Legal costs and timelines, in plain numbers. Not a law firm.
The checklist with deadlines
What to Do After a Car Accident
Every figure sourced and dated. Updated 2026-09-01.
The steps are simple; the deadlines are not obvious. Document the scene, get examined even if you feel fine, and notify your insurer promptly: carriers generally must acknowledge and open the investigation within 15 days. Injury-suit deadlines commonly run two years, but some states are shorter, so the clock question is a day-one question.
What the timeline looks like
Property damage typically pays in 30 to 45 days; bodily-injury claims run 2 to 6 months. Minor-to-moderate injury cases with clear liability generally resolve at $15,000 to $30,000. Back to Car Accidents.
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30 to 45 days: RateAuthority 2026: straightforward property-damage claims, notice to payment (published estimate, retrieved 2026-09-01).
2 to 6 months: RateAuthority 2026: bodily-injury claims, treatment and negotiation (published estimate, retrieved 2026-09-01).
two years: Rothenberg Law 2026: common injury-suit deadline (shorter in some states, e.g. one year in Tennessee) (published estimate, retrieved 2026-09-01).
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