If in a car accident, the law dictates how long you have to file a claim in court. For any personal injury, you only have two (2) years to file a claim. If you don’t file a lawsuit within two years, you lose the right to do so.

This is why it is important that you contact a car accident lawyer right away. The first thing you should do after getting medical treatment is to call a lawyer. It is never too early to do so. You don’t want to wait until it’s too late.

How Long After a Car Accident Can You File a Suit?

You may ask, how could anyone wait that long to file a suit? You would be surprised. There are many reasons why this happens:

• You may be waiting for months or a year for insurance to pay your claim. If your claim isn’t denied, it can take a while to pay. The insurance company may be waiting for proof of injuries. You may be in the hospital for a long time and you may be waiting to see just how bad your damages are before you file.
• You don’t realize you’re hurt until it’s too late. Sometimes, your injuries take a while to appear. You may be going to physical therapy without realizing the statute will soon run out. You may think you have longer than you really do.
• Also, you may just procrastinate. You may put off filing the claim until it’s too late. You may wait until the last minute hoping the other side will settle and they don’t. Anything is possible.

This is why it’s important to retain an attorney early in the game. You don’t want to wait until the last minute. If you do, an attorney may be reluctant to take your case. Some attorneys are so busy they can’t afford to take cases that are close to the statutory deadline.

Why You Need a Car Accident Attorney in Phoenix

If you’ve been in an accident, call an attorney. You want to have a car accident attorney in Phoenix review your case. They can deal with the insurance company for you. They will guide you through the legal process.

Your attorney can try to negotiate with the insurance company. They can also file a suit on your behalf. Once they do so, they can try to negotiate a settlement with the other attorney. You don’t want to do this on your own. It simply won’t be a fair fight. You don’t stand a chance against a big insurance company on your own.

Don’t Confuse your Legal Claim with an Insurance Claim

The Arizona statute of limitations applies to legal claims. They set the deadline to file a lawsuit. They don’t have anything to do with an insurance claim. The insurance company sets their own requirements for claim filing. Most insurance companies require the claim be filed within a reasonable amount of time.

You may wonder what is a reasonable amount of time? Most insurance companies dictate that a few days is all you need to file a claim. This means that you have just a few days to do it all. You need to seek medical treatment, hire an attorney and file your claim.

If you call an attorney right away, they can deal with the insurance company on your behalf. They can even get the claim filed for you. It is hard to do this from a hospital bed. That is why it is helpful to have an advocate by your side.

Contact one of the Auto Accident Attorneys in Phoenix

If you’ve been in a car accident, the first thing to do is seek medical treatment. The next thing to do is contact an auto accident attorney in Phoenix. The attorneys at Warnock MacKinlay have decades of experience handling car accident cases. They can answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Contact their offices today to schedule your free initial consultation. You pay nothing. You can meet with one of their professionals to discuss your accident. They will review your case and tell you what needs to be done. They will also give you an idea of what your case may be worth.

The insurance companies have attorneys working for them. You need to do the same. You don’t want to battle the other side alone and you need to focus on your recovery. Also, you may have suffered serious injuries and you have more important things to deal with right now.