When Is It Too Late To Get A Lawyer For A Car Accident?

Wondering if you can still get a lawyer for a car accident that happened weeks, months, or even years ago?

Maybe you initially didn’t think that you needed to get a lawyer, because your injuries didn’t seem that bad, but some time has passed, and they have still really been bothering you. Maybe the medical bills were more than you expected. 

Maybe you are not the kind of person that would file a lawsuit, but you heard from a friend who worked with a law firm after their car accident and you were surprised at how easy they said the process was and how much money they got back. Now you are wanting to look into it, which may be how you found this blog. 

The good news is that working with an attorney can be extremely effective when it comes to recovering the compensation you rightfully deserve if the car accident wasn’t your fault, and even if some time has passed, it may not be too late to take action! However, depending on the nature of the accident and how much time has elapsed, you may not be able to do much. 

Here are a few things you need to know about when it’s too late, and when it’s not! 

First – it absolutely can’t hurt to talk to a lawyer. It’s free, and they know best! 

The first and most important thing you need to know is that you can’t truly know if it’s too late or not until you call an actual attorney. 

Blogs like this and information you may find in other places online can be helpful for giving you general knowledge, but there is no substitute for real legal advice from a person who can ask you about the specific details of your accident and apply the law to your case. We can’t tell you here if it’s too late to get a lawyer for a car accident or not, because we don’t know when the crash occurred, how severely you were injured, whether or not you live in Florida, etc. But it is free to schedule a consultation with us so our attorneys can make recommendations! 

Most car accident attorneys offer free consults for this reason. There is no cost, and no obligation – you can just get the answers you need and then decide whether or not to proceed (if you can). 

Second – there is a statute of limitations, and it does matter

There is a point where it is too late to get a lawyer for a car accident, and a lawyer will be able to tell you if it definitively applies to your case, but it’s called the statute of limitations. Essentially, it is a legal deadline plaintiffs have to file lawsuits in civil matters, like car accident cases. 

The statute of limitations varies from state to state; in Florida, the statute of limitations for car accidents is generally two years from the date the crash occurred. This was updated in March of 2023 – it used to be four years – so if you were injured prior to March of 2023, you may have the full four years to file a lawsuit. 

The clock usually starts running on the date you were injured, but in some cases, it may begin when you realize you are injured (which may be later than the actual date of the crash). 

If the statute of limitations has already passed, there is little you can do in terms of working with a lawyer or filing a lawsuit – the window of opportunity has closed, and there is probably nothing that a lawyer can do, legally speaking, to re-open it – but again, the only way whether to see if there may be exceptions to your case is to actually speak with an attorney as soon as possible. 

One of those exceptions may be if you were in a hit and run case; if the person is found years later, you still may be able to sue them for damages. 

Third – the more time has passed, the more ammo you give the insurance company with which to deny or devalue your claim

Even if you are within the statute of limitations, it might not be too late legally speaking to get a lawyer for a car accident, but it might make winning your lawsuit much more difficult for even the best lawyer to do – and some lawyers may not take on your case because of that. 

If you were to file a lawsuit quickly after being injured in a crash, there would be a closer link between the accident and your injuries; medical documentation, the crash report, and other evidence would support your claim, and it may be fairly easy for an attorney to argue that the crash wasn’t your fault, led to your injuries, and that you should be compensated accordingly. 

However, say months have passed between the date of the accident and the date the lawsuit was brought. The insurance company of the at-fault driver is already looking for any way they can to beat the lawsuit and to avoid paying you what you really deserve, because they lose money when they pay out claims to accident victims. 

The time lapse gives them a golden opportunity to suggest to a judge or jury that there was something else that occurred in between the date of the accident and the date the lawsuit was brought that caused or exacerbated your injuries, which would reduce the amount they owe you. 

Bottom line – it’s not too late to get a lawyer until you speak with one! 

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, the right time to get a lawyer is right away! Again, all of this information is helpful, but you need to talk to an attorney about whether you still have time to bring a lawsuit for car accident injuries or not. 

The Florida Law Group has been advocating for maximum compensation for accident victims since 1984. We have recovered over $1 billion for our clients! Call today to schedule your free consultation and discuss your options and next steps with our team.