I have developed Degenerative Disc Disease in my neck from a severe whiplash injury suffered in a car accident many years ago. Has time run out to to bring a lawsuit?
Maybe. Each state has a statute of limitations, which are laws that state the time frame in which you must file a particular type of lawsuit or else give up the right to bring your claim.
An attorney can advise you how the statute of limitations applies to your situation; for a personal injury you have as long as six years in some states to file a claim before it is barred forever. If you are still within the time period, you can bring a lawsuit. The statute of limitations generally starts running when the accident occurs, but in some cases it will start to run when you reasonably should have known that you had an injury. So if you can successfully argue that the statute did not start to run until you discovered that your degenerative disc disease is related to the accident, you might be able to bring the lawsuit even if the statute of limitations has run out (warning: this is rarely a winning argument).
It is best to contact a lawyer right away to discuss your claim and to find out what your options are. You can also have your case evaluated by an experienced attorney by completing Free Advice's case evaluation form; there is no cost and no further obligation.
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