Bicycle Accident DEADLINES Can End Your Case...

All Kinds of Injury Cases Have Deadlines and Bicycle Accident Deadlines Are No Exception.

If you miss a deadline, your case could be over before you know it. 

The most common kind of deadline we talk about is what lawyers call a "Statute of Limitations".  That's a fancy word for actual laws which limit how long you have to have your case settled or to file a law suit.

So if you MISS a "Statute of Limitations" on a bicycle injury case, then you may be out of luck.  You might not be able to collect any money for your medical bills and injuries or even file a law suit after the bicycle accident deadlines to go to Court.

There is no specific law for bicycle accident deadlines on bicycle accident cases...but the more general deadlines still apply...

In some kinds of cases, there is a specific law which says how long you have to sue for that kind of case.  Examples include medical malpractice cases or cases against the City.

That means that the general rules on deadlines apply in bike crash injury cases.

To know your deadline in a bike crash, look at the Defendants -- the people and/or companies that hurt you.

When there isn't a specific law, then you look to the general lawa on deadlines.

The main injury deadline law says that you have 2 years from the date of your injury to file a law suit, and if you do not, then your case is over. That's how bicycle accident deadlines work.

But there are some excpetions based on who you say hurts you.

The deadline is 2 years from the date of your injury for almost everyone.  

The exception is if you are claiming that a City is responsible for your injuries. 

If you are making a claim for injuries against a City or City worker, then you have ONE YEAR to file a law suit.  

This could be a claim that the City did something that caused you to fall, or that a police officer, City worker or CTA bus struck you while riding your bike.

That's the most important of the bicycle accident deadlines.

What is the 'other' deadline that most lawyers never tell you?

There is another deadline, perhaps almost important as the first.  While not strictly a statutory bike accident deadline, it is very important.

It is the time limit for actually getting a lawyer who is willing to take your case.  A lot of people do not know this, but there are many times after a bicycle accident where the injured person has a 'decision point' about what to do.

These 'decisions points' include questions like:

• Who should I see for my injuries?
• Should I give a recorded statement?
• Should I sign their papers?
• Should I delay going to the doctor?
• Should I take an early and low settlement or wait?
• And a thousand others...

Remember that the involved insurance compainies want to move you towards decisions which make your case unproveable.  So if you make some decisions which later hurt your case, it becomes challenging.  SOme problems can be mitigated or fixed.  Some cannot.

So the 'second deadline' comes down to:  can you find a great injury lawyer willing to take your case a long time after the accident happened?

That's because good lawyers know that the closer to the deadline, on average, the more problems the case has.  And the less time the lawyer has to investigate the bike accident case. Another hint is if several other lawyers refused to take the case.

If you have too many problems with your case, or if you call a lawyer too close to a deadline, it might be hard to get a high quality and qualified lawyer to take the case.