You generally have three years from the day of a car accident to file a claim for an injury. To get money for your auto accident losses, you can submit a car accident claim to your auto insurance company or file a personal injury lawsuit.
Trust your Bellevue car accident lawyer to assist you with your auto collision claim or lawsuit. As you deal with the aftermath of your auto crash, your lawyer will pursue fair compensation for you from anyone who caused your accident and injuries.
Do Not Wait Too Long After a Car Accident to File a Claim for an Injury
The Washington statute of limitations for injury claims is unlikely to be extended. If more than three years elapse from the date of your auto accident, you will be solely responsible for your losses from the incident. At this point, you are ineligible to file a claim for injuries you have suffered in your car accident and will have to cover the costs of treating them.
Your Bellevue car accident attorney proudly serves as your legal advocate and representative. In addition to answering any questions you have about how long after a car accident you have to file a claim for an injury, your lawyer will explain your legal options. Depending on your circumstances, they may advise you to move forward with a claim or lawsuit.
Regardless of whether you submit a claim or lawsuit, your lawyer wants you to achieve outstanding case results. As part of your attorney’s efforts to obtain compensation, they will account for your quantifiable and subjective losses from your auto accident and gather a wide range of evidence to support your case.
What to Expect if You File a Claim for Your Car Accident Injuries
There are mandatory insurance requirements for drivers in Washington State. You must have at-fault auto insurance if you live in Washington and drive a car. This coverage will protect you financially if you are liable for an auto accident. Alternatively, if someone else is to blame for your car accident and injuries, you could receive compensation from their auto insurer.
Unfortunately, you can file a claim for injuries after a car accident caused by another driver and struggle to receive compensation for the harm you have suffered. A liable motorist’s insurance company can dispute your claim or offer a lowball settlement. If you are not careful, you could make mistakes during the claims process that hurt your chances of getting compensation.
Let your auto accident lawyer guide you through the claims process. Your lawyer will collect an accident report, witness statements, and other proof to strengthen your case. If warranted, they will proceed with a personal injury lawsuit and seek economic and non-economic damages on your behalf.
How Long After a Car Accident Can You Claim an Injury if You Are Partly at Fault?
The three-year statute of limitations applies in cases where one or more parties are at fault for an auto accident. File a claim right away if you are injured in a car accident, even if you are partially responsible. Your auto accident attorney can examine traffic camera footage of your car accident, interview witnesses, and take other measures to determine who is liable.
If you are partly responsible for your auto accident, you can receive compensation from other parties involved in the incident. Washington has a pure comparative negligence rule that relates to auto accident cases. Based on this rule, you may recover partial damages in an auto accident lawsuit depending on your degree of fault.
To understand how comparative negligence works, consider an example. You file an auto crash lawsuit, and the court rules you are 20% to blame for the incident. Due to comparative negligence, you will get 80% of the damages you initially requested.
Are There Any Exceptions to How Long After an Auto Accident You Can Submit a Claim for an Injury?
Washington’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims and lawsuits is paused for a minor. Therefore, if someone under the age of 18 is involved in an auto accident and suffers injuries, they will have until they turn 21 to submit a claim or lawsuit.
Mental incapacity can dictate how long you have after a car accident to submit an injury claim or lawsuit. If you are injured in a car accident in Washington, the statute of limitations may be paused until you regain mental competency.
There are instances in which someone gets hurt in an auto accident but does not discover their injuries until weeks or months after the incident. In these instances, the statute of limitations for filing a claim or lawsuit may open when a person finds out about their injuries instead of the accident date.
Ask for Legal Help if You Are Unsure of How Long After Your Car Accident You Have to File a Claim for Your Injuries
Your auto collision lawyer can discuss what a car accident claim or lawsuit entails. They will position you to secure compensation for the medical bills for your auto accident injuries, along with your lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses from the incident.
Premier Law Group offers comprehensive legal guidance and support to auto accident victims and their families. Our team has over 55 years of combined experience. We will use what we know to help you get auto accident case results that match your expectations. To learn more, request a free case review.
Jason at premier law group is truly an outstanding individual. Our particular case was not something that their firm usually sees but they were more than willing to help us and give us all of the information they had available. I can't recommend them enough.