Two years is may seem like a long time, until you put it in the context of how long you have to file a personal injury claim. Still seem like a long time? It is not for your Car Accident In Anchorage.
When you are hurt in a car accident or most other personal injury incidents, Alaska requires you to start your lawsuit within two years from the date it happened or, in some cases, the date you discover your injuries.
Although the most commonly missed deadline, this is not the only one that, if ignored, will ruin your chances at receiving just compensation for your injuries. For this reason, it is vital to retain qualified attorneys for your Car Accident In Anchorage, no matter how obvious the negligence of the other party is and no matter how severe your injuries were.
Experienced lawyers know that there are certain things must simply be done by the time the law requires, or you are going to throw away your chances at recovery.
For example, in addition to timely filing your lawsuit (which, if not done, is almost guaranteed to prevent you from recovering any money), time requirements are imposed for many other things. After you file the complaint, it must be delivered (or served) upon the defendant within a certain amount of time. Miss that deadline, and your case is likely to be dismissed.
The defendant then has a certain amount of time within which to answer the complaint. If he or she fails to do so, there will be a certain amount of time within which you must move for a default judgment. Miss that deadline, and your case is likely to be dismissed.
When a defendant answers, he or she may assert counterclaims against you, which you must answer in a certain amount of time. Miss that deadline, and the counterclaims are likely to be awarded in the defendant’s favor.
Following the above-discussed pleading phase of the lawsuit, deadlines exist by which parties must serve and respond to discovery demands—t he papers exchanged between the parties by which written information is learned. Miss these deadlines and your case may be dismissed.
Upon the completion of written discovery, depositions of all parties should be conducted and, yes, there are certain prescribed times within which this must be completed. Miss these deadlines, and your case may once again be subject to dismissal.
Once discovery is complete, deadlines for filing motions and other documents in preparation for trial will need to be adhered to. Missing such deadlines could also lead to dismissal or some other harm to your otherwise strong case.
At trial, the Court will be even more stringent when it comes to deadlines. After all, the jurors’ time is important, as is the Court’s. And with the need to call witnesses such as the parties, eyewitnesses, doctors, etc., the Court will try to ensure that this is all done in a timely fashion. Miss these deadlines, and certain evidence could be precluded or, even worse, your case may be dismissed.
Notice that nothing above relates to the merits of your case. This is because before you get anyone to consider the merits, you must comply with the myriad court-imposed deadlines that exist in the Alaska Court system. Only the retaining of a qualified, competent and experienced attorney will give you the best chance to recover adequate compensation for your injuries arising out of your car accident.
