You may be tempted to submit to personal injury claim proceedings for a chance of receiving financial compensation. The only thing that may be holding you back, though, is the time commitment it takes to get this monetary reward. Read on to discover what factors may extend your claim proceedings and how one of the seasoned Panama City personal injury attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help shorten this timeline.

On average, how long does an injury case take?

According to the National Center for State Courts and the United States Department of Justice, the average duration of time it takes to finalize a personal injury case is anywhere between one to three years. More specific data are as follows:

  • 25.6 months is the average duration of time it takes to reach a verdict in tort trials.
  • Product liability cases and medical malpractice cases have the longest case processing times at 35.1 months and 33.2 months, respectively.
  • Approximately 97 percent of tort cases are settled before a bench trial verdict or otherwise dismissed.

What factors may extend my personal injury claim proceedings?

Even though the average is one to three years, there may be specific circumstances surrounding your personal injury case that may extend your claim proceedings. Examples of such factors are as follows:

  • Your proceedings may be extended if your personal injury accident was complex (i.e., it occurred in a government-owned location, it occurred in the workplace, it involved multiple parties, it resulted in multiple injuries, etc).
  • Your proceedings may be extended if your injuries are complex (i.e., you need to undergo additional testing, you are waiting on a firm prognosis, etc).
  • Your proceedings may be extended if you are seeking a significant amount of damages (i.e., a monetary reward that is more than $100,000).
  • Your proceedings may be extended if your jurisdiction is handling a heavy caseload (i.e., your court date is scheduled to be months away, your court date is rescheduled at the last moment, etc).
  • Your proceedings may be extended if you are unwilling to enter a settlement agreement (i.e., you do not want to settle for less money).

With that being said, an attorney may not be able to promise the exact date on which your claim proceedings will conclude. This is the same way that they cannot promise that you will win your case. Nonetheless, they will do everything in their power to work on your schedule and get you the results that you are shooting for. In the end, there is no better time than the present to get your legal case in order. So pick up the phone and call one of the competent Panama City personal injury attorneys from Manuel & Thompson, PA today. We are looking forward to it.