Will My Case Settle Quicker if I Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

Attorney Matt Boulton investigates and settles a variety of personal injury claims for injured Hoosiers throughout Indiana. And no matter the type or size of accident, no two cases are ever alike.

That said, his clients, whether they be victims of a car accident or a dog bite, will often have very similar questions about the personal injury claims process.

One of the more popular questions concerns the amount of time it takes to receive a settlement. More specifically, Indiana accident victims often ask Matt: “Will my case settle quicker if I hire a personal injury attorney?”

To give you a better idea of how quickly a personal injury case may settle, Matt has outlined some potential timeline factors in this blog post.

However, before we look specifically at the difference an experienced Indiana personal injury attorney can make, let’s consider factors that often affect every case, with or without legal counsel.

What Factors Affect How Quickly an Injury Case Settles?

As is common with personal injury-related matters, misinformation exists in regard to case settlement timelines. Some of the misunderstandings spring from hearsay, while other untruths arise from a type of folklore.

For example, a common misconception is that hiring an attorney means it “always” takes longer to settle a case than if you attempt to settle it on your own.

In actuality, there are a number of factors that can affect how quickly any personal injury case may take to settle, such as:

Severity of a person’s injuries

In addition to determining home much your case is worth, injury types can play a key role in affecting how long it takes to settle your personal injury case.

A person who sustains a minor dog bite injury may have their case settled before a car accident victim who sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This is due to the uncertainty surrounding the recovery of someone who experiences a TBI.

Doctor’s official release

Until a doctor officially releases a patient from their care, the total amount of damages incurred can only be speculated upon. Trying to settle a personal injury claim before a doctor’s release means you run the risk of shortchanging yourself with regard to compensation.

Search for applicable insurance policies

In a perfect world, everyone’s vehicles and properties would be properly insured. However, there are a number of scenarios in which the liable party is uninsured, has multiple policies, and/or refuses to cooperate in providing their insurance information.

And while the “insurance search” is typically a roadblock during the initial phases of a case, it can certainly affect the timeline of a personal injury settlement.

Age of the victim(s)

Indiana’s personal injury laws grant most individuals a 2-year time period (from the date of the accident/incident) to settle a personal injury claim or file a lawsuit. If a person misses the statute date, they are barred from seeking compensation.

However, there are stipulations to Indiana’s statute of limitations that allow for special exceptions, such as being a minor (under 18 years of age). A minor’s statute date expires 2 years after the date they turn 18.

In these instances, a personal injury claim can take much longer to settle depending on the circumstances surrounding the minor’s case. (Always ask an attorney for the official statute date of your unique case.)

Contested liability

To ensure you receive maximum compensation for your personal injury claim, it’s important to limit your percentage of liability. Indiana law allows injured Hoosiers to pursue compensation if they are no more than 50% at fault for an accident/incident.

In the event that a percentage of fault has wrongly been placed on you, it will likely take additional time and investigation to overturn the initial liability assessment, thus adding to the settlement timeline.

Case valuation

It’s not uncommon for accident victims and insurance companies to have different opinions on what a personal injury claim is worth. In fact, the goal of the insurance company is to settle the claim for as low as possible.

The difference of opinion with regard to case valuation can be cause for additional days, weeks, or months until a personal claim is settled.

Communication habits

There can be a lot of back and forth between accident victims and insurance companies. If one or both parties fail to return messages or clearly communicate, the personal injury settlement process can once again be delayed.

Each of these timeline factors can affect personal injury claims of all types, and depending on the details of your case, there may be others that determine how long it will take to settle your claim.

And what about hiring an Indiana personal injury attorney? Will it help a case settle more quickly? Let’s take a look at Matt’s opinon on the matter.

Hiring an Indiana Personal Injury Attorney–Quicker Settlement?

To be clear, hiring an Indiana personal injury attorney doesn’t equate to making the aforementioned problems disappear. There are potential timeline snags with every settlement.

However, an experienced injury attorney is equipped to handle timeline distractions in a much more efficient and expedient manner, thus helping to ensure the personal injury claim is settled as quickly as possible.

And more importantly, by hiring a personal injury attorney, there is an increased likelihood that your case will be settled for maximum compensation.

Keep in mind, there are no guarantees with regard to case settlement timelines. In fact, there is the possibility that your case may take longer to settle if you choose to hire an attorney, and this is simply due to the fact that they help to ensure you get every dollar you are owed.

Similarly, if your attorney and the insurance company ultimately disagree about the value of your case, they may decide filing a lawsuit is in your best interest. In this scenario, it can take much longer until your compensation is received.

For Boulton Law Group clients, this is rarely a concern, as Matt is able to settle more than 95% of his clients’ cases without the need for a trial. And while this fact is a great benefit to many clients, it remains one of many reasons injured Hoosiers choose Boulton Law Group.

About Boulton Law Group

Attorney Matt Boulton founded the Boulton Law Group to give injured Hoosiers an alternative choice in legal representation. Matt prides himself on being able to provide each case with custom legal strategies as well as a laser-focus on client satisfaction.

Whether you have concerns about the timeline of your case settlement, or you simply are at a loss for how much your case is worth, Matt offers a Zero Fee Guarantee that promises you will never pay for his professional opinion, nor do you owe the firm anything unless we are hired and a recovery is made on your behalf.

To receive a free review of your potential case and personal injury claim, please use the firm’s confidential, free contact form.