If this happened on Broad Street near VCU, or in one of those I-95/I-64 lane shifts by downtown Richmond, you are probably not too late if it was last summer - but Virginia's main deadline is usually 2 years from the crash date for a personal injury lawsuit.

Before knowing that, a lot of people assume they missed their chance because the pain dragged on, treatment took months, and they were trying to stay independent at home. That is especially common with back, shoulder, and burn injuries that look manageable at first and then keep getting worse.

After knowing the rule, your situation changes fast. If you are still within 2 years, you still may have a claim, but the delay has consequences. The insurance company will ask why you waited. In Virginia's contributory negligence system, if they can pin even 1% of the blame on you, you can recover nothing. Waiting also makes key proof harder to get, like:

• work-zone traffic control plans
• flagger assignments
• VDOT or contractor incident reports
• photos of cones, signs, and lane shifts
• witness memories

If a city truck, VDOT vehicle, or other government vehicle was involved, there may be a much shorter notice deadline before the 2-year lawsuit deadline. Those cases can turn on quick written notice to the right government office.

If more than 2 years have already passed, your lawsuit is usually barred in Virginia. There are narrow exceptions, but for most Richmond crash cases, that deadline is hard.

One more split matters: damage to your car has a different deadline - generally 5 years for property damage - but that does not extend the injury claim.

So the "before" version is months of uncertainty. The "after" version is simple but urgent: check the exact crash date, identify whether any government vehicle or road contractor was involved, and treat 2 years as the line where your injury claim can disappear.