[Transcript]
The most common causes of car accidents in California are not paying attention, people doing distracted driving because they're on their cell phones, and the few times a year when it actually rains, people don't know what to do, so that causes a lot of hysteria on Southern California freeways when all of a sudden two or three raindrops fall in the air. California does have statutes of limitations that can kick you out of court and not allow you to file a case if you've waited too long. Cases are different, and so depending on your injury and how you were injured, and who injured you, it's very important that you seek legal advice immediately to determine what the statute of limitations is. Generally, in personal injury cases, it's two years from the date of the incident. If the defendant, a potential defendant, is a municipality or government agency, you have six months to file a proof of claim. But again, this is a situation where you need to talk to an attorney as soon as possible to look at the specific facts of your case. If you've been injured and you need an attorney, call Case Barnett Law at 949-861-2990 or visit our website at casebarnettlaw.com.
The California Statute of Limitations
To understand how delayed injuries affect personal injury lawsuits, we need to begin with the basic rule about the time limit for when you can sue after an injury. This time limit is
called the statute of limitations. In California, the statute of limitations for most kinds of injuries is two years.
Generally, that means you have two years from the date of a car accident, slip-and-fall accident, or some other kind of accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. And if you miss that deadline, you probably will lose your chance to recover personal injury compensation.
That’s usually the case, but it’s not always true. That’s because some injuries show up long after an accident occurs. California has a rule for situations like that, and it can affect your lawsuit filing timeline.