Personal Injury Statute of Limitations
If you’ve been in a car accident that was no fault of your own, you have a limited amount of time to pursue legal action for recovering the money you’ve lost due to subsequent medical problems or property damage. The statute of limitations (the time frame for initiating a lawsuit) is based on why you are suing, and is generally only within a few years of the incident.
You have less time to pursue a lawsuit if you are suffering from medical problems arising from the accident. You only have two years from the date of injury. That time frame can be adjusted if your medical problem did not emerge immediately. As soon as you notice a medical problem, it’s critical that you have a doctor document the problem. Then, call a lawyer.
You have up to three years to initiate a lawsuit for property damage. Unlike medical problems, there is generally no additional allowance if you claim the problem took time to emerge. Just as with a medical problem, you need to have a professional (such as a mechanic or a home inspector) document the problem. And then, call a lawyer.
Your lawyer will guide you through the complicated process of a personal injury claim or a personal property claim — especially if the claim falls outside of the immediate aftermath of the incident. If there has been a delay, even within the statute of limitations, you may have to answer some difficult questions from the defendant as to why you waited to make your claim.
Personal injury claims take time and patience to process. If you feel that an accident in your past is causing problems for you today, call a lawyer and find out if financial recovery is still possible.
