How Long Does It Take to Settle a Truck Crash Claim in California?

How Long Does It Take to Settle a Truck Crash Claim in California?

• September 25, 2025
• Categories: Vehicle Accidents

When a truck collides with another car or SUV, it often results in catastrophic injuries or even death for those involved, particularly occupants of the smaller vehicle. The aftermath can be horrific for the survivors and their families, often meaning months of medical treatment and enormous doctor and hospital bills. A skilled personal injury attorney can represent truck crash victims and seek financial compensation to recover the cost of medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

The question always arises, though: How long does it take to settle a truck crash claim in California? This can be tricky to answer. Settling a California truck collision lawsuit can take anywhere from several months to a year or more, with complex cases often extending beyond this range. The timeline depends on factors like:

• Severity of injuries
• Deaths involved
• Number of vehicles
• Number of defendants
• Liability disputes
• Insurance companies’ willingness to negotiate in good faith
• Compliance with state and federal trucking regulations
• Whether a case goes to trial
• California’s fault-sharing system (“pure comparative negligence”) which can prolong settlements if multiple parties are deemed partially responsible
• Other factors.

Insurance companies in California must acknowledge legal claims within 15 days and then accept/deny them within 40 days. They must issue payments within 30 days of approval. However, prolonged negotiations or court trials (if settlements fail) can add one or two years, or more.

Statute of Limitations for Truck Crash Claims

A California truck crash victim — like all personal injury victims — has two years from the date of the accident to file a claim. It’s critical to file a truck lawsuit within this window of time, because if you wait too long and the statute of limitations passes, then a court can bar you from seeking damages, thereby leaving you without recourse. For that reason, hiring a skilled truck accident lawyer quickly is the best way to protect your legal rights.

Why Choose Neale & Fhima to Represent You?

At Neale & Fhima, our California truck crash attorneys have more than 40 years of combined experience in handling vehicle collision cases. Our law firm has recovered more than $50 million in rightful compensation for accident victims throughout Southern California.

We know the complexities of fault, liability, and insurance under California law, and we can give you our best analysis of how long it will take to settle your truck collision case in California. Attorney Aaron Fhima is among the best and the brightest when it comes to negotiating aggressively with insurance companies and winning cases. We’re not afraid to take a case to trial, if necessary.

Our legal team is transparent and will explain to you the legal process, potential challenges, and estimated value of your claim before you make a decision about hiring us. We have many satisfied clients who refer friends and family to our law firm.

How Do Liability Disputes Affect the Settlement Timeline for Truck Accidents?

Liability disputes are one of the most significant factors that can delay the settlement of truck accident claims in California. That’s because California follows a pure comparative negligence model, which means multiple parties can share fault for an accident, and liability is apportioned to each party depending on the degree of their responsibility for the crash. Here’s how liability arguments typically affect the process:

Extended Investigation

When liability is contested, attorneys must gather critical evidence to establish who is at fault.  This can involve hiring expert witnesses, doing accident-scene reconstruction, analyzing speed and braking data, doing a detailed analysis of trucking company records, and hiring road engineers – all of which can take months to complete.

Multiple Liable Parties

Truck accidents can involve several potentially responsible parties, including the driver, trucking company, cargo handlers, vehicle manufacturer, state and federal government agencies that maintain the roads, and other entities. Disputes over each party’s share of fault can further complicate and lengthen the settlement process.

Prolonged Negotiations

Disputes over fault and negligence lead to more rounds of negotiation between lawyers. Insurance companies often attempt to surreptitiously shift blame to victims or minimize their client’s level of responsibility, causing heated back-and-forth negotiations with multiple offers and counteroffers that can significantly extend the settlement timeline.

Insurance Company Tactics

The goal of insurers is to pay out as little as possible in claims. They often intentionally delay the process during liability disputes by requesting voluminous unnecessary documentation, questioning a victim’s credibility and account of the accident, conducting overly lengthy investigations, and intentionally slowing down the negotiation process in hopes of discouraging the victim and getting them to accept a low-ball offer.

Litigation Likelihood

If liability cannot be resolved through negotiation by attorneys, then the lawsuit typically proceeds to litigation, meaning the case will be argued before a judge and jury. Lawsuits introduce an entirely new level of delays, including discovery, depositions, writing briefs, and court scheduling, all of which can add months or even years to the timeline for a settlement or jury award.

Neale & Fhima Fights for Truck Crash Victims in California

At Neale & Fhima, we’ve recovered millions in rightful compensation for truck accident victims. We are tenacious and aggressive when negotiating with insurance companies, and we don’t take no for an answer. Our truck injury attorneys fight hard for crash victims — we’re tough on insurance company representatives because we know the tactics they use to try to deny claims. We keep our clients informed on the progress of their case every step of the way throughout the legal process. Our trained legal staff are compassionate, caring, and supportive. For a free consultation about your truck accident case, call us at 888-407-2955.