What is the Statute of Limitations in Washington State Personal Injury Law?
The Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations (SOL), in Washington State personal injury cases is a time deadline within which you must settle or file a lawsuit, or you will lose your right to pursue your claim. For most PI cases the statute of limitations starts to run on the day of your accident/injury.
What is the Statute of Limitations in My Case?
The statute of limitations in Washington State is different for different types of cases. It can be more complex than it looks. You should talk with a lawyer about your facts and the statute of limitations for your case. That’s my advice. This is a serious deadline. Don’t guess and don’t miss it.
How to Toll the Statute of Limitations?
Settle your entire claim or properly file a lawsuit or a claim. Filing a lawsuit or a claim tolls the statue of limitations. Settling your case takes away the importance of the deadline.
What is the Statute of Limitation for Negligence in Washington?
For most negligence cases the statute of limitations is 3 years. There are however exceptions to this rule. There are other deadlines, and exceptions to the statue of limitations. Consult with a lawyer about your statute of limitations.
Other Washington State Statute of Limitations Deadlines.
Not all claims are negligence claims and not all claims have the same statute of limitations. There are special statute of limitations deadlines for many cases, including but not limited to minors, the incompetent, latent injuries, intentional injuries, third-party injuries, job injuries, job occupational diseases, and claims against your own insurance company and others. Consult with a lawyer and figure out the statute of limitations for your claim. Don’t Wait.
Administrative Deadlines.
There are also administrative deadlines in some cases. Do not confuse administration deadlines with statute of limitations. For example, take a Washington State L&I job injury. The statute of limitations to file an injury claim is 1 year. However, within the L&I claim itself, there are administrative decision such as an L&I order which may have a 60-day deadline.