Many clients want to know how long a personal injury case will last. There is no single timeline that fits every file. How long a personal injury case takes in Louisiana depends on your injuries, your medical treatment, the evidence that must be collected, the insurance coverage in play, and whether a fair settlement occurs before or after a lawsuit is filed.
This article explains the main stages of a case, the factors that influence timing, and what you can do to keep your claim moving.
Key factors that affect your case timeline
Several recurring factors have a direct impact on how long a personal injury case takes in Louisiana:
-
Severity of your injuries and length of medical treatment
-
Speed of medical record and billing production
-
Number of at-fault parties and insurers involved
-
Disputes over fault or prior conditions
-
Court schedules if a lawsuit is filed
A lawyer who is being candid about timing will focus less on giving you a fixed number of months on day one and more on explaining how these factors apply to your situation.
Stage 1: Medical treatment
Your health drives the early part of the timeline. After a wreck or other incident, you should:
-
Seek prompt medical attention
-
Follow up with specialists when referred
-
Attend physical therapy or other prescribed treatment
-
Continue care until your doctors say you have reached maximum medical improvement or a stable point
Settling a case while treatment is still in flux carries real risk. If you resolve the claim before doctors have a clear picture of your long-term needs, there may be no way to recover fair money for later procedures, ongoing pain, or permanent limits.
Shorter courses of conservative care usually mean a shorter medical stage. Surgery, injections, and long-term rehab extend this stage and delay any serious discussion of settlement.
Stage 2: Collecting records, bills, and proof
Once treatment has progressed to a more stable point, your legal team begins to assemble the documentation that supports the claim:
-
Medical records and imaging reports
-
Itemized medical bills
-
Pharmacy costs, travel expenses, and other out-of-pocket loss
-
Wage records and documentation of time missed from work
-
Police reports, photographs, and any available video
-
Witness statements if available
This step is often slower than clients expect. Hospitals, imaging centers, and clinics each have their own release processes. Employers may require reminders before they provide wage information. A well-managed file stays in contact with these offices, tracks what has arrived, and flags any missing items that could give an insurer grounds to delay.
Stage 3: Demand and settlement negotiations
When the facts and documentation are in place, your lawyer can prepare a demand to the insurance company. A typical demand package sets out:
-
How the collision or incident occurred
-
Why the law places responsibility on the other party or parties
-
A summary of your medical treatment and diagnoses
-
A breakdown of medical bills and economic loss
-
A description of how the injuries have affected your daily life and work
The insurer reviews the demand and responds with an initial offer. Negotiation can involve multiple rounds of offers and counteroffers. Some cases resolve entirely in this stage, especially where fault is clear, injuries are well documented, and coverage is sufficient.
When an insurer refuses to move from an unreasonably low range, the next step is filing suit.
Stage 4: Filing a lawsuit
Filing a lawsuit is a strategic step, not a guarantee of a jury trial. Once a case is filed:
-
The matter is assigned to a court and judge
-
Deadlines apply to both sides for exchanging information
-
Written discovery and depositions occur
-
The court may order mediation or a settlement conference
Many personal injury cases in Louisiana still settle after suit is filed. Some insurers only take a claim seriously once it is in litigation and they can see that the client and counsel are prepared to go beyond the claims stage.
Filing suit will extend the overall timeline compared to a case that settles pre-suit, but in some matters it is the only way to pursue fair value.
Stage 5: Discovery, mediation, and trial settings
After suit is filed, the case enters discovery and pre-trial practice. Common steps include:
-
Written interrogatories and requests for documents
-
Depositions of the parties, fact witnesses, and sometimes medical providers
-
Independent medical examinations in certain cases
-
Mediation with a neutral third party
-
Pre-trial conferences and, if needed, a jury or bench trial
Court calendars have a significant impact on timing. Each parish has its own docket speed. Trial settings and hearing dates depend on how crowded the schedule is and whether there are older cases that take priority.
Most files resolve at some point along this path, often after depositions or mediation, when both sides have a clearer picture of risk.
Example timelines in practice
No two cases are identical, but some general patterns recur.
Shorter timelines
-
Clear liability
-
Soft tissue injuries
-
A few months of conservative treatment
-
Single liability carrier with no serious coverage questions
These matters may resolve within the claims stage once treatment ends and records and bills arrive.
Moderate timelines
-
Fractures, torn ligaments, or similar injuries
-
Several months or more of treatment and rehabilitation
-
Documented wage loss
-
Questions about prior conditions or the extent of injury
Here, the medical picture takes longer to develop. The lawyer may wait for clear opinions on future care and potential permanency, and suit becomes more likely if the insurer contests value.
Longer timelines
-
Serious injuries or surgery
-
Ongoing pain management or permanent restrictions
-
Multiple defendants or commercial insurance policies
-
Disputes over fault and complex causation issues
These cases usually stay open longer, involve more expert work, and are more likely to be filed and litigated before resolution.
These examples are not promises. They are frameworks to help you understand why two files that look similar from the outside can have very different timelines.
Deadlines in Louisiana
Louisiana uses filing deadlines known as prescriptive periods. Recent changes in state law mean the time limit now depends on both the type of claim and when the incident occurred.
For many negligence-based personal injury claims arising from accidents on or after 1 July 2024, the general rule is a two-year time limit to file suit, counted from the date the injury is sustained. Other categories still follow different timelines. Wrongful death and survival actions, medical malpractice claims, some product cases, and certain matters tied to older incidents can have one-year or other special deadlines.
Inzina’s own material stresses the main practical point: if the applicable deadline passes, your claim can be dismissed, even if the underlying facts are strong. The safer course is to speak with counsel well before any possible cutoff date rather than waiting until you think treatment is finished.
Because these rules are technical and have recently been updated, any online summary should be treated as general guidance. You should get case-specific advice on which prescriptive period applies to your situation.
What you can do to support a steady timeline
There are parts of the process you cannot control, such as court calendars and an insurer’s internal pace. There are also concrete steps you can take to keep your case on track:
-
Attend all scheduled medical appointments
-
Follow your providers’ recommendations and referrals
-
Make sure your doctors know that your symptoms began with the accident or incident
-
Save and forward all medical bills and insurance letters to your lawyer
-
Inform your legal team promptly about any change in address, phone number, or medical providers
These actions protect your health and strengthen the record. A concise, well-documented file is easier to move and harder for an insurer to discount.
How Inzina Law approaches timing with clients
For an injured person, a personal injury case is not just a legal file; it is months or years of appointments, bills, and uncertainty. A personal injury lawyer in Louisiana should be clear about both process and timing.
When Inzina Law evaluates a case, the team:
-
Reviews the facts, injuries, and coverage with an eye toward likely timelines
-
Explains where the case sits in the process and what comes next
-
Discusses whether early settlement is realistic or whether a longer path is more likely
-
Revisits those assessments as new information arrives, including medical updates or coverage discoveries
The goal is to give you a realistic picture of how long your personal injury case may take in Louisiana, rather than a guess made on the first phone call.
Talk with a lawyer about your specific timeline
No online article can replace case-specific advice. The best way to understand the likely timeline for your situation is to speak with a lawyer who handles these matters in Louisiana.
For a clear assessment of your case and an honest discussion about timing, you can contact Inzina Law for a Free Case Evaluation. The team will review what happened, your injuries and treatment to date, the coverage that may apply, and then outline both the expected process and the range of possible timelines.
Disclaimer
General information only. Not legal advice. Reading this site or contacting Inzina Law does not create an attorney-client relationship. Do not send confidential information until representation is confirmed. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.