Your car accident settlement is taking so long for a number of potential reasons, from lengthy investigations and in-depth negotiations to comprehensive medical evaluations and potential disputes over liability or damages. Collision settlements simply aren’t always fast-paced.
However, perhaps you have been waiting longer than you expected, and you’re eager to find out when you can expect to receive your car accident settlement. In that case, you have every right to seek answers to your question. A Kansas City car accident lawyer can help you understand what’s going on.
Your attorney will understand that delays related to your claim resolution can cause frustration and create a lot of uncertainty, but there’s hope. The process of settling a car accident claim can be slower than preferred, but your lawyer can look into the reasons behind the delay.
Medical Treatment and the Need for a Full Picture
“Why is my car accident settlement taking so long?” is a question commonly asked by people who are waiting to receive monetary compensation following a collision that left them injured. A very frequent reason claims take time is that the injuries are not yet fully declared.
This is important because insurance companies often want to receive a complete record of your treatment. With this information, they can understand the extent of your pain as well as whether or not future care, lost wages, or permanent impairment are involved.
That often means waiting until you finish physical therapy, consult with healthcare professionals, or undergo surgical procedures. If your doctor has to continue treating you for months after the crash, you might end up waiting even longer before you can expect to receive any money.
Document Collection and Medical Records
Paperwork goes hand-in-hand with medical treatment. The medical professionals who work at hospitals and clinics alike often generate records more slowly than the average person may realize. From there, billing offices can take weeks to post final charges as well.
Insurers often request detailed records to verify the causation and reasonableness of charges. Plus, when records are incomplete or providers bill late, adjusters might delay offers until they have the full file in their possession.
Missouri’s hospital-lien statute and federal rules for Medicare conditional payments mean accurate documentation is a must. This is because providers and government programs have formal procedures for asserting repayment rights.
Contact our Kansas city personal injury lawyers now.
Liability Disputes and Comparative Fault
Disagreements about who caused the crash are often a major source of delays. According to Revised Statutes of Missouri § 537.765, Missouri follows a pure comparative-fault system. That means fault can be divided between parties, and the claimant’s percentage of fault will then reduce their award amount.
When liability is contested, insurers often wait for additional investigation—police reports, scene reconstruction, witness interviews, or surveillance—before making a firm offer. That process can take weeks if not months, depending on the details of your situation.
Insurance Procedures, Regulatory Windows, and Approvals
Insurers have both internal workflows and regulatory expectations. Missouri practice commonly calls for quick acknowledgement of claims and initial requests for information.
However, a full investigation and final decision can take longer, especially in terms of files that raise coverage questions or require managerial sign-offs before proceeding.
Carriers may open reserves, issue initial offers, or request additional proof. Either way, each of these procedural steps lengthens the waiting period while evidence is collected and approvals are obtained.
Policy Limits, Multiple Insurers, and Coverage Disputes
If the at–fault driver’s limits won’t cover your losses, negotiations may involve multiple insurers. These often include the at-fault carrier, your uninsured/underinsured motorist carrier, and excess insurers.
Coverage disputes—over which policy responds first, whether a policy was in effect, or whether certain damages are covered—require coverage reviews and sometimes declaratory litigation. Each added party and argument lengthens the timeline as carriers allocate responsibility.
All in all, your car accident settlement may be taking so long for several other reasons as well, such as if it:
- Involves federal programs like Medicare
- Is based on the structure of your settlement
- Pertains to cases involving minors
- Involves beneficiaries receiving public benefits
- Calls for additional procedural work and scheduling
- Requires multiple levels of review
- Contains claims of bad-faith behaviors
- Involves an insurer who’s behaving unreasonably
- Bills providers who are unrelated to the crash
- Calls for professionals to estimate future costs
- Involves back-and-forth communication among providers
What Usually Causes the Longest Delays?
A few items, including the following, account for a disproportionate share of delays:
- Unresolved medical obligations
- Government recovery interests
- Contested liability or coverage disputes
These can all make insurer decision-makers hesitate when it comes to agreeing to a resolution. That’s why it’s important to address any outstanding liens and conditional-payment obligations early on in the process.
If you can obtain clear records on causation, you can dramatically shorten the time from the agreement to the payout as well.
Reach Out to Foster Wallace for More Information About Why Your Car Accident Settlement Is Taking So Long
Even though it may seem as though your car accident settlement is taking so long, a slow settlement rarely means you’ve been forgotten. In many cases, it usually just indicates that multiple parties are collaborating on the settlement resolution process.
That said, if you’re waiting on your settlement and you find yourself becoming increasingly frustrated by how delayed your payment seems to be, you don’t have to face the uncertainty all by yourself. You deserve answers, and a Kansas City car accident attorney can assist you.
Settling a claim is a process that can disrupt your peace of mind, but Foster Wallace Personal Injury Lawyers can help. Our attorneys have more than 45 years of experience recovering over $1 billion in compensation. Let’s explore when you can expect to receive your settlement.
