Pennsylvania Minors Tolling Statute

Statutes of Limitation | Medical Malpractice

With few exceptions in Pennsylvania, adults must file personal injury law suits within two years of an accident. However, when the victim is a minor child, the law extends the time for filing suit until the child turns 18.

Often, due to a parent's sense of helplessness, or the hope that their child's injury will improve, parents make no claim, and later think they've waited too long. But since June 30, 1984, Pennsylvania law preserves the rights of children to make claims until their adulthood. The law even applies in some cases to injuries occurring before 1984.

So, where a two-year statute of limitations might otherwise apply, a claim involving children may be filed up to two years after they've reached eighteen. Though this law provides more time than before, it is still important to act early and consult a personal injury attorney in order to secure your child's rights.

Next Topic: Statutes of Limitation: The Discovery Rule.