The California Personal Injury Case Timeline: From Crash to Settlement

When clients ask how long a personal injury case takes, they’re usually asking because they need the money. The medical bills are mounting. Work has been disrupted. The uncertainty is hard to live with. What they want is a date, or at least a range.

I can’t give them one, and neither can any attorney being honest. Personal injury cases don’t run on fixed timelines because the things that drive them — injuries, treatment, recovery, insurance coverage, the other side’s behavior — don’t cooperate with schedules. What I can tell you is the sequence every case moves through and what happens at each stage, so you know where your case is and what’s coming next.

I’ve practiced personal injury law in California since 2003. This page walks through every stage of a California personal injury case, from the first phone call through the final settlement check, including the work that happens in the background that most clients never see. It also covers the two pieces of California law that drive timing more than anything else: the rule that you should not settle until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement, and the two-year statute of limitations that forces a lawsuit if treatment isn’t done by then.

The expectation gap

Before we get into the stages, I want to address something I see in nearly every case: clients are almost always surprised by how long resolution takes. They expect months. The reality, in serious cases, is often a year or more. The frustration that builds during that time is real, and I take it seriously.

Here’s why it has to take that long, and why a faster case in most situations is a worse case.

You should never settle a personal injury case until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement — meaning your injuries have either resolved, or a doctor has told you you’ll have chronic pain or limitation for the rest of your life. The reason is simple: once you settle, you cannot reopen the claim. If your injuries turn out to be worse than expected at the time of settlement, you pay out of pocket for future medical care, and you don’t recover anything additional for the additional pain and suffering.

A settlement is a permanent resolution. It’s signed, it’s paid, and it’s closed. Whatever happens to you medically after that point is yours to handle alone. That’s why the timing of the settlement matters so much, and why every responsible attorney waits until the medical picture is complete before agreeing to resolve a case.

There’s another piece to it. In California, you have a two-year statute of limitations to file a lawsuit, codified at Code of Civil Procedure §335.1. For serious or catastrophic injuries, treatment often takes longer than two years to complete. When that happens, the firm files a lawsuit to protect the statute of limitations and continues to litigate while treatment finishes. If the statute expires without either a settlement or a filed lawsuit, all rights and claims are lost. Filing a lawsuit doesn’t mean we’re trying the case — it means we’re protecting the right to recover while you finish getting better.

The exception: low policy limits

There’s one important exception to the rule that you should treat to MMI before settling, and it matters enough to flag separately because most clients have never heard about it.

When the at-fault driver has policy limits that aren’t enough to cover your damages, the strategy changes. In a low-limits situation, you do not want to treat beyond what is necessary to obtain the policy limit. Additional treatment past that point only adds medical liens that come out of the same fixed pool of insurance money. There’s no extra recovery from continuing to treat — there’s only more medical debt eating into the same limited pool, leaving less for the client at the end.

An example clarifies this. Suppose the at-fault driver has the California minimum $30,000 bodily injury liability limit, no underinsured motorist coverage on your side, no other available coverage, and your initial treatment has produced enough medical evidence to support recovery of the full $30,000. Continuing to treat past that point adds, say, $20,000 in additional medical liens. The settlement is still capped at $30,000. Now $20,000 of that $30,000 has to go to medical lienholders. The client ends up with substantially less than they would have if treatment had been managed around the available coverage.

Identifying that scenario early, evaluating exactly what coverage exists, and managing the case around it is part of what an experienced personal injury attorney does. It’s not a choice between getting good medical care and protecting your recovery — it’s a strategic decision that requires knowing exactly what coverage exists and treating accordingly. Get the medical care you need to address the injuries. Don’t pile on additional treatment that the available coverage can’t pay for.

This is also why representation matters from the start. A client managing a low-limits case alone has no way of knowing the available coverage, and almost always treats beyond what the case can support — and ends up with a fraction of the policy limit going to them.

Why treating early matters

Beyond the legal mechanics, there’s a medical observation worth flagging. Patients who put off treatment for a few weeks tend to end up with longer recoveries than patients who start right away.

Soft tissue injuries treated immediately often resolve in months. The same injuries left untreated for a few weeks tend to develop into chronic conditions that take much longer to address. A herniated disc treated early sometimes responds to conservative care. The same injury left to develop sometimes becomes a surgical case.

