If you’ve been hurt in an accident in Arkansas, one of your first questions is probably about timing.
Understanding how long it takes to receive compensation for a personal injury claim helps you plan for medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses while your case moves forward.
The answer depends on several factors, from the severity of your injuries to how insurance companies respond to your claim.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about the timing of your personal injury claim, what can affect it and how to potentially reduce the timeline.
Timeline for Personal Injury Compensation in Arkansas
The time it takes to receive compensation for a personal injury in Arkansas typically ranges from a few months to several years.
Most straightforward cases settle within six to twelve months, but complex cases involving serious injuries or disputed liability can take eighteen months to three years or longer.
Every case moves at its own pace based on specific circumstances, the insurance companies involved, and whether the case goes to trial.
Initial Case Setup and Investigation
The first phase of your personal injury claim begins as soon as you contact a law firm.
At Shamieh Law, we get started fast and don’t wait around to begin working on your case.
This initial investigation period usually takes one to three months and involves gathering police reports, medical records, witness statements, and other evidence.
We use cutting-edge technology to analyze evidence quickly, which helps us get you answers faster than traditional methods.
During this phase, your attorney will also communicate with insurance companies and let them know you have legal representation.
Insurance adjusters often try to contact injured people directly to get recorded statements or push for quick, low settlements before victims understand the full extent of their injuries.
Treatment and Recovery Period
Your medical treatment timeline has a major impact on how long your case takes.
Arkansas law allows you to seek compensation for all your injury-related medical expenses, but you need to reach what doctors call “maximum medical improvement” before settling your case.
This means you’ve either fully recovered or reached a point where your condition has stabilized and doctors can accurately predict any future medical needs.
The treatment period varies widely depending on your injuries.
A simple broken bone might heal in two to three months, while spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or severe burns could require a year or more of treatment and rehabilitation.
Your attorney will work with your medical providers to understand your prognosis and ensure that any settlement accounts for future medical expenses.
Demand and Negotiation Phase
Once you finish medical treatment, your attorney will prepare a demand letter that outlines your injuries, medical expenses, lost income, and other damages.
The insurance company typically has thirty to sixty days to respond, though Arkansas law doesn’t impose a strict deadline for settlement negotiations.
This negotiation phase usually takes two to six months as your attorney and the insurance adjuster go back and forth on the value of your claim.
Insurance companies in Arkansas often use tactics to delay or reduce payouts.
They might question the severity of your injuries, claim that you share fault for the accident, or argue that some of your medical treatment was unnecessary.
Recent changes to Arkansas law in 2025 have given insurance companies additional arguments to reduce compensation, particularly regarding how medical bills are calculated.
Some cases settle quickly during negotiations if liability is clear and the insurance company makes a reasonable offer.
Litigation Timeline if Settlement Fails
If negotiations don’t result in a fair settlement, your case moves into litigation.
Filing a lawsuit doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go to trial, as many cases still settle during the litigation process.
However, lawsuits add significant time to your case.
From filing the complaint to getting a trial date in Arkansas typically takes twelve to twenty-four months, and complex cases can take even longer.
The litigation process includes several phases.
Discovery is where both sides exchange information, take depositions, and gather evidence.
This phase alone can take six to twelve months.
After discovery, there are often pre-trial motions and court hearings that can extend the timeline.
Mediation and Arbitration as Alternatives
Many Arkansas cases go through mediation or arbitration before trial.
Mediation involves a neutral third party who helps both sides negotiate toward a settlement.
These alternative dispute resolution methods typically take a few hours to a full day and often succeed in resolving cases that seemed stuck in negotiation.
If your case actually goes to trial, the trial itself might last anywhere from a few days to several weeks depending on complexity.
After a verdict, there can be additional appeals that add more months or even years to the process.
At Shamieh Law, we prepare every case as if it will go to trial, even though most settle.
Insurance companies make better offers when they know you’re serious about going to court if necessary.
Factors That Affect How Long Your Case Takes
Several specific factors influence how quickly you receive compensation for your Arkansas personal injury claim.
Understanding these factors helps set realistic expectations about your case timeline.
Severity of Your Injuries
Minor injuries that heal completely within a few weeks or months lead to faster case resolutions.
Soft tissue injuries, minor fractures, and sprains typically resolve within three to six months from the accident date.
