In Ohio, a personal injury claim is generally due within 2 years of the injury (R.C. 2305.10(A)). Ohio uses modified comparative fault: an injured person who is more than 50% at fault recovers nothing, and a smaller share of fault reduces the award (R.C. 2315.33). Columbus injury victims should preserve evidence early.
This page provides general information, not legal advice about your matter. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
The adjuster is not neutral
The first call from the other driver’s insurer is friendly and recorded. Its job is to lock in your words before you know how badly you are hurt. You can decline a recorded statement, decline to sign a broad medical release, and send the adjuster to us.
A quick check in the first week can feel like help. Cashing it usually ends the claim, often before the MRI results are back.
Claims we take
- Car, truck and motorcycle crashes.
- Pedestrians and cyclists hit by drivers.
- Falls and injuries caused by unsafe property.
- Crashes involving city, county or state vehicles. See suing the government in Ohio.
- Other injuries caused by someone else’s carelessness. If you are not sure it fits, call.
Fault is the fight
Because a share of blame over 50% bars recovery, insurers work hard to move fault onto you. Even a small share they pin on you comes straight off the award. The police report, photos, skid marks, witness names, and any dash-cam, doorbell or business video decide that argument. Most of it disappears within weeks. The same fight applies to falls, unsafe property and other negligence: usually the same 2-year deadline, the same need for proof.
We send preservation letters, request the crash report and any 911 audio, and go back to the scene while it still looks the way it did.
Your treatment is your evidence
Gaps in care are the insurer’s favorite argument. Follow your doctors, keep every bill and record, and write down what you can no longer do: the shift you missed, the stairs you avoid, the child you cannot lift. That is how pain becomes proof.
Do not post about the crash or your recovery. Adjusters read social media.
Adjuster pushing a quick check? Call 614-944-5151 before you cash it.
What a claim is built from
- Medical bills, past and expected.
- Wages and earning capacity you lost.
- Pain, limits on daily life and the length of recovery.
- Property damage and out-of-pocket costs.
Each item needs a document behind it. We gather the records ourselves, so the number we put in front of the insurer is one it cannot wave away.
Whose insurance pays
The at-fault driver’s policy is the first place to look, but its limits may be low. Coverage on your own policy for uninsured or underinsured drivers can matter as much. Health insurers and other payers may also claim a share of a recovery, and those claims should be negotiated, not simply paid.
How a claim moves
First, treatment and investigation. Then a demand package when your medical picture is clear enough to value. If the insurer will not pay fairly, we file suit, usually in the county where the crash happened, and the case moves into discovery, depositions and, if it comes to that, trial. Filing does not end negotiation. Often it is what starts the real kind.
When an injury takes a life
Families who lose someone in a crash have claims of their own, with their own rules and deadlines, set out in our Ohio wrongful death claims guide. Call us to talk them through.
Why clients hire us
- We price your claim from the medical record and lost income, not the adjuster’s first offer.
- When the insurer pushes back, we fight for your rights.
- We gather the fault evidence in the first weeks, before it disappears.
- We build every file for a jury, because that is what moves the number.
Millions of dollars recovered on behalf of our clients. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
FAQ
What is the statute of limitations for personal injury in Ohio?
Generally 2 years from the injury under R.C. 2305.10(A). Exceptions and claims against government bodies can change the deadline.
What if I was partly at fault?
You can still recover if your share of fault is 50% or less, though your award is reduced by that percentage. Over 50% bars recovery under R.C. 2315.33.
What should I do in the first days after an injury in Ohio?
Get medical care and follow it, then save the bills, photos, police report and witness names, and ask about video before it is overwritten. Write down what you remember while it is fresh.
Should I accept the first settlement offer?
Not before you know the full extent of your injuries. A settlement is final, and early offers are often made before the medical bills and lost wages are known.
Should I talk to the insurer?
Report the claim to your own insurer, but be careful with the other driver’s. You can decline a recorded statement and send the adjuster to your lawyer.
What if the other driver has no insurance?
Your own policy may cover you. Uninsured motorist coverage exists for this situation, so check your declarations page and report the claim to your insurer promptly.
What if a government vehicle hit me?
Different immunity rules and deadlines apply. See our page on suing the government in Ohio and call early.
Before you give a statement, call
Before the recorded statement, phone 614-944-5151 or tell us about the crash.
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Jeckering & Associates, LLC · Columbus office: 10 N High St, Suite 301, Columbus, OH 43215 · 614-944-5151 · Mechanicsburg office: 16 S Main St, Mechanicsburg, OH 43044 · 937-896-2222 · staff@centralohiolegal.com · Hours Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–5:30 PM