Personal injury lawsuits are infamous for how long they sometimes take to resolve. In particularly intense litigation, personal injury lawsuits have been known to drag on for years. However, it should be noted that cases that take that long are the exception, not the rule.
The average injury lawsuit is resolved much more quickly, but it is difficult to say how long a case will take. Cases with complicated facts and legal issues can be resolved quickly if the parties are willing to cooperate. On the other hand, relatively simple cases could carry on for months and months or longer if one or both parties were difficult to work with.
If you are thinking about filing a personal injury lawsuit but are unsure about what kind of time commitment is involved, speak to our New York personal injury lawyers. You deserve compensation for your damages as quickly as possible. Call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083 for a free case review with our Manhattan car accident lawyer.
Do Personal Injury Lawsuits Take a Long Time to Resolve in New York?
Personal injury lawsuits seem to have a bad reputation for taking an extremely long time to resolve. Many people are discouraged from filing a valid personal injury claim because they fear it will take forever to see any money. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, personal injury lawsuits are resolved rather quickly when both parties are willing to negotiate and cooperate.
The duration of your personal injury lawsuit, or any lawsuit for that matter, largely depends on your and your opponent’s mindsets. If both parties want to resolve the matter quickly and are willing to compromise, an out-of-court settlement will likely be reached sooner rather than later. If one or both parties refuse to budge, we may have no choice but to pursue a lengthy legal battle in court.
Even if your case ends up going to trial, the matter could be resolved quickly if the legal issues are not complex and ample evidence supports your case. However, particularly complex issues or scant evidence could seriously slow down your case. Speak to our Brooklyn personal injury attorneys, and we can help you determine how long you can expect your lawsuit to last.
How Long Can I Expect My Personal Injury Lawsuit to Last in New York?
The duration of your lawsuit will largely depend on what kind of claims you bring, your supporting evidence, and your willingness to settle. If you pursue a few small claims and have sufficient supporting evidence, your case may be over pretty soon. However, pursuing more complicated claims or claims that are worth more money might take longer to sort through.
If your personal injury lawsuit is based on an accident, you will need evidence to demonstrate that the defendant is responsible for the accident. Hard evidence like surveillance footage of the accident happening in real-time can really speed up your case. However, many accident cases are left with minimal evidence because accident scenes are often quickly cleared away. With no witnesses or other evidence to back you up, your case could drag on.
You can expect your case to last for at least a few months. The legal process is not very fast, even at the best of times. Each side needs time to prepare their case, gather evidence and draft legal strategies. Courts also like to give the parties time to work out their dispute privately and hopefully settle. While cases sometimes last for a year or more, this is less common. Our Queens personal injury attorneys can help you resolve your case as quickly as possible.
Speeding Up a Personal Injury Lawsuit in New York
If you are afraid your lawsuit will take too long to resolve, there are ways our Long Island personal injury lawyers can help you speed things along. First a foremost, a good way to resolve a lawsuit quickly is through a settlement agreement.
Settlement agreements are when the parties in a lawsuit agree to resolve the case privately. Typically, the parties agree on a sum of money to be paid by the defendant to adequately cover the plaintiff’s damages. These agreements are often reached after intense negotiation but may still happen faster than a trial.
In cases where both parties are willing to cooperate and negotiate, a settlement can be reached quickly. This is especially so in cases where a defendant recognizes their odds of winning a trial are low and would rather pay a settlement and avoid costly legal fees.
It is also important to understand your odds of success at a trial. If you have a lot of strong evidence in your corner, you can leverage that evidence to get a higher settlement offer. Even if you go to trial, lots of strong evidence makes for a speedier trial.
What If I Cannot Wait for a Personal Injury Lawsuit in New York?
The idea of a lengthy lawsuit often puts people off because they have costs and expenses that need to be paid right now. They cannot afford to wait for the outcome of a drawn-out legal battle. For example, you might have mounting medical bills and other debts that need to be paid and no income because you are too injured to work.
If you need compensation but literally cannot afford to wait, our New York personal injury attorneys can help you explore your legal options to figure out the fastest way to get you compensation. Perhaps the quickest way is not a lawsuit or settlement but an insurance claim instead. For example, many drivers who are injured in car accidents pursue insurance claims instead of personal injury lawsuits.
If there is a viable, speedy option for compensation, our team will help you find it. Call our Bronx personal injury attorneys right away for help.
Contact Our New York Personal Injury Attorneys
If you or someone you know is considering filing a personal injury lawsuit, our team can help you get compensation as quickly as possible. Our Staten Island personal injury lawyers have years of experience handling various personal injury cases. Call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083 for a free case review.