Many people who are considering filing Kansas personal injury lawsuits wonder how long their case will take because they would like to know when they will recover for the damages that they have experienced. Many potential plaintiffs have a stack of medical bills which are beginning to pile up. Some prospective plaintiffs are missing work because of their injuries, so they are under even more financial strain. Unfortunately, there is no specific timeline which all personal injury cases follow from start to finish. There are many ways in which people can be injured, and each plaintiff will respond in his or her unique way to the treatment for their injuries. Each personal injury case does pass through a few basic phases as it proceeds. Injured plaintiffs may find it useful to know how their case is likely to proceed, even if they cannot predict exactly how long it will take.
After someone is injured, they must receive treatment for their injuries and then recover from those injuries. Sometimes, injured parties may be contacted by an insurance company during their treatment or recovery. While you may wish to settle your case quickly, it is essential that you wait until you know the full extent of your injuries and how long it will take you to recover from them. It is also important that you not settle until you know whether or not your injuries will have any effect on your life in the future, such as a permanent disability or limitation.
During your treatment and recovery, it is a good idea to speak with a Kansas Personal Injury Attorney when you are able to do so. Getting help from an attorney as soon as possible can help you to ensure that all of your rights are protected. Your attorney can help you understand and respond to settlement offers, and they will not let the insurance company try to convince you to settle before you are able to ascertain whether any given settlement offer will compensate you adequately. Also, the sooner your attorney can begin working on your case, the better, because personal injury cases involve a great deal of records and information which your attorney will have to obtain and analyze.
After your doctors are able to provide you with a complete picture of how long your injuries will take to heal, and what you can expect in the future, your attorney can propose a counteroffer to the insurance company if you had rejected their initial offer. Your attorney and the insurance company may go through several rounds of negotiations, and each time the insurance company proposes a settlement offer, your attorney will discuss it with you so that you may decide whether to accept or reject it.
At some point, negotiations may reach a standstill if the insurance company is unable or unwilling to propose a settlement offer which is acceptable to you. At this point, your attorney can begin to litigate your case. This does not necessarily mean that your case will end in a trial, though, because litigation takes time, and many cases do settle before the date of the trial arrives.
If you have been injured, it is important that you speak to a Kansas City Personal Injury Attorney right away. The knowledgeable and caring Kansas City Personal Injury Lawyers at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. help injured clients from throughout the region, including St. Joseph, Independence, Lees Summit, Columbia, Warrensburg, Overland Park, Olathe, Atchison, Lawrence, Topeka, and many other Kansas and Missouri communities. Please call us today, at (816) 472- 4673 to arrange for an initial consultation.