How Long Does It Take To Get a Personal Injury Settlement Check in Portland, OR?

If you’ve been involved in a personal injury accident in Portland, Oregon, you might wonder how long it will take to receive your settlement check. The short answer is that receiving your check will usually take just a few weeks or so, at most, after your case settles. 

However, the amount of time your case will take to settle will depend on many factors, one of which is whether your case makes it to court or trial. This blog post will discuss the general personal injury claims process and factors that could influence how long it takes to receive a settlement check. The aim is to provide you with a better idea of how your case may play out.

The Personal Injury Claims Process

While each personal injury case in Portland will progress differently to some extent – as each is based on a unique set of facts and circumstances – there are some general stages that most cases adhere to. The timeline is:

• Accident Investigation. In this preliminary stage, your lawyer will conduct an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding your personal injury accident. This investigation aims to collect evidence supporting your claim, identify the liable parties, and determine all sources of your damages.
• demand letter. Once the investigation has been completed, your attorney will send a demand letter to that at-fault party or their insurance company. 
• Negotiations. The other party will respond to the letter, and your lawyer will negotiate back and forth with them to arrive at a fair settlement agreement.
• Lawsuit. If the at-fault party does not negotiate in good faith or refuses to arrive at an adequate amount, it might be best to file a lawsuit and bring the case to court.
• Pretrial Processes. Once a lawsuit has been filed, various processes will take place, such as pretrial discovery and preliminary motions.
• Trial. A case can settle all the way up to – and even during – a trial. Trial is usually the last step that a case will go through before it is resolved.

As mentioned, not every case will follow this general pattern. Some types of cases, especially those that involve especially serious situations such as wrongful death, may likely take longer to resolve than others – but that is far from an established rule.

Factors That Can Affect How Long It Takes To Receive Your Settlement Check

There is a wide range of factors that can impact not only how long it takes to receive your check but how long your case takes to settle prior to that point. These factors include, but are not limited to:

• You have yet to reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), as it might be difficult to fully assess the value of your case beforehand.
• Your case entails demanding a high amount of damages. In these instances, the other party will work hard to escape or reduce their liability.
• Your case entails filing a lawsuit. Cases that make it to court will take longer to resolve than cases that don’t. The same can be said for cases that make it all the way to trial. However, remember that a case can settle at any point in the process. In addition, it is sometimes in your best interest to file a lawsuit in order to receive an adequate settlement amount.

Once your case settles, a few relatively quick steps must take place before the settlement check is in your hands. The check must first be exchanged between the insurance company and your attorney. Your lawyer will then place the check into an escrow account and deduct any applicable fees (these fees, if any, will be discussed ahead of time). From there, your lawyer will send you your check.

A Portland Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

It’s completely understandable to consider the amount of time it will take to get your settlement check after your Portland personal injury case is resolved. The best way to know is to ask your attorney upfront about how you can track the status of your check. A good personal injury lawyer should keep you apprised of your case’s status at all times, and that includes the status of your settlement check.

Contact Our Personal Injury Attorneys in Portland, OR

If you were injured in an accident in Portland, OR, please contact our Portland personal injury lawyers at Tillmann Law to schedule a free consultation today.

Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers
101 SW Main St. #1905
Portland, OR, 97204
(503) 272-8986
Open 24/7