Ok, it’s a little about the law time. So it doesn’t get too boring, because we know sometimes personal injury law and wrongful death law can be boring, we won’t go into all of the statute of limitations. We are just going to discuss the statute of limitations against government entities and individuals, who cause harm to another, when they are working for a government entity.
What is the statute of limitations for example if a Phoenix police officer rear ends your vehicle and injures you? (Assume the officer is working at the time of the accident) Answer: 180 days! You must file a notice of claim with the city the police officer worked for within 180 days. The notice of claim has specific requirements and must be served upon the correct person. Also, following serving the notice of claim, you must either settle your case or file a lawsuit before the one year mark.
This is very important as many peple call us who have been seriously injured or have had a family member killed after the 180 days. Remember, the 180 days applies to any defendant who is a government entity. It could be a public utility company, a city bus driver, a police officer etc. If you know someone who is injured by someone who is working for a government entity at the time of the accident or if the city entity is at fault for the accident, let them know they have 180 days to file the notice of claim. Also, 180 days is not 6 months. We have had people call at the 181 day month stating that they thought they had 6 months. The more knowledge you have, the better. Hope this helps you save someone from missing their statute of limitations.
(Sorry but we have to tell you this since we are lawyers, that the above is not legal advice and should not be relied on. If you need legal advice you should speak to a lawyer.)
