If you have suffered an injury as a result of another person or entity’s negligence, you may be eligible for compensation for your injuries and other losses. However, most people never find going to court a pleasant experience. Thus, it is not unusual for personal injury victims to off or delay the idea of suing the at-fault party for compensation.
Like other states, Georgia law only gives you a short time period to make up your mind and file your personal injury lawsuit. This period is known as the statute of limitations and it is vitally important that you file your case within this window of time.
Georgia’s statute of limitations for personal injury
Under Georgia law, you have 24 months effective the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. Property damage like a crashed car, however, has a statute of limitations of four years from the date of the accident. Most often, your lawsuit will be dismissed if you file your claim after this period expires. For this reason, it is important that you begin working on your claim as soon as you possibly can following any type of injury or accident.
What if you are suing the state or a government agency for personal injury?
If the at-fault party is a government entity or state employee, you only have up to 12 months effective the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in Georgia. Your claim must indicate the state agency for which the employee who caused your personal injury works.
If you have sustained an injury at the hands of another party, you could be facing hefty medical bills, missed work time, a long rehabilitation period and pain and suffering. A claim against the liable party can help you get through the recovery period more easily.