This is the first of many myths that we hope to dispel about the practice of personal injury law in our new “Personal Injury Myths Exposed” series of blog posts.
The most common question we receive from new clients is “how long will it take to settle my claim?” This question seems to arise from the common misconception that all personal injury claims take many years to settle.
While it’s true that personal injury claims may take years to settle, the fact is that not all claims take this long, and many settle much earlier in the process. If you are injured, then the time it takes to settle your case may depend on several factors, including:
- The nature of your injuries. Generally speaking the more severe your injuries are, or the longer it takes to recover from them, then the longer your case might take to be ready for settlement. Some clients can recover within months and settle soon thereafter. Others are not so lucky, and may require a year or more to overcome all of their injuries.
- The complexity of the case. Some cases are more challenging to advance and will require some extra investigation and analysis. For example, are there witnesses that need to be located and interviewed about how the accident occurred? If your accident-related injuries are especially unique, then will your family doctor need to refer you to a specialist? Were you injured in any other accidents (such as while working) in the meantime? These are just some of the issues that may delay the resolution of a personal injury case, since the answers to these questions not only take time to discover, but can ultimately assist in presenting the true value of your case to ICBC.
- ICBC’s willingness to settle on fair terms. If ICBC is unwilling to pay fair settlement dollars for your personal injury claim, our lawyers may need to bring your personal injury claim all the way to the courtroom. Due to the current backlog in British Columbia’s courts, this process typically takes several years and only a small percentage of claims ever make it this far.
As you can imagine, these factors can vary greatly from case to case. At Clark Woods LLP, our goal is to ensure that you receive fair compensation for your personal injury claim. Whether this takes a few months, or a few years, we will be by your side every step of the way.
If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, please call 604-330-1777 to speak with one of the experienced personal injury lawyers at Clark Woods LLP.