Statute of Limitations in Personal Injury Cases
If you’ve suffered an accident or been injured because of someone else’s negligence, it’s important to know what your rights are in terms of seeking compensation. Depending on the types of injuries you’ve suffered, it may take a period of months or even years for you and your physician to determine the exact extent, as well as lasting repercussions, of those injuries. In any personal injury case, it’s important to allow enough time for your doctor to treat and diagnose your injuries; at the same time, it’s also important to be aware that there are time deadlines that must be met in order to receive compensation.
RECURRING COMPLICATIONS FROM PERSONAL INJURY
The damage, as well as the pain, from a personal injury, may be felt long after the event, becoming chronic and even permanent. If you’ve suffered a personal injury that involves your back, neck, spinal cord, brain, or nervous system, the impacts suffered can result in years of ongoing treatment.
According to the National Institutes of Health, while acute pain may be suffered as an immediate aftermath, chronic pain can be persistent and severe. The symptoms can vary in severity, and the resulting treatment may include physical therapy and the prescription of pain medications, as well as techniques such as acupuncture, electrical stimulation, and biofeedback. Pain management treatments are often ongoing, and behavior modification, as well as recognizing and allowing for future physical limitations, may result in life-altering changes.
Depending on the causes and extent of your injuries, repeated testing, hospitalizations, and surgical procedures may be required, and often hard to foresee. Your doctor may not be able to give you a firm prognosis, or even a firm diagnosis. Ongoing or progressively worsening symptoms may result in changes to your personal and professional life that are hard to predict and require continued monitoring.
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IN CIVIL ACTIONS
Every state has limits in terms of the amount of time the court will allow a legal complaint or lawsuit to be filed. Missing statutory deadlines can result in your case being dismissed, regardless of the circumstances or the extent of damages you’ve suffered. Under the South Carolina code of law, Section 15-3-530 outlines the statute of limitations in personal injury claims and dictates a period of three years from the date of the injury as the time limit in which personal injury claims must be filed.
While three years may seem like plenty of time, when you’re dealing with lingering injuries that have lasting complications, it may take longer than three years just to actually diagnose the nature of the problem, as well as determine the types and amounts of medical care you’ll need to recover.
CONTACT OUR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY
At Anastopoulo Law Firm we have extensive experience in handling South Carolina personal injury cases. We understand the often uncertain physical, emotional, and financial ramifications suffered as a result of accidents or negligence. Contact our experienced personal injury attorney right away to discuss your case. While you continue the ongoing process of diagnosis and treatment, our firm will help your case get filed within the state statute of limitations so that you get the compensation you deserve.