How long is your average car accident litigation case?

When you have a car accident and you are injured and/or suffer serious damages, you generally have two choices if you hope to be able to recover compensation. The first choice is to opt for car accident litigation and the second is to accept a settlement offer. If you are being offered a settlement but contemplating litigation, one of the main questions you might have is how long your average car accident litigation case is.

The answer to this question, unfortunately, is that there really is no answer to how long litigation is going to take. There is a set time limit or time frame in which you must bring the lawsuit initially; this is referred to as the statute of limitations and each state has one. The statute of limitations normally ranges from one year to three years, although there may be a different rule in your state or dependent on your circumstances. However, once you have actually filed the case and the car accident litigation has started, there are so many variables that it is difficult to determine a ballpark "average" time. 

A lawsuit can last a few months or a few years. The length of time the case will take will depend on the amount of evidence and the complexity of evidence each side needs to present, the amount of pretrial paperwork and motions that need to be addressed by the court, and whether or not their is an appeal. 

The best person to speak to regarding how long your car accident litigation is likely to take is an experienced attorney. He or she can evaluate the specifics of your case to give you an indication of how long it may go on for should you go to court.