If you’ve been involved in an accident where someone else’s negligence caused you harm, you may be considering filing a personal injury lawsuit. Whether you were involved in a car accident, an accident while on the job, or sustained injury elsewhere due to the misconduct of someone else, filing a claim in Arizona’s civil courts may be your only recourse to getting the compensation you deserve, but it’s important to understand and comply with Arizona’s statute of limitations. Please remember, you can always contact Mike of Lyding Personal Injury for a free consultation to discuss your unique case and get some of your questions answered, and it’s always a good idea to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after an injury (if you haven’t yet, check out our blog on Why You Should Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer). However, we thought it might be helpful to explain a bit about Arizona’s statute of limitations when it comes to personal injury cases.
What is Arizona’s Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Cases?
First of all, what is a “statute of limitations?” Well, when it comes to personal injury cases, the statute of limitations is the specific amount of time you have to either settle your claim with an insurance company or file a lawsuit in civil courts. Statutes of limitations are different in every state, and can vary by even the type of claim or case. For example, a state can have separate deadlines for general personal injuries, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. So if you’ve been the victim of wrongdoing in Arizona, it’s important to understand the specifics of Arizona’s statute of limitations.
According to Arizona Revised Statutes section 12-542, the standard statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Arizona is two years. That means, there is a two-year deadline for filing a civil case for “injuries done to the person of another,” “injury when death ensues,” “injury to personal property,” and “medical malpractice,” amongst other legalese. To simplify, in Arizona, you must be mindful of the two-year deadline that applies to filing of almost every type of personal injury lawsuit.
When Does the Personal Injury Statute of Limitations Begin, and Are There Exceptions?
The clock begins ticking on the two-year deadline to file a personal injury claim once the injury occurs. So, you have two years from the date of the injury to file a claim. If you miss the two year deadline, your claim will likely be dismissed
Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney in Arizon
In Arizona, your claim can absolutely be denied if you file past the statute of limitations, and in fact, one of the most common reasons for a claim to be denied is for failing to meet the deadline. We understand that immediately following an accident, you may be focused on recovering and healing, or you may not discover the true nature of your injury until well after your accident. Whatever the unique aspects of your case may be, we’d love to chat with you to be able to understand your case better and answer some of your questions. As a Phoenix attorney with 49 years of experience handling countless personal injury cases, we consider each case to be a personal fight for justice against wrongdoing. Schedule a free consultation with us ASAP as the first step toward getting the compensation you deserve.