Insurance companies use treatment delays against you in two different ways. First, they argue the delay shows the injury wasn’t serious. Second, they argue any worsening was your fault for not treating earlier. Both arguments are unfair, but both work, and both add up to lower offers.

Treating early protects your health and protects your case. Insurance companies cannot argue you weren’t really hurt if the medical record from the first week of treatment shows otherwise. They cannot argue you exacerbated your injuries through inaction if you started care immediately. And medically, you tend to feel better faster when you start treatment promptly.

If you can’t afford care, that’s a problem with a solution. BANA LAW has access to physicians across California — specialists, surgeons, imaging centers, physical therapists — who treat injured patients on a medical lien basis, where medical costs are paid from the eventual recovery rather than at the time of care. The firm doesn’t direct medical care or recommend specific providers. The decision about treatment, providers, and the course of care belongs to you and your treating physicians. What we do is help you access care that wouldn’t otherwise be available to you at the point of injury, so you can start treating immediately rather than waiting.

If we recover millions of dollars for a client who hasn’t healed, we haven’t done our job. Healing matters more than the case.

Why timelines vary so much

Now to the actual mechanics. Personal injury cases in California don’t share a single timeline because the variables that drive them differ from case to case.

Injury severity and treatment duration are the biggest variables. A soft tissue injury that resolves in three months produces a very different timeline than a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury requiring surgeries, rehabilitation, and long-term care. The medical picture has to be mature before the case can be valued.

How a claimant responds to treatment matters. Two people with the same diagnosis can follow very different recovery paths. One resolves in six months. The other develops complications, requires additional procedures, and spends a year or more in active treatment. The legal case follows the medical recovery, not the other way around.

Insurance coverage and the carrier’s behavior shape the middle and late stages. A case with adequate policy limits and a reasonable adjuster moves more smoothly than one where coverage is contested, multiple policies are involved, or the carrier is taking an aggressive negotiating posture.

Other variables add weeks or months at various points. The number of parties involved. The complexity of liability. The availability of witnesses and physical evidence. Whether expert analysis is required. Whether the case settles or requires a lawsuit. And if a lawsuit is filed, the court’s docket in the applicable jurisdiction.

Any one of these factors can extend a case. Several of them together can push resolution out by a year or more. That’s not the attorney dragging things out. That’s the case being worked properly, with the time it takes to produce the actual value the claim is worth.

What follows is the sequence. The duration of each stage varies; the stages themselves do not.

Stage One: Free consultation and case evaluation

Every case starts with a conversation.

At BANA LAW, initial consultations are free and carry no obligation to retain the firm. The consultation has two purposes: to give you a clear understanding of your legal situation, and to let us evaluate whether the case is one we can effectively handle.

You describe what happened — the crash, the injuries, the medical care so far, any communication that’s already happened with insurance companies. The matter is reviewed by an attorney. Liability is assessed. Likely insurance coverage is identified. The nature and severity of injuries is evaluated. Your goals for the case are discussed.

At the end, you make an informed decision about whether to retain the firm. No case proceeds without a clear, mutual decision to move forward.

The consultation happens wherever works best for you. In person at our Los Angeles office, or by appointment in San Bernardino or Fresno when in-person consultation outside Los Angeles is preferred. By phone. By video. At your home, if travel is difficult. If you’re in the hospital, the firm comes to you. The choice is yours.

Stage Two: Intake and case assignment

Once the firm is retained, the case is formally opened and assigned to a supervising attorney and a case manager.

The supervising attorney is responsible for legal strategy and the direction of the case. The case manager is your primary point of contact for day-to-day communication — questions about the case, updates on treatment, coordination of medical appointments, documents, and anything else that comes up during the months the case is active.

Intake means gathering everything the firm needs to start building the case: details of the crash, all insurance information (yours and the other driver’s), medical records and providers, employment information relevant to lost wages, witness information, photographs, and any communication you’ve already received from insurance companies. You also execute the retainer agreement and limited authorizations that let the firm obtain records and communicate with carriers on your behalf.

The moment the firm is retained, one thing changes immediately: all insurance company communication is directed to us, and you no longer field calls or pressure from adjusters. That’s one of the most immediate benefits of representation. The firm handles the claim. You focus on medical recovery.

Stage Three: Investigation and evidence gathering

With the case formally open, the firm begins building the factual foundation that everything else rests on.

