Guides for people hurt in an accident

After a crash

A car, truck, motorcycle or bike crash, or hit by a car while walking.

• What to do after a car accidentTake it one step at a time. Look after yourself first. Then keep a simple record, learn your deadline, and decide later whether you want a lawyer.
• After a truck accidentThe first steps are the same as after any crash: get safe, get care, and keep a record. What’s different is who may be responsible, the federal rules trucks must follow, and how long some records are kept.
• After a motorcycle or bike crashThe first steps are the same as after any crash: get safe, get care, and keep a record. Riders also have a few things to think about: the helmet and gear, how fault gets argued, and whether the road itself played a part.
• Hit by a car while walkingBeing hit while walking is frightening, and the steps afterwards can feel like they were written for drivers. Here is what to do first, what to keep, and how insurance usually works when you weren’t in a car at all.

Other injuries

A fall, a dog bite, an injury at work or from medical care, a head injury, or a death in the family.

• After a slip and fallFalls happen in shops, apartment buildings, parking lots and offices. The first steps are simple: get care and keep a record. After that, a few questions decide most cases: what caused the fall, who controlled the place, and why you were there.
• After a dog biteA dog bite can happen at a neighbor’s house, on a walk or at work. The first steps are simple: get care, find out whose dog it was, and keep a record. After that, your state’s rules decide a lot. Some states make the owner pay for a bite even if the dog never hurt anyone before. Others don’t.
• Hurt at workIf you were hurt on the job, workers’ compensation is usually the main way to get your medical bills and part of your pay covered. Sometimes someone other than your employer also caused the injury. Then you may have a separate injury claim too. This guide explains both, and the deadlines that come first.
• After a head or brain injuryA blow to the head can seem minor at first. Get checked, then keep a simple record of how you feel and what changes. Legal deadlines keep running while you recover, so it helps to know them early.
• When medical care goes wrongA bad result is not always someone’s fault. But sometimes care falls short and causes real harm. These claims have more steps than most injury claims, and the deadlines can be short. This guide explains the usual shape of a claim and links to your state’s rules.
• Wrongful death basicsIf someone in your family died after a crash, a fall or another injury, you don’t have to decide anything today. This guide explains the words you’ll hear and the deadline that still runs while you grieve. It doesn’t replace advice from a lawyer about your family.

Lawyers, money and records

Choosing a lawyer, what they do and charge, the other side’s insurer, your records and your deadline.

• How to choose an injury lawyerThere’s no single right lawyer for everyone. These questions help you compare firms on the things that matter to you.
• What an injury lawyer doesEvery case is different, but most follow the same rough path. Knowing the steps helps you ask good questions and know what’s coming next.
• How contingency fees workMost injury lawyers are paid only if you get money. Here is how that usually works, and what to check before you sign.
• What you take home from a settlementThe settlement amount is not what you get. Here is where the money usually goes first, and what to ask before you agree.
• Settlement take-home calculatorEnter the numbers from your fee agreement and settlement offer to see, line by line, what might be left for you. It is an estimate, not advice.
• Checking a lawyer before you hireA few quick checks can save you trouble. Here is how to look up a lawyer, what warning signs to watch for, and what to ask.
• Changing or firing your lawyerYou can change lawyers. Here is what usually happens to the fee and your file, and how to switch without losing time.
• Talking to the other driver’s insurance companyAfter a crash, the other driver’s insurance company may call you soon. You can be polite, share the basics, and take your time with everything else.
• Get your medical recordsAfter an injury, your medical records tell the story of what happened to you. Federal law gives you the right to get a copy.
• Your state’s deadline to fileEvery state sets a deadline to file an injury lawsuit. Find yours, with sources.

Guides for your state

A few rules change from state to state, often with dates attached. Each state’s page sets them out, with the law each rule comes from.

• ArizonaInjured in ArizonaMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Arizona rules have dates attached, and one of them is only 180 days. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• FloridaInjured in FloridaMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Florida rules have dates attached, and some changed in 2023. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• MichiganInjured in MichiganMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. Michigan has a no-fault car insurance system and several short deadlines that catch people out. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• New JerseyInjured in New JerseyMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few New Jersey rules have dates attached, and one is only 90 days. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• New YorkInjured in New YorkMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few New York rules have dates attached, some are very short, and one changed in 2026. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• North CarolinaInjured in North CarolinaMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few North Carolina rules are different, and one is much stricter than in most states. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• OhioInjured in OhioMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Ohio rules have dates attached, and medical claims have just one year. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• PennsylvaniaInjured in PennsylvaniaMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Pennsylvania rules have dates attached, and one is only six months. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• South DakotaInjured in South DakotaMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few South Dakota rules have dates attached, and its fault rule is unlike most states. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• TexasInjured in TexasMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Texas rules have dates attached, and some are short. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• UtahInjured in UtahMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Utah rules have dates attached, and one of them is only one year. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• VermontInjured in VermontMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Vermont rules have dates attached, and one is only 20 days. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• VirginiaInjured in VirginiaMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Virginia rules are different, and two of them are much stricter than in most states. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• WashingtonInjured in WashingtonMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Washington rules have dates attached, and one adds a step before you can sue a government body. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• West VirginiaInjured in West VirginiaMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few West Virginia rules have dates attached, and one of them is only one year. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.
• WyomingInjured in WyomingMost of what to do after an injury is the same everywhere. A few Wyoming rules have dates attached, and some are much shorter than the main one. Here they are in plain words, each with the law it comes from. This is general information, not advice about your case.

Your state isn’t here yet? Every state has its own page with its fault rule, and its deadline once we have checked it: see the deadline to file in every state.

Deadlines by state

The usual deadline to file an injury lawsuit. “Not checked yet” means we haven’t checked it against the official text, so ask a lawyer. Open your state for exceptions and the fault rule.

• AlabamaNot checked yet
• AlaskaNot checked yet
• Arizona2 years
• ArkansasNot checked yet
• CaliforniaNot checked yet
• Colorado2 years
• ConnecticutNot checked yet
• DelawareNot checked yet
• District of ColumbiaNot checked yet
• Florida2 years
• GeorgiaNot checked yet
• HawaiiNot checked yet
• IdahoNot checked yet
• IllinoisNot checked yet
• IndianaNot checked yet
• IowaNot checked yet
• KansasNot checked yet
• Kentucky1 year
• LouisianaNot checked yet
• MaineNot checked yet
• MarylandNot checked yet
• MassachusettsNot checked yet
• Michigan3 years (2 for medical mistakes)
• Minnesota6 years (4 for medical mistakes; 3 for a death)
• MississippiNot checked yet
• Missouri5 years (2 for medical mistakes; 3 for a death)
• Montana3 years
• Nebraska4 years (2 for a death)
• Nevada2 years
• New HampshireNot checked yet
• New Jersey2 years
• New MexicoNot checked yet
• New York3 years (2 years 6 months for medical mistakes; 2 for a death)
• North Carolina3 years (2 for a death)
• North Dakota6 years (2 for medical mistakes; 2 for a death)
• Ohio2 years (1 for medical mistakes)
• Oklahoma2 years
• Oregon2 years (3 for a death)
• Pennsylvania2 years
• Rhode Island3 years
• South Carolina3 years
• South Dakota3 years (2 for medical mistakes)
• TennesseeNot checked yet
• Texas2 years
• UtahNot checked yet
• Vermont3 years (2 for a death)
• Virginia2 years
• Washington3 years
• West Virginia2 years
• WisconsinNot checked yet
• Wyoming4 years (2 for medical mistakes; 2 for a death)