Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”
Anyone who has been hurt in a North Carolina accident has likely considered the idea of bringing a claim for compensation. When the pain or the financial impact of the accident is serious enough, victims often begin thinking about their options. Unfortunately, those who have suffered harm in North Carolina often fail to take into account time and how much timing can impact the ultimate success of their claim. To find out more about how time can affect a North Carolina personal injury case, keep reading.
After an accident occurs most people set about recovering. The medicine, the surgery, the doctors visits and rehabilitation all take time, energy and money, leaving little left for other important issues. Though recovering physically from an accident is obviously crucial, it is also important to remember that you will need to recover financially as well.
Most accidents that result in serious physical injury also lead to serious financial harm. Days spent at the doctor’s office or in the hospital recovering are days not being paid. Time off work can compound the financial mess of medical bills, making it harder to pay these unexpected expenses.
Though tending to your physical wellbeing is paramount, you must also keep an eye on your financial needs. To do this, you have to understand more about time limits in a North Carolina personal injury case. In North Carolina, there are laws that dictate when a lawsuit can be filed, this is known as the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations varies based on the case at issue. For instance, a personal injury case has a different time limit than a criminal matter or a contractual claim.
In North Carolina, the law says that for personal injury claims a plaintiff has three years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. Though this may seem overly strict, the reality is that statue of limitations exist in each and every state, so there is no way to avoid the importance of timing in a personal injury lawsuit. Though some states have longer time limits, other states have shorter ones, meaning victims must move even faster to ensure their claim is not barred.
Speaking of being barred, let’s now discuss why the statute of limitations is so important. If a person fails to act quickly enough and files a claim past the date allowed by the law, the case will be thrown out of court and any hope of receiving compensation for your injury will be lost. Many people mistakenly believe that if the injury is bad enough or if your story is good enough, you can get around the time limit. Sadly, no judge will be moved by your story, no matter how tragic. The law is the law, and if you wait more than the time legally allowed your case will be tossed, leaving you with nothing. As a result, if you’ve been injured in a North Carolina accident, tend to your injuries, rest, recover, but also remember that the clock is ticking and the sooner you reach out to a personal injury attorney who can ensure your case is filed in a timely manner, the better.
If you or someone you know has any questions regarding potential personal injury claims, feel free to contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC in Charlotte, North Carolina for a free consultation. Call toll free at (955) 370-2828 or click here for additional resources.
About the Author
Matthew Arnold is a Managing Member of Arnold & Smith, PLLC, where he focuses on the areas of family law, divorce, child custody, child support, alimony and equitable distribution.
Mr. Arnold was raised in Charlotte, where he graduated from Providence Senior High School. He attended Belmont Abbey College, where he graduated cum laude, before attending law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a full academic scholarship.
A board-certified specialist in the practice of Family Law, Mr. Arnold is admitted to practice in all state courts in North Carolina, in the United States Federal Court for the Western District of North Carolina, in the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, and in the Fourth Circuit United States Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.
In his free time, Mr. Arnold enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife and three children.
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