Investigation includes obtaining the police report and any supplemental reports. Requesting dashcam, surveillance, and traffic camera footage from any source that may have captured the crash or the events leading up to it. Interviewing witnesses before memories fade and contact information becomes stale. Photographing the scene if conditions warrant. Analyzing vehicle damage. In serious cases, retaining accident reconstruction experts. Evaluating the at-fault driver’s history and identifying any additional liability sources — employer liability if the driver was working, commercial coverage if a commercial vehicle was involved, government liability if a public entity may be responsible.

Every available source of insurance coverage gets identified. This step alone can dramatically change what a case is worth. A case that initially appears to involve only the at-fault driver’s $30,000 policy may turn out to involve an employer’s commercial policy of $1 million or more, a separate liability policy on the vehicle owner, additional coverage through the driver’s personal umbrella policy, or recoverable assets beyond available insurance.

The goal is a complete, documented factual foundation capable of withstanding scrutiny from opposing counsel and opposing carriers. This work starts early because evidence degrades fast. Dashcam footage gets overwritten. Witnesses become hard to locate. Physical evidence at the scene disappears. Memories fade. Early investigation protects the case.

Stages Two, Three, and Four happen simultaneously, not in sequence. The moment the firm is retained, the case manager starts coordinating medical treatment while the investigation team builds the evidentiary record, all while you’re in active treatment. The work happens in parallel, in the background. You’re kept informed throughout.

Stage Four: Medical treatment and case monitoring

Medical treatment starts immediately on retention and continues as long as your injuries require it. In serious cases, treatment may last a year or more.

During treatment, your primary responsibility is recovery. The firm monitors progress, coordinates with providers as needed, and makes sure every element of care is properly documented for later inclusion in the claim.

We stay in regular contact throughout. You can call your case manager anytime for updates or questions. The firm also communicates directly with your medical providers to track milestones, obtain records as they become available, and identify when you’re approaching either full recovery or maximum medical improvement.

Consistency in treatment matters at this stage, and it matters more than clients usually recognize. Gaps in treatment, skipped appointments, and incomplete compliance with treatment plans are used by insurance carriers to argue the injuries weren’t serious. A 30-day gap gets characterized as evidence of recovery. A cancelled physical therapy session becomes proof the injury wasn’t really that bad.

None of those characterizations are accurate. They’re tactics the carrier will use regardless. The best defense is to follow your doctor’s recommendations, attend every scheduled appointment, and tell your case manager immediately if you have difficulty accessing care.

This is typically the longest single stage of any case. It can’t be shortened without compromising either your health or the value of the claim, and doing either defeats the purpose of pursuing the case in the first place.

Stage Five: Treatment completion and records compilation

Once you’ve either completed medical treatment or reached maximum medical improvement, the case moves into a preparation phase.

The firm reviews the full case file. Compiles all medical records from every provider seen during treatment. Obtains final diagnostic reports and imaging. Gathers billing records and wage-loss documentation. Prepares a comprehensive medical summary.

This work is substantial. A serious injury case may involve records from emergency departments, primary care physicians, orthopedic specialists, neurologists, pain management physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, mental health providers, and others. Each provider’s records have to be obtained, reviewed, and incorporated into the narrative of the case. Billing records have to be verified. Future medical needs, where applicable, have to be evaluated — often with input from treating physicians or retained medical experts.

The product of this stage is a complete, documented picture of your injuries, your treatment, your losses, and your prognosis. That picture is the foundation on which the settlement demand is built.

Stage Six: Settlement demand

With the case file complete, the firm prepares and submits a comprehensive settlement demand letter to the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier and, where applicable, to additional responsible parties and their carriers.

The demand letter is the formal presentation of the claim. It lays out the facts of the crash. Establishes liability. Details your injuries and the medical treatment received. Documents economic damages including medical expenses and lost wages. Explains non-economic damages including pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and emotional impact. Requests a specific amount in compensation.

Supporting documentation is attached or referenced — medical records, bills, wage loss verification, photographs, expert reports, and any other relevant evidence.

A well-prepared demand letter is not a form document. It’s the firm’s opportunity to present the case at its strongest before litigation becomes necessary. Carriers evaluate demand letters carefully, and the thoroughness and quality of the demand substantially affects what the carrier is willing to offer in response. A sloppy demand invites a low counteroffer. A well-constructed demand signals that the case has been worked properly and that the claim is serious.

Stage Seven: Negotiations

The carrier responds, typically with a counteroffer substantially below the demand amount. This is expected. Initial responses are almost never the carrier’s best position.

