Can I file a suit for an accident that occurred 5 years ago?

In Michigan, it is your own vehicle insurer that pays Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits, which include crash related medical treatment/testing expenses for life. So, as long as the insurer was put on notice within 1 year of the collision by the filing of an Application for Benefits (AFB) then they continue to be responsible for crash related medicals. You would simply turn the bills in to the insurer your father had on his vehicle as of the date of the crash. They would be entitled to ask any treating doctor to confirm whether such treatment is in fact related to the crash and/or to have a doctor of their choosing do an exam on your dad and/or review the medical records to give an opinion on relation to the past crash. The insurer could contest whether the injuries are crash related (and more often than not, they seem to do that if there has been a gap in time and/or treatment). If the insurer contests the bills, you'd need to consult a lawyer to see if the case would be worth filing (which will be dependent on the amount in question and the strength of the medical proofs). It is highly unlikely a pain & suffering case would be available any longer as the statute of limitations in Michigan is 3 years. There are certain limited exceptions which "toll" (suspend) the statute of limitations and you could consult local Michigan counsel to explore whether any of same exist in your father's situation (although typically same do not exist in very many cases). If you had a lawyer that had the case and missed the statute, you may have a legal malpractice case against the lawyer, but that has a 2 year statute of limitations and if he/she missed the 3 year statute more than 2 years ago you may be out of luck there as well. Again, a consultation with a local Michigan lawyer is probably in order to determine what cases exist, if any.

The statute of limitations for personal injury in California is covered by Cal Civ Pro Code section 335.1. If you read the statute, the limit is 2 years from date of injury, thus the statute would have already run and you would not be able to file suit.

In Alabama, he would be too late to go after another driver. However, it never hurts to get a second opinion. Good luck.

No, you missed the statute of limitation period.

Every state has its own Statute of Limitations, which is a time frame during which a suit can be filed. In Michigan, it is three (3) years for an accident like this, but in other states it can be more or less. The ONLY way to extend the date is if the victim is under a disability. So, if your father in law was rendered into a coma, or suffering severe brain damage or significant emotional problems that would prevent him from cooperating with his lawyer, you might be able to extend the time. From your explanation, I do not think that is the case. You need to ask a lawyer in your state about the Statute of Limitations in an auto accident case.

Unfortunately, no. In Utah, you have 4 years from the date of the accident to file an injury lawsuit in court. So, since you stated that your father's car accident happened 5 years ago, the time to file the case has ran out.

There is a 4 year statute of limitations for auto accident cases in Florida. Check to be sure the lawyer rejected the case before the 4 years ran if he rejected after the 4 years, but was retained to handle the case he missed the statute of limitations which is legal malpractice and your father could assert a claim against that lawyer if that was in fact what happened.

In WI, the statute of limitations on a negligence action is three years, so it would appear to have expired, barring suit on a negligence claim. Absent some other theory of recovery, he is probably out of luck.

If you are in Michigan it is doubtful, but I need the details to form a firm opinion. You are very late and therefore lost rights already, and more are at risk every day. get on it.

There is a 3 year statute of limitations in this state. If the lawyer did not want to pursue it there must e a good reason no insurance? No assets? Why don't you ask him why.

In California, the statue of limitations for filing a lawsuit for personal injury is two years from the date of the injury.