Although negligence is a serious issue, as with most civil and criminal issues, a statute of limitations applies. A statute of limitations is a period of time, called a “prescription period”, after which crimes may no longer be prosecuted and civil lawsuits may no longer be filed. Certain actions, such as murder or kidnapping, have no statute of limitations. Thus, even if you are suspected of murder thirty years after the fact, you can still be prosecuted. However, the same situation would not apply if you had stolen a piece of candy from a grocery store.
Typically, this time frame begins when the actual crime or cause of action is committed, although in certain cases, it can begin when a certain condition is discovered. For example, if you purchase an automobile and discover years later that it has a grievous fault that has caused you injury, the statute of limitations likely would begin from the day you were injured, not the day that you purchased the vehicle.
In Indiana, the statute of limitations on most civil cases, including negligence, personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and intentional torts (such as assault and battery) is two years, although certain exceptions can apply. It is important that, if you have been injured, you contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to determine the statute of limitations for your specific case.
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If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, contact the Indianapolis personal injury lawyers of Hankey Marks & Crider, at (317) 634-8565.