September 05, 2013

In Los Angeles There is a Statute of Limitations for Filing Personal Injury Cases


When you are considering filing a personal injury case in Los Angeles, there is a statute of limitations on the amount of time you have to file. In California, the limit is two years from the time of your injury, or one year from the time the injury was discovered, if it developed as a result of the accident at a later date. Once the statute of limitations reaches these time limits, you lose your legal right to file a case.

It is worth your time to consult with one of our attorneys, in situations where you were injured, to see if you have grounds for a personal injury case. Our Los Angeles law firm offers a free consultation to evaluate your accident. During your consultation, your lawyer will determine whether there was negligence caused by the other party involved in the accident. Negligence must be present in order to be able to file a case. If there is no negligence, then you are unable to file a case.

All personal injury cases involve some degree of negligence by the other party. The other party may be fully at fault or have contributed a certain percentage towards the accident. As long as there is some level of negligence able to be established, you are able to seek monetary damages. Just remember, the total amount you are able to seek is reduced, in cases where you were partly at fault. For instance, if you were 25 percent at fault, the total amount you would normally be entitled to, if the other party was completely at fault, is reduced by this percentage. In other words, you are only able to seek 75 percent of the total damages.