Injuring yourself on another person’s property is usually not a serious issue, especially if the injuries suffered are minor issues such as cuts or bruises. However, even minor slip-and-fall accidents can lead to serious injury if the victim lands wrongly or their head strikes the floor. In such a scenario, the victim may require extensive medical attention which could become a serious financial burden. If you are close to the person on whose property you injured yourself, you may struggle with the decision of whether or not to file a suit.
It can be hard to file a lawsuit against a friend, especially if the injury was an accident that nobody could have predicted. However, many accidents that occur on someone else’s property are the result of negligent property conditions, and the injuries could have been avoided if the property owner had taken the proper precautions. You may choose not to file a claim when you are first injured, but if the injury causes issues later on, and you cannot afford the medical bills, you may not have a choice.
Unfortunately, if you wait too long to file a claim, you might not be able to file a claim at all. Each state has a statute of limitations that outlines the general time frame in which someone can file a personal injury lawsuit for a specific incident in which a person feels that they have been wronged. The Massachusetts statute of limitations for injury to a person is three years.
This means that three years after an incident that causes you an injury occurs, you will have a much harder time filing a successful lawsuit, even if your claim is strong. This is why it is important to act quickly when you injure yourself on someone else’s property.