Time Limits for Car Accidents and Other Personal Injury Claims in North Carolina
If you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence or carelessness, whether it was a car accident, a motorcycle wreck, a trucking collision, a dog bite, a nursing home injury, or some other way, you need to know how much time you have to bring your claim.
Here’s a warning: there are OFTEN exceptions to these rules, and the only way to be certain of your timing is to contact a personal injury lawyer.
In general, in North Carolina, almost all personal injury claims have the same time limits, called a “statute of limitations.” There are two main limits you need to know:
- Nearly all personal injury claims of ANY sort MUST be settled or a lawsuit must be filed within THREE YEARS from the date of injury;
- Nearly all wrongful death claims of ANY sort MUST be settled or lawsuit must be filed within TWO YEARS from the date the person dies;
- Claims against the Federal Government, for instances claims against a federal employee driving a car or injuries on a military base or at a military cemetery, may have different time periods that are typically MUCH shorter than the ones above.
There are important exceptions for many cases. For example, if someone is hurt in a car accident, and lives for more than a year, but then eventually dies from their injuries, the wrongful death claim does NOT add time to the three years for the underlying crash.
Minors and people who are deemed to be incompetent often have different legal protections, but claims still have to be identified, investigated, and pursued.
So, there are some basic rules, but lots of exceptions exist.
If you or a loved one has a personal injury claim, contact our firm by clicking here or by calling us at 919-348-4361. The consultation is free, we’ll only take the claim if we think you can do better with us than without us, and we’ll share the information that the insurance companies WON’T. Contact us for the truth.
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