Accidents are painful and expensive, which often leads to Oklahoma residents having to file Muskogee personal injury cases. Through this system, you can seek compensation for medical bills, property damage, lost wages and for the pain and suffering you have experienced.
However, the state of Oklahoma imposes a statutory deadline on how long you can wait to bring your personal injury claim; if you wait too long to file, you may permanently lose your right to compensation.
The deadline for bringing forth a Muskogee personal injury case is called the statute of limitations; it can vary depending what sort of personal injury claim for which you are seeking compensation.
FAQ: Muskogee Personal Injury Cases
The statutes of limitations for Muskogee personal injury cases are generally as follows:
Personal Injury Claims: Two years from the date of the injury.
Medical Malpractice Claims: Two years from the date that the act causing the injury occurred, unless the victim is a minor under the age of 12 or incompetent. In that case, the parent or legal guardian has up to seven years from the date that the act causing the injury occurred to file a “friendly” suit on the minor’s behalf. If the parents of a minor wish to file a claim to recover for expenses they have incurred because of the child’s injury due to medical malpractice, they have two years from the date that the act causing the injury occurred.
Products Liability Claims: Two years from suffering the injury.
Wrongful Death Claims: Two years from the date of death.
At times, there are exceptions to these Oklahoma statute of limitations laws. If it takes a long time to discover the severity of a Muskogee personal injury, or the claimant is a minor, the general statute of limitations may not apply.
However, only a qualified Oklahoma personal injury attorney can help you determine whether it is too late to file your claim.
Filing by the Deadline
Delaying a claim may cast doubt upon the validity of your case; it may be argued that had you truly been injured, you would have filed sooner.
However, you may want to wait long enough to file your personal injury claim to be certain that all injuries resulting from your accident have manifested themselves. Injuries such as whiplash, can take several days to develop and can give you trouble for a very long time.
Your Muskogee personal injury attorney would suggest that you should reject early settlement offers from insurance companies that may be too low to adequately compensate you for the pain and suffering that you will have to endure. Always consult with a qualified personal injury attorney before accepting any settlement offer.
Low-cost Consultation: Muskogee Personal Injury Attorney
Remember that once the statute of limitations passes in Oklahoma, you will lose the ability to ever be compensated for your losses.
To find out more about how the statute of limitations affects your personal injury claim, contact the Muskogee personal injury attorney at Personal Injury Law Office of Muskogee today.
For a Low-cost, no-obligation consultation, call 918-924-5528 or send your question using the email form on this page.
