If you have suffered a personal injury and intend to make a personal injury claim, it is important to be aware of the legal time limits for claims in England and Wales. As time limits for personal injury claims vary depending on the type of accident personal injury claims, if left unreported for too long, you may lose the opportunity to claim compensation at all. At Legal Advice Helpline, our solicitors can offer advice on the time limits for making a personal injury claim.
Time limits to be aware for personal injury claims
- In most cases, you have up to 3 years after the date of an accident to issue proceedings in a personal injury claim.
- In almost all cases, this time limit begins from the date of the accident.
- However, there are circumstances where some injuries or illnesses do not present themselves immediately and in such cases, a Court may in very rare circumstances waive the time limit since it would have been difficult to make a claim before that point.
- For anyone aged 18 years of age or under at the date of their accident, the 3 year limitation begins from their 18th birthday.
- Certain types of accidents have a reduced time limitation. For example; people who suffer personal injury whilst using a defective or faulty product have 2 years from the date of their accident to make a personal injury claim.
- As always, we urge anyone to seek legal advice about their own circumstances before making a claim.
How long after an accident should I wait before making a personal injury claim?
You should always report your accident and personal injury to the appropriate authority as soon as possible after the accident has occurred. Submitting a personal injury claim as soon as you are able to after your accident will be beneficial since the circumstances of the accident will be fresh in your memory. This will greatly assist the solicitor working on your personal injury claim, who will be able to assess your case and advise you on your prospects of of your claim.
Call Legal Advice Helpline on 0800 612 3042 for more information. We can help by providing access to an expert solicitor who will give you advice on making a personal injury claim and the time limits that apply in your circumstances.
At Legal Advice Helpline, all of our personal injury solicitors operate on a no win, no fee basis. This means that you will have nothing to pay at any time whether you win or lose your case.