Tulsa Personal Injury Law Blog
When a person in Oklahoma is injured due to the action of another, be it a car accident, medical malpractice or a workplace accident, his or her first priority may be seeking medical care and healing from his or her injuries. Unfortunately, healing can be expensive. After all, medical bills must be paid and the emotional toll an accident or act of malpractice can have can be incredibly damaging. Moreover, victims of accidents or malpractice can experience a great deal of pain and suffering. Therefore, in addition to healing, individuals who have been injured due to the action of another may also wonder if they can seek damages from the responsible individual.
When this happens, individuals may be interested in pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. However, did you know that there are certain time limits in which one can do so? These time limits are known as “statutes of limitations.” In general, the statute of limitations commences — or “tolls” when the injury takes place, although certain exceptions exist based on the “discovery rule,” which states that in some circumstances the statute of limitations may not begin tolling until the injury is discovered. It then runs for a certain period of time. Once that time limit is up, the individual can no longer bring a lawsuit based on that injury.
In general, in Oklahoma, individuals have two years in which to bring a lawsuit based on injury to the person. For example, individuals injured in car accidents have two years in which to sue the responsible party. In addition, individuals in Oklahoma have two years in which to bring a professional malpractice lawsuit.
Statutes of limitations can be complex, particularly if an injury goes undiscovered for a certain period of time. However, if you believe you have suffered a personal injury, you should not wait too long to consider pursuing legal action. An Oklahoma personal injury attorney can educate you further about the statutes of limitations in Oklahoma, as this post cannot serve as the basis of any lawsuit or provide legal advice for any one person’s specific situation.
Source: FindLaw, “Oklahoma Civil Statute of Limitations Laws,” accessed Feb. 29, 2016
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