When you've been in a car accident, time is a major factor as far as getting a settlement from the insurance company is concerned. You'll probably have some repairs need for your car, and you may also have some medical bills to cover.
Unfortunately, timing can be a tricky factor in such cases. There are many factors that can extend or shorten the time it takes to conclude the case. This is why it's a good idea to be ready to bring in a personal injury attorney.
Best Case Scenario
As soon as you've filed the claim, insurance companies will require some time to evaluate the particulars of the claim. In the best case scenario, this should be done in under three weeks. Once the insurance company has evaluated the claim, the offer should follow soon after. If the offer is acceptable to you, this whole process may be completed in under 60 days.
However, there's a good chance that the first offer from the insurance company will be much lower than you need. Therefore, some more time may be needed for the counter offers between you and the insurance company.
Worst Case Scenario
Although you can hope for the best case scenario when dealing with an insurance company, you should expect to be dealing with something closer to a worst-case scenario. Insurance companies may take a long time before submitting the first offer. Some may even wait until the very last moment.
This slow communication may be both incidental and intentional. If the company is processing many claims, it can take a while for them to get to you. However, some insurers may also drag their feet in the hopes of frustrating the claimant into accepting a much lower offer.
How to Reduce the Time Taken for the Case
Hiring an attorney to handle the case can help to speed things along when dealing with the insurance company. An attorney can maintain communication with the company, ensuring that your case is kept near the top of the pile. The attorney will also know how to handle the tactics that the insurance company is likely to use to slow down the process.
It's also important to note that a personal injury lawyer can prevent you from making the mistake a lot of people do. Many people accept much lower offers just to avoid the frustration of a long case. Unfortunately, this often means that they get a lot less than they deserve.
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