Alabama injury rights, deadlines, and help

If you were hurt in Alabama, you probably want to know one thing first: how long do I have to act? This page gives you Alabama's main injury deadlines, what to do right now, and where free help is.

We are the injured person's advocate. Our help is always free to you.

The deadline box: Alabama's key time limits

Alabama's deadlines come with some of the strictest fine print in the country. Here are the main clocks.

• Personal injury lawsuit: 2 years. Under Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l), most injury lawsuits must be filed within 2 years of the injury. (Source)
• Work injury, report to your employer: 5 days, in writing. Under Ala. Code § 25-5-78, you must give your employer written notice within 5 days of the accident. If no written notice is given within 90 days, no compensation is payable at all. (Source)
• Work injury, file the claim: 2 years. Under Ala. Code § 25-5-80, a workers compensation claim (the state system that pays for work injuries) must be filed within 2 years of the accident. If compensation payments were made, the clock is 2 years from the last payment. (Source)
• Injury involving a city: 6 months. Under Ala. Code § 11-47-23, a claim against a city must be presented to the city clerk within 6 months. (Source)

Two warnings. First, Alabama courts have held that the 6-month city deadline is not paused for minors, so a child's claim against a city runs on the same short clock. Claims against counties or the state follow different rules and windows, so check with official sources early. Second, medical claims can have different, often shorter deadlines. Do not assume the 2-year rule covers a hospital or doctor case.

What to do first

1. Get medical care now. Your health comes first, and the records also document your injury.
2. If it happened at work, give your employer written notice today. In Alabama, spoken notice is not enough. Keep a copy.
3. Write down what happened while it is fresh: date, time, place, people, and conditions.
4. Take photos of the scene, your injuries, and anything involved (a vehicle, a wet floor, a machine).
5. Get names and contact information for witnesses.
6. Do not sign anything from an insurance company before you understand your full costs.
7. Note who owns the place where you were hurt. If a city is involved, the 6-month clock is already running.

Common situations in Alabama

Hurt at work. Alabama's workers compensation system pays medical costs and part of your wages, but the notice rules are unforgiving. The 5-day written notice and the 90-day absolute cutoff are the traps that catch people. If your injury seems minor, report it in writing anyway. Injuries that "seem fine" can get worse.

Hurt on the road. Alabama follows a rule called contributory negligence (a rule that blocks recovery if you share any fault). Under Alabama common law, confirmed in Golden v. McCurry, a person found even slightly at fault can be barred from recovering anything. (Source) Only a few states still use this rule. It makes early evidence, photos, and witnesses matter even more here, because the other side will look hard for any fault to pin on you.

Hurt on someone's property. Falls, dog bites, and unsafe conditions follow the same 2-year lawsuit clock. For dog bites, under Ala. Code § 3-6-1, the state statute only covers bites that happen on the owner's property while you are lawfully there, and an owner who did not know the dog was dangerous may owe only actual expenses. (Source) Other dog injuries fall under older court-made rules. If a city sidewalk or public building is involved, remember the 6-month notice.

A true story: nineteen hours too late

Reporting deadlines sound like paperwork until they end a case. In November 2013, Rebecca Amador, a Texas nursing-home worker, hurt her back while moving a patient. Her employer had opted out of the state workers comp system and ran its own injury plan, which required workers to report injuries by the end of their shift. She reported 19 hours later. That was already too late under the plan. Her claim was rejected, her health insurance would not cover a work injury, and she ended up at a public clinic, unable to afford a specialist. (Source: ProPublica)

Her story is from Texas, but the lesson lands hardest in Alabama, where the written-notice window is 5 days. The system is unforgiving about time. That is not your fault. It is simply why acting the same day, in writing, protects you.

What we can help with

We are on your side, and our help is free to injured people. We can help you:

• Understand which Alabama deadlines apply to your situation
• Put your work-injury notice in writing correctly, today
• Organize your records, photos, and timeline
• Find the right next step: medical care, therapy, state benefits, or a licensed attorney when your case needs one
• Prepare questions to ask before you hire any lawyer

We do not give legal advice, and we never take money from injured people. We explain your rights in plain language and connect you with licensed help when you need it.

Tell us what happened

If you or someone you love was hurt in Alabama, you do not have to sort this out alone. Tell us what happened. It is free, private, and there is no pressure.

Sources

• Ala. Code § 6-2-38 (personal injury time limit)
• Ala. Code § 25-5-78 (workers comp notice)
• Ala. Code § 25-5-80 (workers comp claim deadline)
• Ala. Code § 11-47-23 (city claim notice)
• Ala. Code § 3-6-1 (dog bite statute)
• Golden v. McCurry, 392 So. 2d 815 (Ala. 1980)

Last reviewed: 2026-08-16

This is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines can change or vary with the facts. A licensed attorney can confirm the rule for your situation.