Generally, victims of personal injury accidents are granted two years to file an injury claim in Oklahoma. If this deadline is missed, the case would usually be thrown out.
Don’t Wait to File a Tulsa Personal Injury Claim
Oklahoma empowers personal injury victims to file injury lawsuits up to two years from the date of the accident. These claims help victims earn money from those found at fault to pay their medical bills, to replace lost income, and to cover other hardships.
Victims who wait longer than two years would usually lose their chance to seek support for their injuries and to earn justice.
There are a few exceptions that could lengthen or shorten the statute of limitations for victims to file:
- If you must sue the City of Tulsa, the county, or the State of Oklahoma, the statute of limitations may be much shorter. It’s critical to work with a skilled personal injury lawyer on these types of complex cases so you don’t miss deadlines and miss out on benefits you weren’t made aware of.
- The statute of limitations may be extended if your injuries aren’t thought to be serious at first but later turn out to be serious or even long-term. The normal two-year statute of limitations may be extended starting from the date you received a more accurate diagnosis.
- The statute of limitations could be extended if you are incapacitated by your injury for a time. The countdown for the two years would start when you regained your ability to handle your case or a legal representative took over your case.
- Families who lose a loved one after a tragic personal injury accident would have up to two years to file a wrongful death claim against those responsible.
Should I Wait to File an Injury Claim After a Tulsa Accident?
A two-year deadline can make it seem like there’s no need to rush. But in almost every case, it’s always better to act quickly.
These are just a few of the reasons you don’t want to wait months or years to file a claim:
Give your lawyer a chance to investigate your accident as soon as possible. Evidence can disappear quickly after an accident. The scene and important details can be cleared or cleaned up. Surveillance video might be erased. Witnesses could become hard to locate. Explore your options with a lawyer as soon as possible to give your attorney the best chance to secure fresh evidence and build a strong case.
Secure support quicker. Filing your claim as soon as you are ready is also the best way to secure the injury support you need as fast as possible. You will likely have medical bills piling up in your mailbox. Without being able to go to work, you’ll probably miss important pay periods and quickly fall behind on your bills such as the rent, mortgage, and car payments. Your lawyer can file your claim at the first opportunity and puts pressure on insurance companies to resolve your case and send you a check as soon as possible.
Do I Need a Lawyer for my Tulsa Personal Injury Case?
If your accident only results in some minor scratches and bruising, you may not need to ask a lawyer for help with your case. But if you suffer a more serious injury, like a broken arm or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), turning your case over to a lawyer gives you a better chance of securing the money you need to recover physically and financially.
Contact us for a free, no-obligation case review to find out what your injury should be worth.
You also don’t need any money to hire a lawyer for your case. Our attorneys work on a contingency basis. It means we don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money an at-fault individual or company must pay you. And at Ylla|Gosney we adjust our fee so you keep more if we feel you aren’t receiving enough to rebuild your life.
