Deadlines to File an Injury Lawsuit in Washington

Three years for any injury to the person or rights of another not otherwise listed in the limitations statutes.

Three years for taking, detaining or injuring personal property (such as a car), and three years for waste or trespass on real property.

Three years from the act or omission, or one year from when the patient discovered or reasonably should have discovered that the injury was caused by it, whichever is later, but no more than eight years after the act or omission. The time is tolled for fraud, intentional concealment, or a foreign object left in the body until the patient has actual knowledge, after which the patient has one year. For minors, a parent's or guardian's knowledge is imputed to the child.

State: a claim must be presented to the Office of Risk Management on the standard tort claim form, and no lawsuit may be filed until 60 days after the claim is presented (the limitations period is paused during those 60 days). Local governments: a claim on the standard tort claim form must be presented to the agent appointed by the local government within the limitations period, and no lawsuit may be filed until 60 days after presentment (again, the limitations period is paused). The form asks for a description of the incident, the injury, the time and place, people involved, the amount claimed and the claimant's residence.