If you were recently injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, your life may have completely changed. Not only is your vehicle damaged, but you may be too hurt to work. That means no paychecks to pay for your everyday living expenses, let alone your medical bills—which keep piling up.

It can be difficult to stay on top of the demands of life when you’re hurting and just want to get better. But one thing you can’t afford to overlook is your compensation claim. The longer you wait to get started on it, the less evidence will be available and the more skeptical the insurance company will be.

And for some unfortunate auto accident victims, waiting too long to file a claim can mean losing out on the chance to get ANY compensation. So, how long do you have?

Alabama’s Civil Lawsuit Deadline is 2 Years from the Date of the Crash

To even be eligible for compensation after a crash, you must file a personal injury claim or lawsuit within two years of the date the crash happened. If the deadline passes and you haven’t officially submitted your claim, that’s it—you’ve lost your chance forever.

At Vance Law Firm, we know that many auto accident victims aren’t in a big hurry after their crashes—especially when they find out they have two years to file a claim. But two years pass quickly and claims take time to build. So, if you decide to file a claim just before the deadline is up, it may still be too late.

Steps to Take to Ensure You Beat the Statute of Limitations

There’s nothing our Montgomery auto accident lawyers hate more than having to tell car accident victims that we can’t help them because too much time has passed since their crashes occurred. Don’t let this happen to you.

Following these steps can ensure that you remain eligible to pursue compensation, whether it’s from your insurer or the other driver’s:

• Report the crash to police: You should always call 911 after a crash involving injuries or property damage. Doing so not only dispatches emergency responders who can treat injuries at the scene, but it also dispatches a police officer who can create an official accident report.
• Report the crash to your insurer: There’s a good chance that you may need to file a compensation claim against your own insurance company, even if the crash was the other driver’s fault. Nearly 20% of drivers in AL are uninsured, and if one of them causes your crash, you’ll need to tap into your underinsured/uninsured coverage to get compensation.
• Call a lawyer: When you have an experienced auto accident lawyer on your side, you don’t have to worry about deadlines, statutes of limitations, or even talking to the insurance company. Your attorney and their staff will handle all of that for you. Your only job is to get better.

If the Statute of Limitations Hasn’t Expired, It’s Not Too Late

Although it’s always best to act sooner rather than later after an auto accident, letting weeks, months, or even more than a year go by before you call a lawyer doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Injury claims can be and often are won even when they’re filed long after accidents and injuries occur.

As long as there’s evidence available showing that the other driver was negligent and they caused a crash that injured you, you can still receive compensation. If less than two years have passed since the date of your crash, you should still consider filing an injury claim, especially with the help of a lawyer.

We’re Ready to Start Building Your Compensation Claim

Our Montgomery car accident attorneys know what you’re going through. We’ve helped many people just like you who were injured in crashes that weren’t their fault, and we know the steps to take to get you the money you’re owed. The sooner you contact us, the less you’ll have to worry about the statute of limitations expiring AND the sooner you’ll have a chance to get compensation.

Contact us today for a free consultation. You’ve been through so much already. Let us take the stress of the crash and your compensation claim off your shoulders while you focus on getting better.