You have two years from the injury itself. So, if you were injured in an accident then you have two years from the date of the accident to file a case. By that same token, according to The Judicial Branch of California, “if the injury was not discovered right away, then it is one year from the date the injury was discovered.”
That may sound like a long period of time but it isn’t. Two years can go by sooner than you might think. We always encourage those who have been injured in an accident to reach out to an attorney as quickly as possible. That way, they can know definitively whether or not they have a case.
It’s perfectly understandable to procrastinate when reaching out to a personal injury attorney. However, it’s likely that the other side is already hard at work, putting together an investigation for any potential litigation. Reaching out to a personal injury attorney as quickly as possible after a case gives you the best possible chance to receive the compensation that you deserve.