personal injury law california

How Long Do I Have to Pursue a Personal Injury Claim in California?

Author picture
If you've been injured due to someone else's negligent actions, you may be entitled to file a personal injury claim against them in order to receive compensation.

If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligent actions, you may be entitled to file a personal injury claim against them in order to receive compensation. The financial damages you win can go towards paying your costly medical bills or lost wages resulting from your injury. Like most legal matters, however, there is a specific window of time during which you are able to pursue a claim—after the window passes, you forfeit your legal right to file a lawsuit. Let’s take a look at the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury claim in California.

The Two-Year Window

Like many states, California civil law allows an injured party to seek compensation from the responsible party within two years of the incident. The clock starts ticking on the day the injury occurs. Once the two years are up, the injured individual no longer has the right to pursue a personal injury claim. So, whether you were in a car accident, suffered at the hands of a negligent doctor, or slipped and fell on someone else’s property, you have two years to file a personal injury claim in order to recover financial compensation for your injuries.

A Few Exceptions

Of course, there are a couple of exceptions to this two-year window. For instance, if you were involved in a car accident on a specific date, but were not aware of any injuries until a later date, you may be able to extend the statute of limitations window because of this delay in discovery. Also, if the victim was under eighteen years old at the time, or if they were unable to make sound decisions during the time the injury occurred, there may be an exception to this two-year limitation.

Act Quickly for Best Results

Although two years sounds like a generous amount of time, the legal world moves slowly. It’s best to meet with an experienced personal injury attorney right after you are injured so that you can get to work on building a successful claim. Your attorney will help you hold the negligent parties accountable for their actions, winning you the compensation you are owed.

For more information about how to pursue a successful personal injury claim in the Temecula area, contact Hales & Associates, A Professional Law Corporation today at (951)489-3320 to arrange a free initial consultation.

Blog Home