Negotiation then proceeds through a series of exchanges — counteroffers, supporting arguments, additional documentation where warranted, and direct communication between the firm and the adjuster or claims representative assigned to the case. The firm advocates for the highest compensation the evidence supports.

You’re kept informed throughout. Every offer is communicated to you for discussion.

Settlement decisions belong to you. The firm provides its best professional judgment about the strength of each offer, the risks of continued negotiation, the likelihood of improvement, and the alternative of filing suit. You decide whether to accept, counter, or reject. No settlement is entered without your explicit authorization.

Most personal injury cases resolve at this stage. A well-prepared demand and a firm committed to advocating for your interests produces a negotiated settlement that fairly compensates you without the delays, costs, and uncertainties of litigation.

When that’s not possible — because the carrier refuses to offer fair value, or because the two-year statute of limitations is approaching while treatment continues — the next stage is filing suit.

Stage Eight: Resolution or filing suit

When negotiations produce an acceptable offer, you accept, and the case moves to distribution.

When they don’t — or when the statute of limitations is forcing the issue — the firm discusses the option of filing a lawsuit with you. The decision is made jointly, with the firm providing a candid assessment of the likely benefits, costs, timeline, and risks of litigation. Factors considered include the strength of the liability case, the severity of injuries, the available insurance coverage and assets, the carrier’s settlement posture, and your goals and appetite for a longer process.

The two-year statute of limitations under Code of Civil Procedure §335.1 deserves special attention here. In serious cases where treatment is going to extend beyond two years, the firm files a lawsuit to protect the statute and continues to litigate while treatment finishes. This is not a sign that negotiations have failed. It’s a procedural step required to preserve your right to recover while the medical picture continues to develop.

Filing a lawsuit meaningfully changes the character and duration of the case.

A lawsuit introduces formal discovery — written questions called interrogatories, requests for documents, and depositions in which you, the at-fault driver, witnesses, and medical experts are questioned under oath. It introduces motion practice, in which both sides file formal requests for the court to resolve specific issues. It introduces trial scheduling, which is subject to the court’s docket and often set many months out. It also introduces the possibility — usually well before trial — of productive settlement discussions driven by the pressure of an approaching trial date.

Many cases that require filing suit ultimately settle before trial. Litigation is not a commitment to take the case through verdict. It’s the mechanism that forces the carrier to treat the claim seriously when negotiation alone has failed, or that protects your right to recover when the statute of limitations would otherwise expire. When a case does proceed to trial, the firm presents the claim to a judge or jury, and the outcome is determined by the trier of fact.

Representation by a firm that actually tries cases matters at this stage. Carriers know which firms litigate and which firms settle everything short of a lawsuit. The first category gets better offers at every stage because the carrier knows refusing to offer fair value produces real consequences. The second category gets lowball offers because the carrier knows the firm will accept whatever it gets.

Stage Nine: Distribution of the settlement

Once the case resolves — whether through negotiation, mediation, or verdict — the final stage is distribution.

Before any funds reach you, the firm negotiates and resolves all outstanding medical liens. A medical lien is a legal claim against the settlement, asserted by a party with a right to reimbursement from the recovery. The most common lienholders include:

Government programs such as Medi-Cal and Medicare, which have statutory rights to reimbursement for crash-related medical care they paid for on your behalf.

Private health insurance carriers, which typically have contractual rights under your policy to recover what they paid when a settlement is obtained from a third party.

Medical lien providers — the physicians, surgeons, imaging centers, physical therapy providers, and others who treated you on a lien basis during the pendency of the case, deferring payment until resolution. Those liens are resolved here.

Lien negotiation is a substantive part of the firm’s work, and it directly benefits you. Providers and insurers typically accept reduced amounts when the case resolves, because resolution is preferable to protracted collection. The firm negotiates every lien downward where possible, which increases the amount of the settlement that ultimately reaches you. In larger cases, effective lien resolution can add substantial amounts to your net recovery.

Once liens are resolved, the firm prepares a disbursement letter — a written, itemized accounting of how the settlement is being distributed. The disbursement letter details the total settlement amount, the attorney’s fee, all case costs advanced by the firm, every medical lien and its resolved amount, and the final amount payable to you.

The firm then issues your settlement check, and the case is closed.

What your role is at each stage

The work of a personal injury case is divided between the firm and the client, and the division is lopsided on purpose. The firm does the investigation, the records work, the negotiation, the legal strategy, and the litigation if it comes to that. Your role is narrower but essential.

