THE simple answer is Yes.

Claims for personal injury must be issued at court within three years from the date of the accident. If not they are out of the time and statute barred preventing compensation being made.

There are expectations to this rule however.

In certain circumstances, if it has only just come to your attention that the injuries from which you are suffering were linked to the accident, the three-year time period will only start to run from that date of knowledge.

An example of this could be that you have recently contracted a disease or illness caused during your previous employment perhaps five or ten years ago. If this has only just come to light, the court can allow the limitation period to run from the date the disease was diagnosed.

This, however, is a complicated area of law. My advice, as always, is if you have suffered an injury you should consult a lawyer specialising in personal injury claims at the earliest opportunity.

Andrew Newton, a partner at Maxwell Entwistle & Byrne, West Kirby, is a member of the Law Society's Personal Injury Panel.

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