Managing Insurance Delays After a Collision: Advice from a Pittsburgh Car Accident Lawyer
By Ben Gobel on June 3, 2026
If your insurance company stalls after a car accident in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania law gives you clear rights. Insurers must acknowledge your claim within 10 days and complete their investigation within 30 days. When they miss these deadlines, they may be found to be acting in bad faith, and a Pittsburgh car accident lawyer can step in and hold them accountable.
After a crash, delays hit hard. You face rising medical bills, repair costs, and constant runarounds from the adjuster: “Your claim is still under review.” This article shows why insurers delay, outlines what Pennsylvania law requires, and explains the steps you can take to protect your claim.
Why Insurance Companies Delay Car Accident Claims
Insurance companies operate as businesses, and prolonged claims processes can sometimes work in their favor. When delays stretch on without explanation, it may be worth examining whether the pace of your claim reflects the complexity of your case or something else entirely.
Common Delay Tactics Adjusters Use
Adjusters may use several methods to slow your claim:
- Requesting paperwork you have already submitted
- Claiming they need more time to investigate, even when the fault is clear
- Scheduling and rescheduling independent medical exams
- Making an unreasonably low initial offer to start negotiations far below your actual losses
- Going silent for weeks at a time, hoping you will accept less out of desperation
These are not coincidences. Insurance company representatives are trained to minimize payouts. Recognizing these tactics is the first step toward not being controlled by them.
How Delays Hurt Injury Victims
Time is not neutral in a car accident claim. The longer your case drags on, the more damage a delay can do. Medical bills accumulate interest. Lost wages from time off work keep adding up. Witnesses’ memories fade. Evidence like surveillance footage or skid marks can disappear. If you are relying on your settlement to cover ongoing treatment, a prolonged delay can force you into financial hardship before your case is resolved.
What Pennsylvania Law Says About Insurance Claim Timelines
Pennsylvania law sets specific deadlines that insurance companies must follow when handling your claim. Many accident victims are unaware that these rules exist, which is exactly what insurers count on.
Under Pennsylvania’s Unfair Insurance Practices Act (40 P.S. Section 1171.5) and the regulations issued by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, insurers handling first-party claims are required to:
- Acknowledge receipt of your claim within 10 business days of receiving notice
- Notify you of their decision to accept or deny the claim within 15 business days after receiving all necessary information
- Complete their investigation and respond within 30 business days in most third-party claim situations
When an insurer exceeds these timeframes without a valid legal reason, it may be violating Pennsylvania’s bad faith statute.
Pennsylvania’s Bad Faith Insurance Law
Pennsylvania’s bad faith statute, 42 Pa. C.S. Section 8371, gives you the right to sue an insurance company if it handles your claim dishonestly or without a reasonable basis for denying or delaying payment. If a court finds the insurer acted in bad faith, you may be entitled to:
- Interest on the amount owed from the date the claim was submitted
- Punitive damages in cases of especially egregious conduct
- Court costs and attorney’s fees
A bad-faith claim is separate from your underlying injury claim. You have two years from the date of the wrongful conduct to file a bad faith lawsuit in Pennsylvania, so acting promptly is important.
Steps You Can Take When Your Claim Is Being Delayed
You are not powerless while waiting on an insurer. There are concrete steps you can take right now to protect your claim and create a record of the delay.
1. Document Every Interaction
Keep a written log of every phone call, email, and piece of correspondence with the insurance company. Note the date, the name of the person you spoke with, what was said, and what was promised. This documentation could become critical evidence if you need to file a complaint or pursue legal action later.
2. Put Everything in Writing
Whenever possible, follow up phone conversations with an email or letter summarizing what was discussed. Written records are harder for an insurer to dispute than verbal conversations. A simple email that says “Per our call today, you indicated my claim would be reviewed by [date]” creates accountability.
3. File a Complaint with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department
If you believe your insurer is unreasonably delaying your claim, you can file a formal complaint with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department at insurance.pa.gov. They can investigate whether the insurer violated state regulations. An official inquiry often motivates insurers to respond more quickly.
4. Speak with a Pittsburgh Car Accident Attorney
An experienced Pittsburgh car accident attorney knows how to apply pressure that individual claimants cannot. Attorneys who regularly work car accident cases understand insurer timelines, know when delays cross the line into bad faith, and can send formal demand letters that create legal deadlines. In some cases, simply having an attorney contact the insurer on your behalf changes the pace of the entire claim.
How Long Does a Car Accident Settlement Take in Pennsylvania
There is no single answer to how long your claim will take because every case is different. A straightforward rear-end collision with clear fault and moderate injuries may settle in a few months. A case with disputed liability, serious injuries, or multiple insurance policies involved can take a year or more.
What you can control is making sure delays are caused by the actual complexity of your case, not by insurer tactics. The biggest driver of unnecessary delay is often accepting the insurance company’s pace as normal when it is not.
Don’t Get Pressured into a Settlement
If an insurance company is delaying your car accident claim in Pittsburgh, you do not have to accept it. Pennsylvania law sets clear timelines for how insurers must handle claims, and violations may give you grounds for a bad faith lawsuit on top of your injury claim. Document every interaction, put communications in writing, and do not let a slow adjuster pressure you into a settlement that does not cover your losses.
If you believe an insurance delay is affecting your car accident claim, the attorneys at Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky, P.C. are here to help. With over 40 years of experience representing injured Pennsylvanians and more than $250 million recovered for clients, our team knows how to hold insurers accountable. Contact us today for a free case evaluation
Frequently Asked Questions about Car Accident Claims
- What happens if the insurance company misses the 30-day investigation deadline in Pennsylvania?
If an insurer fails to complete its investigation within 30 days and does not send you a written explanation for the delay, it may be violating 31 Pa. Code Section 146.6. You can file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. While that regulation does not give you a direct private lawsuit against the insurer for the missed deadline alone, it does build the record for a bad faith claim under 42 Pa. C.S. Section 8371 if the delay is part of a broader pattern of unreasonable conduct. Document every missed deadline in writing and consult a Pittsburgh car accident attorney if the insurer goes silent past 30 days without explanation.
- Can I accept a settlement offer and still get more money later?
No. Once you sign a settlement release in Pennsylvania, you give up your right to pursue any additional compensation from that insurer for that accident, even if your injuries turn out to be more serious than you realized at the time. This is one of the most common and costly mistakes accident victims make. Never sign a release before you have finished medical treatment or reached maximum medical improvement, and never sign anything without having an attorney review it first.
- Does Pennsylvania’s two-year statute of limitations pause while I am negotiating with the insurance company?
No. Negotiating with an insurance company does not stop the clock. Pennsylvania’s two-year statute of limitations under 42 Pa. C.S. Section 5524 runs from the date of the accident, regardless of whether you are actively in settlement talks. Some insurers will deliberately drag out negotiations, hoping you will let the deadline pass, which would eliminate your right to file a lawsuit entirely. If your claim is approaching the two-year mark without resolution, you need to speak with an attorney immediately.
- What is the difference between an insurance claim and a lawsuit?
An insurance claim is a demand for payment made directly to an insurance company outside of court. A lawsuit is a formal legal action filed in court against the at-fault party. Most car accident cases in Pennsylvania resolve through the insurance claim process without ever going to court. However, if the insurer refuses to offer fair compensation, your attorney may file a lawsuit to force the process. Filing a lawsuit does not mean the case goes to trial. The majority of lawsuits still settle during the litigation process, often after the exchange of evidence puts pressure on the insurer to make a reasonable offer.
- Should I give a recorded statement to the insurance company while my claim is pending?
You should not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company without first speaking to an attorney. Adjusters are trained to ask questions in ways that can be used to reduce or deny your claim. Saying something as simple as “I’m feeling okay” after the accident could be used later to dispute the severity of your injuries. You are generally required to cooperate with your own insurer, but even then, having an attorney present or reviewing the questions in advance is strongly advisable. In Pennsylvania, you have no legal obligation to give a recorded statement to a third-party insurer.