Open Question: I was wondering how long does it take to recieve the settlement money?

My father was walking i guess it was dark out and a car came speeding and it hit him. This happened on January 30, 2010 he was out for 2 hrs on the ground while it was snowing. He went to the hospital they found out that his spinal cord is severe now and if he doesn't do the surgery he can become paralyzed. Also he experiences dizziness and the doctors found 2 discs in his shoulder. We got a