How the Statute of Limitations Affects Your Personal Injury Case

Common Injuries After a Rear-End Auto Accident
Protecting Yourself After An Injury

When you are injured in a car accident, at work or in someone else’s home, you need to protect your health and your financial interests by knowing the statute of limitations. If you are like many people, you may hesitate to “make a big deal” out of your injuries and believe that your insurance will cover everything. In reality, even a simple fender bender could cause you a serious neck or back injury that would cost money for medical treatment, rehabilitation services and missed work. Sometimes a lawsuit is necessary to make sure you get the compensation that you need. While legal action doesn’t have to be taken right away, there are limits to how long you can wait.

Statute of Limitations Basics

You must be aware of the statute of limitations in these matters. In many states, you have two or three years to file legal action before you lose that right forever. For instance, if another driver rammed you at a stoplight, you might seek treatment but decide not to press matters further. Then, in the months and years afterward, you could suffer from headaches and back pain. With the medical bills piling up, you may decide that a lawsuit is necessary. In Georgia, you could file this action up to two years from the day the accident happened.

Discovery

The law allows for exceptions to these time limits. In some cases, you might be injured and not realize it until years later. This scenario happened with many people who worked with asbestos. They inhaled the fibers for years and didn’t realize the harm until they developed mesothelioma, a cancer specifically caused by asbestos. For this group, the statute of limitations clock didn’t begin running until they discovered they had been harmed. The same would be true if your employer exposed you to harmful fumes or other hazards on the job that didn’t immediately result in an illness.

The statute of limitations also stops running when you move out of state. If you were injured in Georgia but nine months later moved to California, you would still have 15 months left on the time limit.

Many accident injuries can cause internal bleeding, a serious condition that can be life-threatening, particularly if it is not detected promptly.

Medical Attention

After any type of accident or injury, you need to seek out the latest imaging tests. In the Atlanta area, you can count on Onyx Imaging for cutting edge technology. In the immediate aftermath of an accident, you may feel fine thanks to an adrenaline rush. During the hours and days after, you can develop a number of painful symptoms. Neglecting your injuries may well result in them worsening.

In addition, imaging scans are the best way to provide proof of your health issues. A scan taken immediately after the accident can be compared to earlier imaging. In that way, your doctor can show that your soft tissue injury, broken bone or head trauma were directly caused
by someone’s negligence. Without the proper scans, your health and your legal options may be compromised.

Onyx Imaging

At Onyx, you never need to worry about insurance or your financial condition. The expert staff provides their services at no out-of-pocket cost to you. Your bill will be paid out of your legal settlement. Plus, you get prompt same-day results from your imaging tests.

Call Onyx immediately after an accident or as soon as you discover your injury so that the statute of limitations cannot run out on you. For the Stockbridge clinic, call 770-892-0153, and for the Decatur clinic, call 470-440-175

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