Personal Injury

What Is The Personal Injury Case Timeline?

April 24, 2022

What Is the Personal Injury Case Timeline?

In the wake of an event or accident that results in you sustaining injuries, it’s likely you’ll have a range of questions. And if you’ve never filed a personal injury lawsuit before, you may not even know where to begin.

This blog will walk you through what you should do following an event or accident that leaves you injured. Keep in mind that it’s best to seek help from a personal injury lawyer right away following an event or accident that results in you getting injured, as this way you ensure the process is started off on the right foot and don’t preclude yourself from seeking owed compensation.

Call 1-800-HURT-511 to speak with personal injury lawyers in Corona. We work with lawyers who’ve been representing accident victims and their families for more than a decade, and they’ve secured hundreds of favorable judgments for individuals who were injured through no fault of their own.

Personal Injury Case Timeline Step by Step

In the immediate aftermath of an accident or event that leads to you being injured, it’s likely you’ll be all out of sorts, and you may even be incapacitated. This is why ensuring your safety is priority number one in the immediate aftermath. After this, you can start to follow the steps below.

Step One: Seek Medical Attention

The first thing you should do is seek proper medical attention. There are a variety of reasons why seeking medical attention immediately is a good move. For one, seeking medical attention immediately following an injury-causing event or accident will significantly increase the chances that your injuries don’t get worse. Also, a medical professional will be able to run a series of tests to get a full picture of the extent of your injuries.

This latter point is particularly important, as often is the case that accident victims sustain injuries that don’t present until later on. For example, you may think you only have a bad headache, when in reality what you sustained is a mild traumatic brain injury.

A medical professional will document any injuries they find, which is important because this record will be used later on when you seek damages to redress these injuries. If there’s no documentation of injuries that present later on, it will be hard to tie these to the event or accident which led to you being injured.

Step Two: Get Help From a Personal Injury Lawyer

Once you’re in stable condition, you should reach out to a personal injury lawyer to get the legal process in motion. You can do this via phone or set up an in-person consultation. If you’re unable to leave the hospital because of your injuries, a personal injury lawyer will meet you at the hospital to discuss your options. You don’t NEED to hire a lawyer, but pursuing damages on your own can be a major uphill battle.

A personal injury lawyer will take care of all the tedious processes for you so you can focus on recovering, and they will negotiate with at-fault parties’ insurance companies and other relevant parties to build a strong case on your behalf. And should the case end up in court, they’ll be able to present your a position in front of a judge and jury. Of course a lawyer won’t take any case that comes across their desk. But if you’ve sustained significant injuries from an accident, and it’s pretty clear who’s at fault, it’s likely a personal injury lawyer will take your case.

Note: A local lawyer will be aware of all the events and accidents that commonly occur in the local area, and they’ll be able to deliver better representation with this knowledge. If you’re injured in Corona, it’s best to get legal help from a personal injury lawyer in Corona.

Step Three: A Lawsuit Is Filed

If a personal injury lawyer has to file a lawsuit on behalf of their client, this means that they weren’t able to reach a settlement outside the legal sphere. Most of the time, accident victims settle with at-fault parties outside of court, but when this isn’t possible, court is where the final decision will be rendered. Every state has different procedures, and a trial can take as long as two years. Furthermore, you must file your lawsuit in accordance with the applicable statute of limitations, or else you won’t be able to file. This is one reason why bringing on a lawyer early on is a good move; they’ll make sure you don’t miss the filing deadline.

Step Four: Discovery

Now the process enters what’s known as the discovery phase. It’s during this time that parties to a lawsuit have their lawyers gather evidence, interview witnesses, and generally build their cases. Also, discovery is when you’ll have to respond to depositions and other inquiries, but you can always have your lawyer present when you have to give statements. Discovery can last six months to a year—it all depends on the details of the case.

Step Five: The Case Goes to Trial

Once discovery is over, and there’s still no breakthrough on the settlement front, a case will go to trial. The actual in-court trial can last as little as a day or as long as a month. A lot of factors influence how long trial will take. Trials are often pushed back for a variety of reasons, and this is something you should be aware of before you bring your case to trial. After both sides give their arguments, it will be up to a jury to decide where fault lies in the case. Once they give their ruling, the judge will make it official. If you don’t like the result, you can file an appeal.

How Are Personal Injury Lawyers Paid?

The vast majority of personal injury lawyers work off what’s known as contingency. That is they only collect payment if their client receives an award. Usually this is between 33% and 40% of the total award granted. Different rules and regulations govern how much a personal injury lawyer can claim as compensation from an award. If you lose your case, you won’t owe your lawyer anything.

Who to Contact When You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Corona

Searching for a personal injury lawyer isn’t always easy. This is why 1-800-HURT-511 is a one-stop solution for people like you who are looking to hire a best-in-class personal injury lawyer. The lawyers we partner with have recovered over $1 billion for their clients. Here’s why individuals throughout the Five Boroughs prefer them: