There’s a short answer and then a very long answer to this question.

The short answer: Four Years.

The long answer:

Every state has a statute of limitations for which an individual can bring and complete a claim for personal injuries. Florida allows a four year time period for a claim to be filed and finalized before the individual is barred from recovering. This means that your case must be settled or a lawsuit has to be initiated within this time frame.

The reality is four years is a very long time for most people, especially if you are out of pocket for wage loss or medical bills as a result of the wreck. The statute of limitations does not mean you must wait for the four years to be up, and you can finalize your claim as soon as you’re ready.

The true determining factor of how long a case takes is your injuries. Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may only require a few weeks to seek medical attention and heal, allowing you to move forward with the negotiations of your case. However, more severe injuries may require surgeries or long-term pain management treatment that pushes the time frame out to complete the case.

In addition to your injuries and treatment, there are other factors that can affect the length of a case. For instance, disputes on who was at fault or the relatedness of an injury to the wreck could affect how long the process takes if significant investigation is necessary. Should a dispute require a lawsuit on your case, litigation may significantly increase the length of time on your case.

Each case is different, and the time frame for any particular case is hard to predict at the beginning. I did a video on the 5 Phases of a Personal Injury Claim, which you can watch on our Youtube page or click here https://youtu.be/EkbG8NGII_0 . I’ll be writing a post on this topic soon as well. Knowing how our firm breaks a case up into phases will help you understand the process a little more.

If you want to discuss your case specifically, feel free to call us or message us on our website/social media for a free consultation.