Getting into a car or boating accident and not realizing how serious your injuries are for some time to come is not unusual. In fact, it’s one of the reasons you should always see a doctor as soon as possible following an accident.
In the moments after any kind of accident, your body is flooded with adrenaline; the shock and fright can completely take your mind off any kind of physical discomfort. As the days or weeks go by, however, you may start to notice discomfort as a result of a variety of car or boating accident injuries: strained or torn ligaments or tendons; traumatic brain injuries; and neck, back, or other spinal cord injuries are all common to accidents. These types of injuries may not be noticeable at first or may not show up on imaging technology or other medical tests.
For this reason, as well as many others, working with an expert injury attorney can be extremely beneficial to your case. Hiring one immediately after an accident means you have someone to tell you what you should do after a car accident, navigate insurance companies, find proof of liability, and argue your case if it goes to trial. Of course, this isn’t a route every individual initially wants to take. A significant amount of time may pass before you realize how vital having a lawyer really is to your situation. The length of time you have to hire a lawyer and file a suit largely depends on the statute of limitations for auto or boating accidents in your state, although in some cases, special circumstances may change that limit.
How Long After a Car Accident Injury
What do I do after a car accident?
Calling a lawyer should be amongst the things on your “What do I do after a car accident” list. Initially, of course, you should check on the welfare of everyone involved, call the police, exchange information with the other driver, and head to a doctor — making sure to save every scrap of documentation along the way. Most importantly, refrain from admitting fault in any way, shape, or form; even polite small talk that sounds like you’re accepting blame can be extremely detrimental.
How can a lawyer help?
Calling a lawyer before you start making calls to insurance companies can be extremely helpful. Not all insurance companies are exactly helpful. Since you have no way of knowing exactly what story the other driver told his insurance agent, getting a lawyer on your team right away can show the adjusters that you mean business and will not be pushed around.
However, if you do not initially intend to hire a lawyer and hope to work things out between you, the other driver, and your insurance agencies, quite some time may pass before you finally call a car accident injury attorney. Sometimes insurance companies will move incredibly slowly, so that when they finally offer you a settlement, you’re more likely to jump on whatever they offer you. If you don’t know how much compensation for a back injury in a car accident you should be receiving, you might do exactly that. If you know they’re offering you a wildly low amount, you might decide to contact an attorney.
What is the statute of limitations?
In Kansas, car accident statute of limitations runs out in two years. This effectively means you have two years from the date of the actual accident to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for a personal injury or property damage. The only time this changes is when a fatality is involved. In that case, you can file a lawsuit within two years from the date the individual passed away.
How Long After a Boating Accident Injury
What do I do after a boat accident?
If involved in a boating accident causing serious bodily injury, you should respond in largely the same way you would respond to a car accident. If you are not the person to whom the serious injury occurred, check on the other passengers and call emergency services. If you are the person who is seriously injured, call emergency services or have someone call for you. Go immediately to the emergency room, and call a lawyer promptly.
Boat accidents call for similar reactions:
- Exchange pertinent information with the other operator;
- Report the accident to the appropriate authorities (Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism for a local boating accident in Kansas);
- Document as much as possible with pictures, video, or witnesses;
- Head to an emergency room or schedule a doctor’s appointment; and
- Report the accident to your insurance company.
How can a lawyer help?
The biggest difference between car and boating accident injuries is the way insurance is handled. Kansas boat owners are not required to hold insurance policies on their boats. This may seem cheaper in an immediate sense, but in the event of an accident, boat owners could be out tens of thousands of dollars — and that’s just for less severe injuries. For chronically painful or disabling concerns, like if an accident resulted in the other operator suffering back injuries, boating insurance could potentially save you a significant amount of money.
How long is the statute of limitations?
Either way, hiring a lawyer early on in the process is generally going to be better for you in the long run. If you decide after a year that you do in fact need a boat accident injury attorney, there is still time! Most personal injury related statutes of limitations in Kansas are limited to two years from the date of the accidents. Boating accidents follow the same rules as car accidents: you have two years from the date of the accident to file, unless someone died as a result of the accident, in which case you have two year from the date of death.
Although it is true you could hire a lawyer after the two years are up, the defense can easily prove the case has run outside of its statute of limitations. The case is dismissed, and the lawsuit is over before it begins. This makes hiring a personal injury attorney early in the process absolutely essential to a strong case.
For More Information
If you have suffered a car or boating accident injury, call our expert lawyers. We can help you figure out what to do after a car accident or boat accident injury, and we will fight hard to get the compensation you deserve. Call us today at (866)205-7479 or fill out our form online for a free case evaluation.