During Stages One and Two, you provide the facts. What happened, who was involved, what insurance exists, what treatment has happened so far, what communication has occurred. You sign the retainer agreement and the limited authorizations. You execute the attorney-client relationship.

During Stages Three and Four, your primary job is to heal. Go to every appointment. Follow your treatment plan. Maintain a recovery journal — a brief daily record of pain levels, activities you couldn’t do, medical visits, missed work, and emotional impact. Tell your case manager promptly if anything changes about your treatment, symptoms, or providers. Do not speak with any insurance company other than through the firm.

During Stages Five and Six, you provide final pieces of documentation the firm needs to close out the case file — additional medical records, updated wage-loss information, anything the firm asks for. You review the demand letter before it goes out.

During Stage Seven, you evaluate settlement offers in discussion with the firm. You make the final decision on whether to accept, counter, or reject any offer.

During Stage Eight (if litigation is filed), you may give a deposition, respond to written discovery questions, and, if the case goes to trial, testify. The firm prepares you thoroughly for any of this.

During Stage Nine, you review and approve the disbursement before the settlement is distributed.

The total work required of you is meaningful but not overwhelming. The firm handles the heavy lifting. Your most important contribution, across the entire case, is consistent medical treatment. Cases where clients treat faithfully and follow through on their care produce better outcomes than cases where they don’t, and the difference isn’t subtle.

Why cases that take longer often settle for more

A pattern worth understanding: cases that resolve quickly tend to resolve for less, and cases that take longer tend to resolve for more. This seems counterintuitive at first, but the explanation is straightforward.

A case that settles in the first few months settles before the full medical picture is known. The claimant hasn’t completed treatment. Future medical needs haven’t been evaluated. The permanence of any impairment isn’t clear. Lost earning capacity hasn’t been analyzed. Non-economic damages — usually the largest part of any serious injury recovery — can’t be meaningfully valued yet.

Cases that settle early are cases where the carrier got a release signed before the claim could mature. The settlements are a fraction of what the cases would have been worth if they’d been allowed to develop.

Cases that take longer are cases where the full picture developed, the full extent of damages became clear, and the demand reflected the actual value of what happened. Those cases settle for more because they’re worth more — and because the work of developing them properly required the time it took.

This is also why any attorney who promises a quick resolution should be regarded with skepticism. Quick resolution usually means low resolution. The attorney’s incentive to close files fast isn’t always aligned with your incentive to recover what the case is actually worth. A firm that is willing to do the slower, more thorough work — including filing suit when the statute requires it — produces meaningfully better outcomes than a firm that chases volume.

The bottom line

Personal injury cases in California move through a defined sequence of stages, from initial consultation through final distribution of the settlement. The stages don’t change. What changes is how long each one takes, based on the severity of injuries, the duration of treatment, available coverage, the carrier’s behavior, and whether litigation becomes necessary.

Cases generally can’t resolve until the claimant has completed treatment or reached maximum medical improvement, because the value of the case isn’t knowable before then. The exception is the low-limits case, where treating beyond what’s needed to obtain the available policy limit only erodes the recovery through additional medical liens. Either way, the strategic question — when to settle, when to file suit, when to keep treating — requires an experienced attorney evaluating the specific facts of the specific case.

If you’re in the middle of a case and want to understand where you are, ask your attorney to walk you through the stages and identify the one you’re in. A firm worth working with will be transparent about the process, honest about what’s slow and what’s moving, and straightforward about what comes next.

If you haven’t retained an attorney yet and want to understand what the process would look like for your specific case, call us at 800-789-8840. Consultations are free. I’ll walk you through the stages, identify the issues specific to your case, and give you an honest assessment of what representation can and can’t do.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a personal injury case take in California?

There’s no standard timeline. How long a case takes depends on the severity of injuries, the duration of medical treatment, the claimant’s response to treatment, available insurance coverage, the number of parties involved, the carrier’s behavior, and whether litigation becomes necessary. Cases generally can’t resolve until the claimant has completed treatment or reached maximum medical improvement.

What is the statute of limitations for a personal injury case in California?

Two years from the date of the injury, under California Code of Civil Procedure §335.1. If the statute expires before either a settlement is reached or a lawsuit is filed, all rights and claims are lost. In serious cases where treatment extends beyond two years, the firm files suit to protect the statute and continues litigating while treatment finishes.