However, catastrophic injuries like spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, severe burns, or amputations require extensive treatment and can easily take two years or longer because doctors need time to determine the full extent of permanent disabilities and future care needs.
Liability Disputes
Cases where fault is clear move much faster than cases with disputed liability.
If you were rear-ended at a stoplight or hit by a drunk driver, the insurance company has little room to argue about who caused the accident.
However, if the at-fault party claims you share some responsibility for the accident, the case takes longer to resolve.
Arkansas follows a modified comparative fault rule, which means you can still recover compensation even if you were partially at fault, as long as you weren’t more than 50 percent responsible.
Insurance companies often try to shift blame onto injury victims to reduce their payout, which requires thorough investigation and adds time to your case.
Insurance Company Tactics
Some insurance companies drag out claims to pressure injured people into accepting low settlements.
They might request the same documents multiple times, schedule independent medical examinations, or simply take weeks to respond to communications.
The type of insurance policy also matters.
Large commercial insurance policies for trucking companies often involve more complex coverage issues and additional investigation, which extends the timeline.
Arkansas’s Statute of Limitations
Arkansas law gives injury victims three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit.
This deadline is strict, and missing it means losing your right to compensation entirely.
While three years might seem like plenty of time, waiting too long creates problems as evidence disappears and witnesses forget details.
Insurance companies also take you less seriously if you wait years to file a claim.
How Arkansas Law Changes Impact Your Timeline
Recent legal changes in Arkansas have created new complications that can affect how long injury cases take and how much compensation victims receive.
The 2025 Tort Reform Impact
Arkansas passed significant tort reform legislation in 2025 through House Bill 1204, also known as Act 28, which went into effect in August 2025.
This law eliminated Arkansas’s collateral source rule, fundamentally changing how medical expenses are calculated in injury cases.
Under the old rule, injury victims could recover the full amount of their medical bills regardless of insurance write-offs or discounts.
Now, you can only recover the amount actually paid to medical providers, which is often significantly less than the billed amount.
This change affects case timelines because it adds complexity to damages calculations and gives insurance companies new arguments to reduce settlements.
Collateral Source Rule Elimination Effects
The elimination of the collateral source rule particularly impacts cases where injury victims have health insurance or receive care through Medicare or Medicaid.
Hospital bills of $100,000 might get reduced to $30,000 after insurance adjustments, and under the new law, you can only claim the $30,000.
Insurance companies now have more reason to fight claims and push for litigation, which extends case timelines.
Ways to Help Move Your Case Forward
While you can’t control everything about your case timeline, you can take specific steps to avoid unnecessary delays.
Finishing Medical Treatment
The single most important thing you can do to move your case forward is to follow your doctor’s treatment plan completely.
Attend all appointments, follow up with specialists, complete physical therapy, and take prescribed medications.
Insurance companies look for gaps in medical treatment to argue that your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim.
If you’re having trouble affording medical treatment, let your attorney know immediately.
Many medical providers will treat injury victims on a lien basis, meaning they agree to wait for payment until your case settles.
Documenting Everything
Keep detailed records of everything related to your injury and how it affects your life.
Save all medical bills, prescription receipts, and wage loss statements.
Take photos of your injuries as they heal.
This documentation helps your attorney build a stronger case and respond quickly when insurance companies request information.
Staying in Communication
Return your attorney’s calls and emails promptly, and let them know right away if your contact information changes.
Cases can stall for weeks if your attorney is waiting for information from you or can’t reach you to discuss settlement offers.
Also, be honest with your attorney about everything related to your case, including previous injuries or conversations with insurance companies before hiring a law firm.
When Settlements Happen Faster
Certain types of cases tend to resolve more quickly than others, though every case is unique.
Clear Liability Cases
Rear-end collisions, accidents where the other driver was clearly breaking the law, and incidents with strong witness testimony supporting your version of events typically settle faster.
When the insurance company knows their insured was at fault, they focus on negotiating the amount of compensation rather than fighting about liability.
Cases with dash cam footage, security camera video, or other clear evidence also move more quickly because there’s less to dispute.
Minor to Moderate Injuries
Cases involving injuries that heal completely within a few months often settle within six to nine months of the accident.
