If you’ve been injured in any accident involving another’s negligence, you are legally entitled to bring a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. However, Florida law requires you to bring a personal injury claim within a certain time. If you don’t, you will almost certainly lose any ability to hold the at-fault party accountable, and, in turn, you may be leaving a lot of much-needed money on the table.
Here at the Blakeley Law Firm, P.A., we want to ensure that accident victims are fairly compensated for everything they’ve been through. And we understand that nothing is more frustrating than learning that you’ve missed your chance to hold a negligent party accountable. So, we’ve put together a list of Florida personal injury statutes of limitations and some of the most common questions related to how long you have to file a personal injury claim.
Motor Vehicle Accidents – 4 years
Dog Bites – 4 years
Assault and Other Intentional Acts – 4 years
Product Liability Claims – 4 years
Slip and Fall Cases – 4 years
As you can see, the vast majority of negligence cases must be filed within four years. However, there are some exceptions to this general rule:
Medical Malpractice Cases
Medical malpractice cases are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations. However, determining when the statute of limitations starts to run can be complex. Generally, the medical malpractice statute of limitations begins on the day of the medical error, but if the patient didn’t learn of the error until a later date, they have two years from that date. However, medical malpractice cases are subject to a four-year statute of repose, meaning that a case cannot be brought more than four years after the alleged medical error (unless the victim is a minor).