What Percentage of Car Accident Cases Go to Trial?

You were hurt in a crash somewhere across eastern Washington, and the injuries, the bills, and the missed shifts are already more than enough to carry. The last thing you need is the fear that this ends with you on a witness stand in front of a jury.

That fear pushes people toward decisions they later regret. A fast settlement offer starts to look like the safe way out, even when it comes in low because grabbing it feels easier than facing a process nobody explained to you. Nobody has told you how long a settlement takes, how long a lawsuit takes, or what actually pushes a case from one path to the other, so every choice feels like a guess.

We handle car accident claims across eastern Washington, with offices in Moses Lake and Spokane, and our auto accident practice is built to settle when settling serves you and to try the case when trying it serves you better. The path your case takes, and what it settles for, often depends on whether the insurer believes your lawyer is ready to try it.

McPartland Law Offices takes these cases on a contingency fee basis, which means there’s no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover for you. The consultation is free, and it starts with a straight answer about which path your case is likely to take.

What Percentage of Car Accident Cases Actually Go to Trial?

Only a small share of car accident cases go to trial. Roughly 3% to 5% of tort cases are resolved at trial rather than by settlement or dismissal, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. The same pattern holds for personal injury cases broadly, so if you’re asking what percentage of personal injury cases go to trial, the honest answer is that few ever do.

Car accident claims make up the largest single group of these injury cases. When motor vehicle cases do reach a courtroom, they are the most common type of tort trial, according to the same federal data.

That tells you something useful. Trials are the exception, not the rule, even for the kind of case you have.

Washington keeps no public database of private settlement amounts, so no honest Washington-specific trial rate exists. Anyone who quotes you an exact local percentage is guessing.

The national numbers are enough to answer the real question, which is whether you’re likely to end up in front of a jury. For most people, the answer is no.

Why Do Most Car Accident Claims Settle Before Trial?

Settlements win out because they’re usually faster, cheaper, more private, and more predictable than a trial for everyone involved. A settlement lets both sides control the outcome instead of handing it to a jury, and it gets money into an injured person’s hands sooner.

A trial does the opposite. It adds months or years, runs up costs, and hands the result to a jury.

And while all of that is true, it is just a fact that some cases need to be tried. Sometimes an insurer unreasonably believes our client’s claim is less meritorious than we do. Sometimes an insurer’s insured refuses to accept responsibility for their actions. Sometimes it is a combination of both factors. The bottom line is that while most cases do settle, acting as though a case should settle and simply accepting an insurance company’s valuation, rather than preparing it for trial guarantees virtually inadequate compensation.

Insurers weigh that risk too. An insurance company may prefer to settle rather than gamble on a jury verdict it can’t predict, especially when liability is clear. That preference is one reason so many claims resolve without anyone filing a lawsuit.

There’s a catch worth knowing. The other driver’s insurance company owes a duty of good faith to its own policyholder, not to you as a third-party claimant. Under Washington law, that duty does not extend to the person on the other side of the claim.

In plain terms, the adjuster handling your claim is not on your side, even when the conversation sounds friendly, so the first offer often reflects what the insurer would like to pay rather than what your claim is worth.

What Makes a Car Accident Case More Likely to Go to Trial?

A case moves toward trial when the two sides can’t agree on who is at fault or what the injuries are worth. Most claims still settle, but certain facts push a case toward a courtroom. The common ones are:

• Disputed fault, where each side blames the other or an insurer refuses to accept that its driver caused the crash
• Serious or lasting injuries that carry high medical costs and a long recovery
• A low, delayed, or denied offer that never approaches the real value of the claim
• Multiple parties or an unclear sequence of events that makes fault hard to pin down
• A filing deadline that forces a lawsuit before the insurer will negotiate seriously

Two Washington rules sit underneath many of these disputes. The first is comparative fault. Washington follows a pure comparative fault system under RCW 4.22.005, which means that if you’re found partly responsible for the crash, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not erased unless you’re found 100% at fault.

A few percentage points of fault can move real money, so insurers fight over those percentages, and that fight is a frequent reason a case does not settle.

The second is the filing deadline. Washington gives most injury victims three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit under RCW 4.16.080, with limited exceptions for minors and people who are incapacitated. Miss that window and the court will almost always refuse to hear the case, which ends the right to recover.

When that deadline gets close and the insurer still hasn’t made a fair offer, filing suit becomes the only way to protect the claim.

How Long Does a Car Accident Case Take to Settle or Go to Trial?

The two paths run on very different clocks. A straightforward settlement can resolve in a matter of months, while a case that moves toward a lawsuit commonly takes a year or more and sometimes longer.

The good news for anyone dreading a courtroom is that filing a lawsuit does not lock you into a trial. A case can still settle at almost any stage, even after suit is filed and even during trial itself.

