Statutes of limitations are legal time limits placed on claims where one party can receive damages.  In the state of Missouri, you have 5 years from the date of injury in which to file a lawsuit.

As an example, if you were involved in an auto accident and broke your arm on November 7, 2015, you can negotiate for a settlement with the responsible party until November 7,  2021, at which time you need to have reached a settlement or you will need to file a lawsuit on that day.

To be clear, if a person involved in an auto accident that was the fault of the other drive, they have five years to bring a claim against the other driver in court.  If more than five years have passed then a claim cannot be brought against the fault drive and the person has lost their legal right to sue them. If the statute of limitations has run on a claim, this bars a party from relief on that claim.

If you try to file your lawsuit after the 5-year deadline set by Missouri’s statute of limitations person who is responsible for your personal injury will ask that the court dismiss the case and the court will almost always grant the request.  Once the case is dismissed there is nothing more that can be done you have missed the window of opportunity.

For this reason is it important that you work with an experienced personal injury attorney to make sure that the 5-year statute of limitations deadline isn’t the reason you didn’t receive compensation for your personal injury damages.

If the applicable filing deadline is approaching,  contact RS Law today to make sure your rights are protected.