When you are the victim of an accident, you can be left reeling and in shock for a long time after. It can often be life-altering and can take some time before you begin to comprehend the whole legal side. Legal jargon, in particular, can be confusing, especially when it depends on which state you are in, such as ‘statute of limitations SC’ compared with ‘statute of limitations GA’. When you are the victim of an accident.Learn all about what Statute of Limitations entails when it comes to compensation claims.
What a Statute of Limitations Means for Compensation Claims
What statute of limitations do
The reason for this is that a statute of limitations is set in place to limit the time you have to initiate legal proceedings, which varies from state to state. Therefore, you will need to be aware of how long you have from the outset.
Generally speaking, a statute of limitations begins on the day after the accident occurred, with a few exceptions. So, you will need to count from this day onward to determine the time frame you have to file your claim and avoid missing out on potentially getting compensation for your injuries.
What happens if you file outside of the allocated time?
If you do not file within the allocated time, the danger is that you won’t be able to claim in the future. For example, if you keep putting off claiming because you are worried it will be too time-consuming, but then change your mind further down the line, you may end up finding out that it is too late and you have missed your chance.
Additionally, the time frames not only vary depending on the state you live in but also based on the nature of the offense. A lot of criminal cases, for example, such as murder will not have a statute of limitations, which means that a victim can usually begin legal proceedings at any stage in the future.
What is the main reason for the statute?
However, most statutes of limitations are about civil cases and are related most of the time to a lot of tort cases – this, of course, namely being the majority of personal injury cases.
As this area of the law is usually connected with seeking financial compensation, the law around it is tighter on exactly how long victims have to pursue a claim.
The main reason for this is so that the evidence presented on behalf of the plaintiff cannot have deteriorated over time. This means that the case can be presented with the utmost credibility and witness accounts are as clear as they can be and therefore more reliable.
The best course of action
In summary, it is extremely important to seek legal advice as soon as possible after having an accident. No matter whether you intend to seek compensation or not, you must know your rights and the time you do have to decide on your next steps. This way, you have all of the right information to proceed in the most favorable way to protect your best interests.