Several things stretch a timeline. Ongoing medical treatment is the big one because settling before you know the full extent of your injuries can leave money on the table, so a careful claim often waits until treatment stabilizes. Disputed fault, the discovery process, and crowded court calendars each add time as well.

How Long Does a Car Accident Settlement Take?

A straightforward car accident settlement often resolves faster, though the range is wide. A claim with clear fault and completed medical treatment can move quickly, while a claim with ongoing treatment or a fault dispute can take much longer.

We instruct our staff and tell clients that it is better to get it done right than to get it done fast. Sometimes right is fast. More often, however, it requires some element of patience while a good, non-speculative understanding of liability and damages is built up.

The timeline usually tracks two things: how long your treatment takes and how hard the insurer fights on liability. If an early offer comes in and you’re weighing it, understanding what happens after you accept a settlement offer matters because acceptance closes the claim for good.

What Happens to the Timeline Once a Lawsuit Is Filed?

Filing a lawsuit starts the litigation clock, but it does not force the case to trial. Most filed cases still settle during litigation, often after both sides exchange evidence and see the strengths and weaknesses more clearly. A lawsuit can raise the pressure on an insurer that has been slow to move, which sometimes produces a fair offer that was never on the table before.

If you’re deciding whether to turn down what the insurer has put forward, knowing what happens when you reject an insurance settlement offer helps you weigh the next step. In some cases, the losses run past the at-fault driver’s coverage, which raises the separate question of recovering more than the insurance policy limits.

Why Injured Drivers in Eastern Washington Trust Us After a Crash

The number that decides most cases is not the trial rate. It’s whether the firm across the table is genuinely prepared to try the case because an insurer weighs that readiness every time it puts a number on an offer.

Insurers track which firms actually try cases and which ones always fold. One that will file suit and take a case to a jury when the offer is unfair tends to see better offers, even in the vast majority of cases that never reach a courtroom.

That readiness is grounded in real results across eastern Washington. In one Chelan County rear-end case, the insurer’s first offer was $3,000, and we pushed the claim to a $300,000 resolution through multiple policy-limit tenders. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance.

We’ve also gone the distance in contested matters, including a Grant County jury trial victory for an injured worker whose employer hired doctors and lawyers to deny the claim. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance.

None of that promises a particular outcome in your case. What it means for you is simpler. When we take a claim, the insurer knows settling is not the only option we have. If you’re weighing representation, it helps to understand when to hire a car accident lawyer so the decision fits where your claim stands.

Client Testimonials

“I was so nervous, because I had never been involved in a car accident and personal injury case before. From the first day that I came into the office, I was immediately put at ease and was comfortable handing everything over to you. You handled everything, and I could focus on running my business.” — Mary

“Mcpartland law offices made my vehicle collision a smooth ride from the very start. The transparency, honestly, and commitment to get me reimbursed. They did such a good job and got me a very good settlement. 10/10 recommend. We didn’t think we were gonna get much at all but mcpartland law offices did an awesome job!” — Elijah

Frequently Asked Questions About Car Accident Trials in Washington

Do Most Car Accident Cases Go to Court?

No. Most car accident cases settle, and only a small share reach a trial. A courtroom is the exception, not the expected path, so the odds are that your claim resolves through a settlement rather than in front of a jury.

Can My Case Still Settle After I File a Lawsuit?

Yes. Filing a lawsuit does not force your case to trial. Many cases settle during litigation, sometimes after both sides trade evidence and get a clearer view of the risks, and a case can settle even during trial itself. A lawsuit often keeps negotiation open rather than shutting it down.

Does Going to Trial Mean I Will Get More Money?

Not necessarily. A jury can award more than a settlement offer, but it can also award less or nothing at all. A trial adds time and risk, and the result rests with the jury. Whether trial makes sense depends on the strength of the evidence, the offer on the table, and what you stand to lose.

What Happens If I Reject the Insurance Company’s Offer?

Rejecting an offer does not end your case. In most situations, it moves the matter into further negotiation rather than shutting it down. You can counter, keep negotiating, or file suit if the offer stays unfair. The choice depends on what your claim is worth and how far apart the two sides are.

How Soon After a Crash Should I Talk to a Lawyer?

Sooner tends to help. Evidence fades, memories blur, and Washington’s three-year filing window runs from the date of the crash. Talking with a lawyer early means someone can start preserving records and tracking the deadline while the details are still fresh, which protects the claim before those first weeks slip away.

Get Help With a Car Accident Claim in Eastern Washington

You’ve read the odds, and they favor a settlement, but the size of that settlement depends on the facts of your crash and on whether the insurer believes your side is ready to go further. That’s the part worth a closer look before you respond to any offer.

We handle car accident claims across eastern Washington, and we can tell you where your claim stands and what a fair result looks like. There’s no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover for you.

Call McPartland Law Offices at 509-495-1247 or fill out our contact form for a free review of the offer on the table and what your claim is really worth.