to do these things effectively.
If you or anyone you know has been in an accident in Wichita Falls, you should speak with an experienced Wichita Falls car accident lawyer as soon as possible. This could make all the difference in the outcome of your case. To learn more about personal injury, download our free book, The Traveler’s Guide to the Universe of Personal Injury.
You can call us today at 940-569-4000 or fill out our contact form to set up a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation. We will give you a free evaluation of your case and offer some helpful advice even if you decide not to hire us. We are here to help.