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Personal Injury Case Statutes of Limitation in California

Mon 10th Jun, 2019 Personal Injury

Car accidents, workplace accidents, and slips and falls can all result in serious, or even life-changing, injuries. When these types of accidents and injuries are caused by the reckless or negligent actions of another person or party, that person or party should be held liable for any resulting damages, including pain and suffering and financial losses related to medical expenses, lost wages, or a loss of wage-earning potential.

Victims can work with personal injury attorneys to fight for financial compensation that will adequately cover injury damages. However, it is important that injury victims act quickly so that they don’t lose the opportunity to file a lawsuit. The attorneys at McKinley, Conger, Jolley & Galarneau, LLP are happy to go over California’s personal injury case statutes of limitations with our Stockton, CA, clients.

What Are Statutes of Limitations?

Statutes of limitations are limits that are set to regulate the amount of time that a person has to file a lawsuit after suffering some type of injury or harm. Each state can set its own statutes of limitations, so it is important for plaintiffs to look into statutes of limitation laws for the state where they reside or where the harm took place.

In addition to varying from state to state, statutes of limitations are also unique for each type of lawsuit. For example, personal injury case statutes of limitations may differ from the statutes of limitations for a wrongful termination suit. So, this is something to keep in mind when one of our Stockton area clients is preparing to file a lawsuit.

How Soon Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in California?

In the state of California, statutes of limitations allow an injury victim two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. The two-year time limit begins on the day that the injury occurs. If a person were to be injured in a car accident on January 1, 2019, they would need to have a lawsuit filed by January 1, 2021 or the court can (and likely will) refuse to hear their case at any time in the future.

Act Quickly

The important thing for injury victims to remember is that preparing and filing a lawsuit takes time, as does recovering from injuries. By the time a person feels well enough to focus on their legal options, a good portion of the statute of limitations timeframe may have gone by.

As soon as an injury victim is ready to consider a lawsuit, he or she should consult with attorneys to discuss the details of the case. Our Stockton legal team will act as quickly as possible so that a suit can be filed before any statutes of limitations run out.

Contact Us

The attorneys at McKinley, Conger, Jolley & Galarneau, LLP have helped injury victims collect the compensation they are due for accident damages. Contact us at your earliest convenience to discuss the details of your injuries, or call 209-477-8171 to schedule a personal consultation.

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