How Long Does a Colorado Car Accident Case Really Take?

The first 48 hours after a crash involve police reports, initial medical evaluation, and evidence preservation. Over the next 1 to 6 months, you focus on medical treatment while your attorney collects records and monitors your recovery. Once treatment is complete or has reached maximum medical improvement, your attorney spends 2 to 4 weeks assembling the demand package. Negotiations typically take 1 to 3 months of back-and-forth with the insurance company. If a settlement is reached, the payout process takes another 2 to 6 weeks for lien resolution and check disbursement.

These timelines are averages. A soft tissue case with clear liability might resolve in 4 to 6 months. A case involving surgery, multiple defendants, or disputed fault can easily stretch to 2 years or more, especially if litigation becomes necessary. The point is not that every case takes a year, but that expecting resolution in a few weeks is unrealistic for any case involving meaningful injuries.

Insurance adjusters are trained to settle claims as early as possible, and there is a reason for that: early settlements are often cheaper for the insurance company. If you settle before treatment is complete, you cannot include future medical costs you do not yet know about. If you settle before reaching maximum medical improvement, you may be undervaluing permanent limitations or chronic pain. Once you sign a release, you generally cannot go back and ask for more money even if your condition worsens.

Illustrative examples often show that settling before treatment is complete can produce materially lower outcomes than settling after the full course of care is documented. This is not guaranteed in every case, but accepting early can cap recovery before future costs are known.

The financial pressure of waiting is real. Medical bills arrive monthly, you may have lost income, and the uncertainty is stressful. There are practical steps to manage this. Your health insurance can cover treatment and be reimbursed from the settlement later. Some medical providers accept letters of protection, agreeing to wait for payment until the case resolves. Medical payment coverage on your auto policy can cover immediate bills regardless of fault.

It helps to separate the financial management problem from the legal timeline problem. Your lawyer handles the legal timeline. You may need to work with a financial advisor, your health insurer, or your medical providers to manage the financial pressure independently. This is not ideal, but trying to solve financial stress by accepting a premature settlement usually makes the long-term financial picture worse, not better.