Why is my claim taking so long?

Please note: This advice is for our serious injury clients. For more information around your claims journey, please visit our help and advice centre.
This is one of the most frequently asked questions of those handling personal injury claims.
There is a common misunderstanding about personal injury claims that compensation payments will be made shortly after an accident. When in fact, depending on the complexity of the claim, it can take make years to bring a claim to a conclusion. Whilst Minster Law will try to bring a claim to a conclusion as quickly as possible, it is important that any cases are investigated fully to ensure a client gets the compensation they are entitled to.
Personal injury claims must follow the legal process, which means there are certain time limits set out within the civil procedure rules and certain evidence needs to be in place before offers can take place.
Timeframes and actions in a claim
To prove causation, you will need medical evidence from a medical expert who will be instructed by your solicitor.
Before this can be done, a full set of your medical records will need to be obtained, because the medical expert will need to see whether you have any pre-existing conditions that may affect their opinion.
Whilst a GP surgery and hospital should provide copies of your records within one month of request, this can often take longer because of administrative delays, or if you are about to receive or are receiving treatment.
In addition, it will be how soon the expert can provide an appointment. It is important that the right expert is instructed on your claim, and this may mean a longer waiting time for appointments.
It may be the case that the experts recommend further investigations such as x-rays, CT or MRI scans before they can provide an opinion. These can take time to arrange on behalf of clients.
All medical evidence must be complete so that your solicitor can value your claim. Any valuation will depend on what symptoms are attributable to the accident, how long you have suffered with those symptoms for, or how long you are likely to suffer from your symptoms.
Minster Law’s preference is to reach an agreement with the defendant’s insurers to avoid the need for court, but if it’s not possible to do so then issuing court proceedings may be the only way forward. Most claims do not go to trial and settle beforehand.
The timetable set by the court will deal with the following:
It is difficult therefore to estimate how long a case will take because there are so many stages, and each case and client must be treated individually, with respect and attention before a successful claim can be brought. Minster Law works hard to ensure all claims it deals with are settled in the minimum amount of time, dependent obviously, on the nature of the claim and the injuries involved.
You can take a look at our serious injury claims journey and frequently asked questions for more information.