If you’re like a lot of our Washington D.C. readers, your understanding of the law has likely been shaped by your life experiences. Whether you’ve been accused of a crime or needed to dispute a violation of the law, the scope of the law for you is limited to whatever areas you’ve encountered. This means, however, that what you do know about the law may leave you ill prepared to handle new legal situations.
Take for example a car accident. Most people know that they should immediately contact their insurance company after being involved in a crash. But what if you suffer injuries? Would your first thought be to contact an attorney? If you’re like some people, you might not consider this option. But without the help of a skilled personal injury lawyer, you might not know how to file a claim for compensation or when you can do so after an accident.
As we have said before on our blog, accident victims may be owed compensation after an accident for injuries they have suffered. Compensation is received through a successful personal injury claim. It’s important to note though that these claims must be filed within a certain timeframe otherwise a victim must forfeit their right to compensation.
So how long does a Marylander have to file a personal injury claim? According to §5-105 of the Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings, a person has three years after an accident to file a claim. After this point, compensation may not be sought through civil means. By talking to a lawyer immediately after a crash, a person increases their knowledge of this law, thereby increasing their chances of filing a claim on time as well.
