On almost all types of legal matters, a deadline exists by which you must take action. That deadline is referred to as a “Statute of Limitation.” Generally, you must either resolve your claim or file a lawsuit before the Statute of Limitation expires for the kind of matter you are pursuing. This is also true in personal injury matters. Even within the field of personal injury claims, the Statute of Limitations varies according to what kind of case it is, and against whom it is brought. For example, an auto injury claim against a private individual must either be settled or filed within two years of the date of collision that caused the injury. Similarly, a medical malpractice claim must be resolved or filed within two years of the time that the claimant knew or should have known of the potential wrongdoing.
However, much shorter Statutes of Limitation may apply to an injury claim. For example, if you are injured by a government employee who was on the job, the Statute of Limitation is one year. This is true whether it is an auto accident, a medical malpractice action, or another kind of injury claim. In addition, claims against any governmental entity in Arizona require that the claimant serve a Notice of Claim against the entity within 180 days of the accident, which can be a complex document. Another example of a shorter is the statutory dog bite claim, which carries a one year Statute of Limitation as well.
Always determine the Statute of Limitation and any deadline applicable to your matter, or get advice to make sure. The short explanation given here does not cover all kinds of cases or facts, may not be right for yours, and is not legal advice for any specific matter. If you wish to speak about your own concerns more specifically, I do offer a free consultation. You can schedule that, or order my free Arizona Auto Injury Claims book, by calling 480-733-6800