Richmond Hill Personal Injury Lawyers
For more than two decades, Douglas & London have fought vigorously for the rights of the injured in New York City. Our expert legal advocacy is available to over 62,000 people in Richmond Hill and all southwestern Queens. We’re not afraid to go up against big defendants like tobacco companies, pharmaceutical firms, the MTA, or area hospitals. We’ve successfully waged those wars, recovering multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts. Best of all, a personal injury lawyer won’t cost you anything unless you win. Our standard, contingency-based legal fee comes out of the recovery, so you never have to worry about how you will afford the best representation.
How Long Do You Have To File A Personal Injury Lawsuit in New York?
Like all other states, New York imposes a statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit. These deadlines may seem unfair to victims, but they are designed to ensure quality evidence and to protect the rights of the accused. Most personal injury plaintiffs in New York have up to three years from the date of injury to initiate their legal claims.
However, the timeline could be as short as 90 days if you’re suing the government. If you were injured long ago but only recently discovered the true nature of the harm, you may be able to apply the delayed discovery rule to your case. Minors also benefit from a tolling of the statute of limitations until they reach 18.
Occasionally, lawmakers open limited windows of time when the conventional statute of limitations no longer applies. For instance, the Child Victims Act allows victims of childhood sexual abuse the ability to file a lawsuit from August 14, 2019 to August 14, 2020, regardless of how long ago the alleged incidents took place. So it is always best to consult with a personal injury attorney before discounting yourself.
How Long Does A Lawsuit Take in New York?
Multiple factors could influence how long a personal injury case takes to resolve:
- Are you still recovering? Sometimes it can be difficult to estimate the cost of present or future medical treatments if you are still acutely injured and undergoing treatment. Allowing some time to pass could greatly increase the amount of money you can recover.
- Is liability disputed? Your case may require in-depth investigations to uncover issues of liability, take depositions, interview witnesses, collect expert testimony, and subpoena documents.
- Is there a large amount of compensation involved? Defendants facing enormous losses will hire the strongest possible defense and prepare for a long, hard battle when hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars are on the line. They will try every tactic in the book to stall or thwart the claim.
- Did you file within the standard statute of limitations period? If your claim falls outside the standard legal deadline, Richmond Hill personal injury lawyerswill need to file a petition for writs of certiorari and await approval before the case may proceed through the courts.
- Is the case going to trial? Depending on how busy the court schedule is, a trial could take 12 to 18 months just to set a date, let alone prepare for the additional rigors of judge and jury scrutiny.
It is possible to resolve a personal injury lawsuit within six months if it is a straightforward settlement. If you are concerned about the cost of living while going through the legal process, be sure to discuss your financial situation with your legal team. They may be able to help you with some of your short-term expenses or point you to community resources to help you get by while you wait for your case to prevail.
Where To Find Richmond Hill Personal Injury Lawyers
The law office of Douglas & London is conveniently located less than an hour west of Richmond Hill via I-495. Richmond Hill personal injury lawyersare available to take your call, any time, 24/7.
