When you or someone you love has been injured, your first concern is healing the physical injuries. But the bills can pile up fast, and you need to know what you can do to get paid for the harm caused by someone else’s negligence.
For serious injuries, a personal injury lawsuit may be your best alternative, but it can take time and you need to know what to expect and how things typically progress.
Each case is different, and many are resolved with a settlement that comes long before you have to go through all the steps leading to trial, but you do want the help of an experienced accident attorney who will be willing and able to take your case all the way through jury trial if needed.
General Personal Injury Timeline
Whether you were hurt in a car accident, pedestrian accident, slip and fall, assault due to negligent security, or even by medical malpractice, the basic steps follow the same flow. Your case may be resolved at an early stage, or it could go all the way to trial. Here are the basic steps you can expect, starting from initial injury:
- The accident or incident that caused your injuries
- You seek initial medical attention
- You talk to an injury attorney like David Cole
- Your attorney investigates your accident and your medical records
- An insurance claim is made, or your attorney demands settlement
- Settlement negotiation
- If negotiation is unsuccessful, lawsuit is filed
- Discovery process
- Alternative dispute resolution may be attempted – mediation or arbitration
- Trial
As you can see, it can be a long process, but at any point there is a chance that a fair settlement will be reached. Defendants who are reluctant to pay fair compensation will often become more inclined to pay more as your progress through the process and they see that you and your attorney are serious and that you have a good case.
To learn more about what to expect after you have been injured in either New Hampshire or Vermont, please talk to experienced injury attorney David Cole today.