When do settlement negotiations begin?

Usually, about six to eight months after the accident.  When your doctor has determined that you have healed as well as you will ever heal (usually about six to eight months after treatment begins), your doctor (not you or your relatives) will discharge you from medical care.  That discharge ends the medical treatment portion of your injury case. After your doctor discharges you, (if you qualify) the legal portion of your injury case can begin for the very first time (usually about six to eight months after treatment begins).  Except for gathering evidence of fault and doing any legal research in support of your case, we do not begin any legal work towards the settlement of your injury case, until your doctor actually discharges you from medical care. (This is because you will not have an injury "case" to settle until then, and because no one has any idea how much your injury case is really worth until then anyway. So, there is nothing for anyone to do towards the settlement of your potential case until then.)  Once your doctor discharges you and provides us with the final special medical report, we send it to the other side.  Settlement negotiations begin about 30 days later after the other side has a chance to review and "evaluate" your file.