What are the stages of a personal injury case?

Free consultation and case evaluation. Intake and case assignment. Investigation and evidence gathering. Medical treatment and case monitoring. Treatment completion and records compilation. Settlement demand. Negotiations. Resolution or filing suit. Distribution of the settlement. Every personal injury case moves through this sequence, though the time spent in each stage varies substantially.

What is maximum medical improvement?

Maximum medical improvement, or MMI, is the point at which the claimant’s condition is not expected to improve further with additional treatment. Any remaining impairment at that point is considered permanent. Cases are generally not valued or resolved until the claimant has either completed treatment entirely or reached MMI, because the full picture of injuries and their consequences isn’t knowable before then.

What if my treatment takes longer than two years?

When treatment is going to extend beyond California’s two-year statute of limitations, the firm files a lawsuit to protect the statute. This is a procedural step required to preserve your right to recover. The case continues to develop while treatment finishes, and many cases that are filed for statute protection ultimately settle before trial as the medical picture becomes complete.

Why does my case take so long?

Several factors contribute. Medical treatment takes as long as it takes — cases can’t resolve until the medical picture is complete. Investigation and evidence gathering take time to do properly. Records collection from multiple providers is substantial work. Insurance carriers often negotiate slowly. If litigation is required, court scheduling adds months or longer. A case being worked properly is being worked for as long as it takes to produce the actual value the claim is worth.

What if the at-fault driver has low policy limits?

When the available coverage is too low to cover your damages, the strategy changes. You don’t want to treat beyond what’s necessary to obtain the policy limit, because additional treatment past that point only adds medical liens that come out of the same fixed pool of insurance money. Identifying low-limits cases early and managing treatment around the available coverage is part of what an experienced personal injury attorney does.

What is a settlement demand letter?

A comprehensive document that presents the claim to the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier. It lays out the facts of the crash, establishes liability, details the injuries and medical treatment, documents economic and non-economic damages, and requests a specific amount in compensation. The demand letter is submitted after medical treatment is complete or MMI is reached, and it marks the formal start of settlement negotiations.

Do most personal injury cases go to trial?

No. Most personal injury cases resolve through settlement negotiations, either before or after a lawsuit is filed. A small minority actually go to verdict. But representation by a firm willing to litigate matters, because carriers treat cases differently when they know the firm will actually try them when necessary.

What is a medical lien and how does it affect my settlement?

A medical lien is a legal claim against the settlement, asserted by a party with a right to reimbursement from the recovery — most commonly government health programs like Medi-Cal and Medicare, private health insurance carriers, and medical providers who treated on a lien basis during the case. Liens are resolved from the settlement before funds are distributed to the client. The firm negotiates each lien downward where possible, which increases the amount that reaches you.

Can I get money during my case, before it settles?

Generally no — the final recovery comes at settlement or verdict. In the interim, medical treatment is paid through health insurance, medical payments coverage on your auto policy, or treatment on a medical lien. Lost wages during the case may be partially replaced through California State Disability Insurance (SDI), short or long-term disability insurance, or paid leave. Some clients use pre-settlement funding services as a last resort, but these typically carry substantial interest rates and should be considered carefully.

What role does the client have during the case?

The client’s primary responsibilities are providing accurate factual information at the start, following the medical treatment plan consistently, maintaining a recovery journal, communicating with the case manager as issues arise, and making the final decision on any settlement offer. The firm handles the investigation, records work, negotiations, and legal strategy. The division of labor is lopsided on purpose — the client’s most important contribution is consistent medical treatment.

Why do cases that take longer often settle for more?

Because cases can’t be valued until the full medical picture is known, and the full picture only emerges after treatment is complete or MMI is reached. Cases that settle early settle before that point, which means they settle for a fraction of what they’d be worth if allowed to develop. Cases that take the time they need to develop properly reflect the actual value of what happened — and they settle for substantially more as a result.

Talk to a BANA LAW Attorney

Consultations are free, carry no obligation, and are conducted by a BANA LAW attorney — not a screener. We come to you when you can’t come to us: by phone, by video, in person at our Los Angeles office, by appointment in San Bernardino or Fresno, at your home, or at your bedside if you’re hospitalized.

BANA LAW operates on a contingency fee basis. No fees unless we win. No upfront fees. No costs to advance. The firm operates bilingually in English and Spanish, and every member of the team is bilingual.

Call 800-789-8840.