If you are injured as a result of someone else’s actions or negligence, you have the right to pursue compensation for injuries and related damages. However, you only have a short time period during which you can file charges. After a certain time period, you’re no longer able to collect compensation for damages related to the incident. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the varying deadlines you need to meet if you’re hoping to file a personal injury lawsuit in Minnesota.
How Long Do I Have To File A Personal Injury Claim?
How long you have to file your personal injury claim depends on the details of the case. However, it is our recommendation that you try to file your claim as soon as possible. This will help ensure that your recollection of the incident is fresh and that evidence and witness statements are easier to collect. Waiting to file will make it harder to win your claim or to maximize your award amount, so don’t wait if you don’t have to.
With that in mind, here’s a closer look at some of the standard statutes of limitations based on the nature of your personal injury lawsuit. For individualized advice, reach out to an experienced personal injury lawyer like you’ll find at Hey Workers.
Negligence – If you are filing a basic personal injury claim that alleges that a third party’s negligence contributed to your injuries, you likely have up to six years from the date of injury to file a claim.
Intentional Harm – If you are alleging that the other party intentionally harmed you, there’s a chance you’ll have less time to bring a claim. Cases of intentional misconduct or willful disregard to another person’s safety generally need to be filed within two years of the act in question.
Medical Malpractice – If you are pursuing a medical malpractice claim, you typically have four year from the date of the medical incident to bring a claim against the doctor or the facility. If you are pursuing on the behalf of a dead family member, this deadline is reduced to three years.
Wrongful Death – If you are filing a claim on the basis that someone else contributed to the wrongful death of a loved one, you generally have three years from the date of the incident to file a claim. However, there is no deadline for filing for wrongful death compensation if the death arises from murder.
Defective Product – When bringing a personal injury claim against a product manufacturer or a retailer on the grounds of strict liability, you have four years from the date of injury to bring a claim. If you’re bringing another type of detective product-related lawsuit, you must at least notify all responsible parties of your intent to file a claim within six months of establishing an attorney-client relationship.
Government or Federal Agency – If you are bringing a personal injury lawsuit against a government entity, you generally have 180 days to submit notice of your claim.
Again, we can’t stress enough how important it is to take early action, even if these statutes give you years to bring a suit. For assistance with this, or if you just want to learn more about your options, reach out to the team at Hey Workers today.
