File Your Winter Car Accident Claim

File Your Winter Car Accident Claim

As an experienced Rochester Personal Injury Attorney I am often asked how long an individual has to file your winter car accident claim.

  • You have 3 years to the date of the accident to file a claim
  • You should not wait 3 years to file your claim
  • See a lawyer as soon as possible so they can start gathering evidence and begin their investigations

The consequences of waiting to file a claim include several things. We often see that when people wait, they make mistakes that can ruin a case.

Talking to the insurance company about the accident can ruin your case. When you wait to see a lawyer, you likely don’t know any better. The insurance company will reach out to you to see if you will give them a recorded statement. If you waited to talk to a lawyer, you don’t know the consequences of talking to the insurance company. A recorded statement seems innocuous but they can and will use your words against you to diminish the value of your case. If you slip up in your statement at all and give them an impression that they can twist your words, they will take advantage of that. Let your lawyers handle your communication with the insurance company so they can protect your rights.

You do have three years to bring a case, but we strongly urge you to reach out well before that deadline. The success of your case relies heavily on your evidence. That is the bread and butter of any litigation. When you wait a significant amount of time, your evidence can completely disappear and your witnesses can forget major details of your case. Especially with a winter car accident, having a slick and icy road will be a key detail of your case and if you waited until June to file your claim, we couldn’t go back to the scene and take pictures of the road conditions which means we lose out on that evidence. Having the ability to take a photo like that lets us tell the story of your accident better. We can say that the liable party took a turn too fast to safely navigate the icy roads. Not having the ability to show the story in pictures can weaken our case.

You might be worried that bringing a case is a waste of time and money. However, you can meet with our lawyers right away in a free first consultation. You can determine if you should be taking legal action right away in that free first consultation with us. The sooner we hear from you, the sooner you have the ability to get the justice you deserve.

We also hope that you seek medical attention immediately after your accident to ensure you are getting the treatment you need.

Are you wondering how long you have to file your winter car accident claim?  If so, contact the experienced Rochester Personal Injury Attorney Michael Ranzenhofer.

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