One of the first things that you will do if you are in a car accident is to seek medical care for your injuries. Another thing that is on the top of the list is filing a claim with the insurance companies. This is something that can help to reduce the financial blow of the crash since the medical bills are likely going to be covered to some extent.

There are a few things that you need to remember when you are dealing with insurance after the accident. One of these is that there are time limits for filing claims. While the actual time limit, which is known as the statute of limitations, is two years in most personal injury claims, it is three years when the personal injury was the result of an accident involving a motor vehicle.

This time limit means that you have three years to file your claim for the injuries you suffered. This is true whether you are filing a basic insurance claim or if you are planning on filing a personal injury lawsuit.

In some cases, such as with a catastrophic injury like a brain injury, you might fare better if you wait a little bit to file the claim. This is because you might not know the full extent of the injuries right away. Even if you are trying to do this, you need to make sure that you file the claim within the statute of limitations.

If you file the claim even one day after the statute of limitations expires, the court will reject your claim. As harsh as this seems, it is like this for a reason. Typically, your memories of the accident will fade over time, so the court must impose a time limit for claims.

Source: FindLaw, “Car Accident Insurance Claims Time Limits,” accessed June 09, 2017