How long does a car accident settlement take?

Short answer: It depends on the injury. Property-damage and minor-injury claims often settle within a few months. Injury claims usually should not settle until you finish treatment or reach maximum medical improvement, and cases that go to lawsuit commonly take a year or more.

  • Treatment phase: the claim’s value is not known until doctors can say what care you will need.
  • Demand and negotiation: once records are gathered, a demand goes to the insurer and offers go back and forth.
  • Lawsuit: if talks stall, a suit is filed before the deadline, followed by discovery, mediation and possibly trial.
  • After agreement: releases are signed and liens are resolved before money is paid out.

What slows things down: disputed fault, low policy limits, multiple insurers and missing medical records. Motor vehicle lawsuits are becoming more common; Triple-I and the Casualty Actuarial Society found filings rose from 2015 to 2024 in both no-fault and fault-based states.

Read the car accident lawsuit guide or start a free, confidential case review.

SourcesTort filings analysisTriple-I / CASAuto insurance factsTriple-I

Checked against primary sources on November 13, 2026 by Mason Arnao. This is general information, not legal advice. Related: Car accident filing deadlines.

Insurance and filing deadlines are short

Most states allow two or three years to file an injury lawsuit, and insurers and no-fault PIP require notice much sooner. Florida allows two years for negligence actions. Fla. Stat. 95.11

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Mason Arnao

About Mason Arnao

Mason David Arnao Mason David Arnao is an American entrepreneur, software engineer, and business executive based in Stuart, Florida. His career spans more than two decades in technology, automation, and lead generation systems. Arnao began his professional journey in the late 1990s as a computer technician for the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was responsible for linking scoreboards, officials’ laptops, and stat monitors to broadcast networks. His technical precision and systems knowledge led him to join Professional Hospital Supply as a software engineer. There, he developed applications that improved data flow between medical suppliers and healthcare institutions, solidifying his foundation in enterprise-grade software development. By the early 2000's, Arnao advanced into web and SaaS infrastructure through Website Buddy LLC, a Florida-based development firm focused on building web tools for small businesses and online marketers. The experience refined his understanding of user-driven software and scalable online systems. In 2013, Arnao founded Waypoint Software, LLC, headquartered in Stuart, Florida. As President and Managing Partner, he built the company into a recognized provider of lead generation and real-time lead distribution technology. Waypoint’s software automates the acquisition, validation, and routing of consumer inquiries for marketing firms and data aggregators worldwide. The company serves hundreds of clients and is listed by the Better Business Bureau under “Sales Lead Generation.” Through Waypoint Software, Arnao has become a notable figure in the digital lead industry, combining technical engineering with automation strategy. His focus on system reliability, transparent data flow, and scalable integrations continues to position Waypoint as an industry leader in real-time lead management solutions.