How long do I have to file a burn injury claim?

In Washington, your legal rights when it comes to burn injuries depend on the specifics of your situation. Generally, you will have three years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit against the party responsible for the burn. This timeline is known as the statute of limitations. It is important to note, however, that the law does not always allow for more than three years to pass before filing a claim. In some cases, the statute of limitations will begin on the day that you discover your injury rather than the day it occurred. It is important to be aware of this so that you do not miss the opportunity to file a claim. For example, if you sustain a burn injury as a result of a defective product, you may not realize that the product caused your injury until several months have passed. In this case, the three-year clock starts when you discover the injury and not when the injury occurred. In addition, if the party responsible for the burn injury is the government or a government employee, you are required to file a claim within just one year of the date of the injury. For example, if you were burned due to a malfunctioning gas line owned by the City of Seattle, you must file a claim within one year or you may be barred from recovering any damages. It is important to research the law and speak with an experienced burn injury attorney as soon as possible to ensure that your rights are protected. This is especially true when the responsible party is a government entity, as the statute of limitations is much shorter in these cases.

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