If you had a broken arm that healed properly, whiplash that resolved with physical therapy, or a concussion without long-term effects, the insurance company can evaluate your damages relatively quickly once treatment ends.
However, don’t confuse a faster settlement with a better settlement, as some injuries that seem minor initially lead to chronic pain or other long-term problems.
Strong Insurance Coverage
Cases where the at-fault party has adequate insurance coverage tend to settle more smoothly than cases with coverage issues.
If the defendant has a $500,000 policy and your damages are clearly under that amount, the insurance company focuses on negotiating a fair settlement within policy limits.
Cases with low insurance limits are more complicated and require exploring other sources of compensation like underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy.
When Cases Take Longer
Other factors can significantly extend how long it takes to receive compensation for your Arkansas personal injury claim.
Severe or Permanent Injuries
Catastrophic injuries that result in permanent disability, disfigurement, or chronic pain require extensive documentation and testimony from medical professionals.
Your attorney will likely consult with life care planners who calculate the cost of future medical treatment, home modifications, assistive devices, and ongoing care needs.
Cases involving paralysis, amputation, traumatic brain injuries, or severe burns often take two to three years or longer to resolve.
You can’t rush the process because settling before understanding your future needs leaves you without adequate compensation for decades of ongoing expenses.
Multiple Parties Involved
Accidents involving multiple at-fault parties complicate the timeline significantly.
Truck accidents often involve the driver, the trucking company, the cargo loader, the maintenance company, and vehicle manufacturers.
Each party has their own insurance company and attorney, and they often fight among themselves about who bears what percentage of fault.
These cases require more investigation to identify all potentially liable parties and more negotiation to reach settlements with multiple insurance companies.
Low Insurance Limits
Arkansas requires drivers to carry minimum liability insurance of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
These limits are far too low to cover serious injuries.
If the at-fault driver only has minimum coverage and your medical bills alone are $100,000, your attorney will investigate whether there are other sources of compensation, including your own underinsured motorist coverage.
Low limits cases often involve multiple claims and negotiations with different insurance companies, with each separate claim having its own timeline.
The Difference Between Settlement and Trial
Understanding the distinction between settling your case and taking it to trial helps explain why some cases resolve quickly while others take years.
Settlement Process
Settlements happen when you and the insurance company agree on an amount that fairly compensates you for your injuries without going to court.
Roughly 95 percent of personal injury cases settle before trial.
Settlements give you more control over the outcome and avoid the uncertainty of what a jury might decide, plus you get your money faster.
However, settlements require compromise, and you’ll sign a release giving up your right to pursue additional compensation later.
Trial Process
Trials become necessary when the insurance company refuses to make a reasonable settlement offer.
At trial, a jury hears evidence from both sides and decides who was at fault and how much compensation you deserve.
Trials can result in higher awards than settlement offers, but they also carry risk as juries are unpredictable.
Trials also take significant time, typically adding twelve to eighteen months or more to your case.
At Shamieh Law, we prepare every case as if it will go to trial, even though most settle.
We won’t recommend trial unless it’s in your best interest, but we’re ready to fight for you in court if that’s what it takes to get fair compensation.
Why Waiting Can Be Worth It
Many injury victims feel pressure to settle quickly because they need money for bills, but patience often results in significantly better outcomes.
Understanding Full Damages
Accepting the first settlement offer from an insurance company almost always means leaving money on the table.
Initial offers rarely account for all your damages, including future medical expenses, permanent disability, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering.
Taking time to calculate your complete damages ensures you don’t settle for less than you need.
Medical professionals need time to determine whether you’ll have permanent limitations or require future surgeries, and rushing through these calculations to get a check faster can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.
Future Medical Needs
Some injuries require ongoing medical care for years or even a lifetime.
Traumatic brain injuries might require cognitive therapy indefinitely, while spinal cord injuries often require home modifications, specialized vehicles, and personal care assistants.
Arkansas law doesn’t allow you to come back later and ask for more money if your injuries turn out to be worse than expected.
Once you sign a settlement release, you give up all future claims related to the accident, which makes it critical to wait until doctors can accurately predict your future medical needs.
Getting Your Money After Settlement
Many people assume that once they agree to a settlement, they’ll receive their money right away.
However, several additional steps happen between reaching an agreement and actually having a check in your hands.
Understanding this final phase of the process helps set realistic expectations about when you’ll receive your funds.
