The injured accident victim that seeks some form of compensation has the ability to select from 2 different options.
The option that tends to deliver compensation in the shortest amount of time: Seeking a settlement
The first step in that option is the filing of an injury claim. The claimant does not have to meet any deadline for filing. Still, it helps to avoid a delay, because that could cause the defendant to view the filed claim as one that is unfair.
The second option involves the filing of a lawsuit.
If an insurance company has failed to respond to a filed claim, then the filer has no choice but to initiate the lawsuit process. The uncooperative insurance company would be the target of such a lawsuit.
Potential plaintiffs do have a deadline to meet, when they plan to file a lawsuit. That deadline has been specified in the statute of limitations. Every state has its own statute of limitations. There are a few exceptions to the deadline. The judge could extend that deadline, if the plaintiff were under the age of 18. In that case, the deadline would fall about 2 years after the plaintiff had turned 18. The deadline might also be extended if the defendant had moved out-of-town during the time when the plaintiff was supposed to serve the complaint on the defendant.
The one way that the 2 options are similar
The legal system has been designed to favor the settling of disputes. For that reason, even 2 parties that are pursuing the lawsuit process have the ability to pause that same process, and to pursue a settlement. The route towards the settlement differs, according to the nature of the pursued option. Someone that has filed an injury claim must negotiate with the insurance adjuster, prior to reaching a settlement agreement.
Someone that has filed a lawsuit could eventually end up having negotiations with a lawyer from the insurance company. That would be the case, if either party were to make an attempt to settle at the end of the discovery session, or during some stage of the trial. In either case, the person that was officiating would encourage performance of the requested action. Those that are more experienced in the legal system tend to favor the settling of disputes, although not in a way that appears unfair to one of the disputing parties.
Understand that our legal system was not designed to encourage a confrontational approach. For that reason, it favors the defendant. The whole point to the deadline for filing a Personal Injury Lawyer in Niles comes from the desire to save defendants from the need to fight allegations that have been based on stale evidence.