You may be made a victim of a slip and fall accident if you were injured on someone else’s property. And if this property is owned by the state or city, then you may have to file a Notice of Claim. Continue reading to learn more about the Notice of Claim and how one of the experienced Panama City slip & fall accident attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA can assist you with it.

When do I file a Notice of Claim in the state of Florida?

After your slip and fall accident, you may want to file a premises liability claim in an attempt to receive a monetary award for your incurred injuries, damages, and losses. Up until recently, the statute of limitations for this type of claim was four years. But now, the state of Florida has changed this statute to two years. Meaning, you have two years from the date of your slip and fall accident to bring your claim forward to the personal injury court.

But if your slip and fall accident occurred on a state- or city-owned property, then you must file a Notice of Claim before your premises liability claim. This is because a Notice of Claim is essentially a “heads up” that you intend to sue. So, this two-year deadline will be further shortened.

You must give yourself ample time to prepare your Notice of Claim. Usually, you will need to supply your contact information, the specifics of your accident, the specifics of your injuries and damages, and the estimated amount of money you wish to recover. Though, some Florida cities and municipalities may have different sets of requirements than others.

What happens if I do not file on time?

There are major consequences after missing your deadlines for your Notice of Claim and your premises liability claim. They are as follows:

  • Your right to sue the negligent party will be indefinitely relinquished.
  • Your opportunity to recover your damages and losses will be permanently barred.
  • Your opportunity to attain justice over the negligent party will be permanently barred.

What’s more, if you wait too long to file your claim, you give the defense attorney a greater chance of making a strong argument against you. That is, they may argue that your delay in taking legal action shows that you are exaggerating the severity of your injuries and damages. Or, if you wait too long to bring attention to this situation, others may be made victims of similar slip and fall accidents.

All in all, you should not have to go through this claims process alone. Instead, you should acquire the support of one of the Panama City personal injury attorneys. We look forward to helping you.