Friends. Let me preach a little here. After you are hurt, there is no need to wait to talk to a personal injury attorney. Repeat after me. If you wait too long, you can lose everything.

The choir will now sing while you call.

Here is how the law works in Alabama (we will get to other states in a moment): you have 2 years from the accident (or when you learned about it) to file a lawsuit or you can never file. This is important because most people and insurance companies will not pay unless they fear a court will order them to pay. No lawsuit filed; no order to pay.

This does not mean you have to go to court. It means a person (your lawyer) must file a whole lot of papers to protect your rights.

Now add that in injury cases, most attorneys don’t charge you anything to talk with them. They take their fee out of what they get you. It generally costs you nothing out of your pocket. You have to wonder why people wait.

Seriously, I do not think I have a more difficult job than telling an injured person and their family that they waited too long. They could have had money to get better, but now there is almost nothing that can be done.

So how long can you wait in other states? Florida has 4 years. Mississippi has 3. Louisiana only one. If you are a procrastinator, consider getting hurt in Maine. They have 6.

Our lesson for today — when you get hurt call an attorney and learn what your rights are. It costs you nothing and the clock is ticking.

If you are hurt in a traffic accident, you can talk to us at the  Law Firm of Eiland and Ritchie  for free. We want to help you get back on your feet.

Also join us on  NBC 15 LawCall  here in Mobile every Sunday night at 10:30 right after the news. We will take your calls live.

Allen Ritchie

Alabama personal injury lawyer

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