How Long Does the Personal Injury Claims Process Take in Florida?
The length of time it takes from filing a personal injury claim to settling it depends on the circumstances surrounding your case. In some cases, the injured party may receive a settlement within four to six weeks of filing the claim. In other cases, it can take as long as a year or longer to settle a personal injury claim.
How Long Will It Take to Settle a Personal Injury Claim in Florida?
The time it will take to settle your personal injury claim in Florida depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to:
- The willingness of the insurance company to make a reasonable settlement offer;
- The severity of your injury;
- The complexity of your case; and
- The strength of the evidence available.
If you want to settle your injury claim as soon as possible, you can do so by accepting an initial settlement offer made by the insurer. However, doing so is not recommended because the first settlement offer is rarely a fair one.
Speak with our experienced personal injury attorney in Tampa, Florida, at Kobal Law to determine the value of your claim and help you negotiate a fair settlement amount.
What is the Personal Injury Claims Process in Florida?
To determine how long it will take to settle your claim in Florida, you need to understand what happens during the personal injury claims process.
- Filing a Claim
The first step in the claims process is filing a claim with your own insurance company or the negligent party’s insurance carrier, depending on the circumstances of your case.
- Gathering Evidence to Support Your Claim
After filing a claim, you will need to collect all relevant types of evidence to support your claim and increase the settlement amount. While medical records are the most important piece of evidence in most personal injury cases, you may need to gather many other pieces of evidence, including an accident report that can be used to prove liability and employment records that indicate lost wages.
- Determine the Extent of Your Damages
After compiling all necessary pieces of evidence, you should work with a personal injury attorney to calculate the value of your claim. A knowledgeable lawyer will help you determine the extent of your damages and losses associated with the injury. Often, the injured individual must wait until they reach their maximum medical improvement (MMI) to come up with an accurate settlement amount.
Depending on the severity of your injury, it could take from less than two weeks to more than six months to reach your MMI.
- Negotiate a Fair Settlement Offer
While an insurance company may attempt to make an initial settlement offer, it may not be a good idea to accept the offer if it does not reflect the full extent of your injuries and damages. Instead, your personal injury lawyer will negotiate a fair settlement offer based on the accurate calculation of your claim’s value.
This stage alone could take weeks or months, depending on the willingness of the insurer to negotiate a fair settlement amount.
Speak with our Tampa personal injury attorneys at Kobal Law to help you calculate the value of your claim, expedite the personal injury claims process, and fight for a fair settlement offer. Call at 813-873-2440 to schedule a case review.