The Settlement Check Process
After you and the insurance company agree on a settlement amount, you’ll need to sign a settlement agreement and release form.
Never sign this document without having your attorney review every detail to ensure it matches what you agreed to.
Once you sign the release, the insurance company typically has about thirty days to issue the settlement check.
The check doesn’t come directly to you but instead goes to your attorney and is deposited into a special client trust account.
Banks usually take several days for the check to clear before the disbursement process can begin.
Understanding Disbursement and Deductions
Once the settlement check clears, your attorney prepares a detailed disbursement statement showing exactly where every dollar goes.
The typical deductions from your gross settlement include attorney fees (usually around one-third for cases that settle before trial), case expenses (costs for obtaining medical records, hiring professionals, depositions, and court filing fees), and medical liens.
At Shamieh Law, we advance all case costs upfront so you never have to pay anything out of pocket while your case is ongoing.
Medical Liens and How They Delay Payment
Medical liens are one of the most complex parts of settlement disbursement and often cause significant delays.
A lien is a legal claim that a healthcare provider or insurance company has on your settlement funds as repayment for medical treatment you received.
Common lienholders in Arkansas include hospitals, doctors, health insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Your attorney must identify all valid liens and satisfy them before disbursing money to you, and will work to negotiate these amounts down whenever possible.
Medicare and Medicaid liens can be particularly time-consuming because these government programs must finalize their lien amounts, which can add weeks or months to the disbursement timeline.
Arkansas’s Made Whole Doctrine
Arkansas follows the “Made Whole” doctrine, which provides important protection for injury victims dealing with health insurance subrogation claims.
Under this doctrine, your health insurance company cannot recover money from your settlement until you have been “made whole” for all your losses.
For example, if your total damages are $200,000 but you can only recover $50,000 due to low insurance limits, your health insurance company’s claim for reimbursement should be reduced or denied entirely.
This protection doesn’t typically apply to Medicare or Medicaid liens, which operate under different federal rules.
Structured Settlements Versus Lump Sum Payments
Most personal injury settlements in Arkansas are paid as a single lump sum, but structured settlements provide another option where you receive compensation in multiple payments spread out over time.
Structured settlements make sense for catastrophic injuries requiring ongoing medical care, when the injury victim is a minor, or when there are concerns about managing a large financial windfall.
Arkansas law requires court approval for settlements involving children, and courts frequently order that settlement funds be placed into a structured settlement or trust.
The downside of structured settlements is inflexibility, as you generally can’t change the payment schedule or access a lump sum if an emergency arises.
How Long Until You Actually Receive Your Check
From the time you sign the settlement release to when you receive your final check typically takes about thirty to sixty days, though this timeline varies based on several factors.
If Medicare or Medicaid liens are involved, the process can take significantly longer.
Your attorney will provide regular updates during this final stage and can give you a reasonable estimate of when to expect your check.
Special Rules for Minor Settlements
Settlements involving injured minors follow different procedures in Arkansas that add time to the disbursement process.
Arkansas law requires court approval for any settlement involving a child under age eighteen.
The court approval process requires filing a petition, scheduling a hearing, and having a judge review the settlement terms, which typically adds at least thirty to sixty days to the timeline.
Courts often require that settlement proceeds for minors be placed into a restricted account or trust that the child cannot access until reaching age eighteen or another age specified by the court.
Wrongful death settlements also go through probate court before funds can be distributed to family members, potentially adding many months to the timeline.
We Help You Get the Compensation You Deserve In the Shortest Timeline Possible
Receiving compensation for a personal injury in Arkansas typically takes anywhere from several months to a few years depending on the severity of your injuries, the complexity of your case, and whether you need to file a lawsuit.
While waiting can be frustrating, especially when you’re dealing with medical bills and lost income, taking the time to build a strong case and negotiate fair compensation usually results in better outcomes than accepting quick, low settlements.
As a personal injury law firm in Arkansas, we understand the financial pressure you’re facing after an accident.
At Shamieh Law, we treat every client like family and get started fast on your case using cutting-edge technology to gather evidence and build strong claims.
We’ve recovered over $200 million for our clients, and we work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay us anything unless we win your case.
Contact our team today by calling 501-361-1334 to discuss your case and learn more about what to expect from the personal injury claims process.