​How Long Do Pedestrian Accident Claims Take To Settle?

If you sustained injuries in a pedestrian accident, you will want to know how long it could take to recover compensation from the at-fault party …

If you sustained injuries in a pedestrian accident, you will want to know how long it could take to recover compensation from the at-fault party for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Understanding what happens in a pedestrian accident claim can relieve some of the anxiety and stress you may feel while waiting to settle your case. While every pedestrian accident case has a different timeline, you should understand what factors may affect the duration of your case. You may want to learn more about how a Miami pedestrian accident lawyer can help you secure a fair and full settlement.

What Factors Affect the Timeline of a Pedestrian Accident Claim?

The timeline for settling a pedestrian accident claim will vary from case to case. Although no one can predict how long it may take you to settle your pedestrian accident claim, various factors will affect the duration of your case.

These factors include:

What Steps Should You Take To Prepare Your Pedestrian Accident Claim?

Fortunately, you can put yourself in the best position to pursue a pedestrian accident claim and secure a maximum settlement.

To prepare your pedestrian accident claim:

Finally, contact a pedestrian accident lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your legal options and have your attorney begin preparing your case and negotiating a settlement on your behalf.

The Pedestrian Accident Settlement Process

Settling a pedestrian accident claim begins with investigating the accident to obtain evidence to support your claim. When you work with a pedestrian accident lawyer in your case, your attorney will use their experience to investigate the accident thoroughly.

Your attorney may take photos or videos of the accident scene, request copies of surveillance or traffic camera footage, and interview eyewitnesses. Your lawyer may also hire accident reconstruction experts who can review the evidence and prepare a written report, visual recreations, and testimony to explain what happened in the accident and how the other driver caused it.

Your lawyer can also work with other experts in medical, vocational, and financial fields to better explain the injuries you suffered in the accident, the effects of your injuries and disabilities on your ability to work or perform daily tasks, and what financial losses you can expect to incur in the future due to your pedestrian accident injuries.

Once your attorney has compiled evidence, they can prepare an insurance claim or demand letter on your behalf to send to the at-fault driver, their insurer, or other liable parties. The demand letter will list the evidence supporting your legal claim, document your injuries and losses, and demand compensation to settle your case.

After the insurance company or liable parties have received your demand letter, your attorney can begin negotiating a fair settlement of your pedestrian accident case. You and your lawyer may start informal negotiations with the opposing side. However, if you reach an impasse, you may participate in mediation, a more structured form of settlement negotiations facilitated by a neutral third party called a mediator.

Eventually, your attorney may file a lawsuit if the opposing party won’t agree to a fair settlement before the statute of limitations expires on your pedestrian accident claim. But even if you go to court, you can continue negotiating with the opposing side and may settle your claim at any time.

Potential Time Frames for Pedestrian Accident Settlements

The duration of a pedestrian accident claim can vary. A pedestrian accident case can settle in as little as a few months. The shortest timeframes for settlement happen in cases where an injured pedestrian has finished treating their injuries and has calculated their total losses and where the driver has accepted liability for the accident.

Many pedestrian accident claims take about a year to settle, especially when injured pedestrians need more prolonged treatment and rehabilitation. Insurance companies may also try to drag their heels on a pedestrian accident settlement to induce the injured pedestrian to accept a lower settlement figure, which can increase the timeframe for a settlement.

However, pedestrian accident cases can take several years to settle. The most protracted cases occur when a pedestrian suffers catastrophic, life-altering injuries that require months of medical rehabilitation.

Cases can take much longer to resolve when a driver vigorously contests liability for the accident or the extent of losses incurred by the injured pedestrian. Significant disputes over liability and losses usually mean a pedestrian accident case will end in court. However, as facts clear up in discovery and the case approaches trial, parties in a pedestrian accident case usually return to the negotiating table to work out a settlement and avoid the uncertainty of trial.

How Working With a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Can Help You Secure a Settlement

Hiring a personal injury lawyer can simplify the settlement process and enable you to pursue maximum compensation.

What Do Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Do?

A pedestrian accident lawyer can help you pursue a settlement by handling every aspect of preparing your legal case and advocating your claims. A pedestrian accident lawyer working on your case can free you to focus your time and energy on medical treatment and rehabilitation.

The tasks that your pedestrian accident lawyer can handle for you include:

What Benefits Does Hiring a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Have?

Hiring a pedestrian accident lawyer can provide you with critical benefits.

A pedestrian accident lawyer can help your case because they:

Various Circumstances Will Affect the Length of Time It Takes To Settle a Pedestrian Accident Claim

Christopher D. Alas, Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Multiple factors will influence the timeline of a pedestrian accident claim, including what kinds of injuries you’ve suffered, the parties involved in the case, and the complexity of the disputes over liability and your losses. However, a pedestrian accident lawyer can help make the settlement negotiation process as smooth as possible and help you pursue maximum compensation for your past, ongoing, and future needs and losses. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer.