Maryland injury rights, deadlines, and help

You are dealing with a lot right now. This page can help. If you were hurt in Maryland, you probably have one big question: how long do I have to act, and what should I do first?

Are you in an emergency right now?

• Check yourself and others for injuries, breathing, and bleeding.
• Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the road is not safe.
• Get somewhere safe if you can do it safely.
• Get medical care even if you feel fine. Some injuries hide for days.
• This page is for after you are safe.

This page covers Maryland injury deadlines and what to do right now. Two things make Maryland different: very short work injury reporting windows, and one of the strictest fault rules in the country. We are the injured person's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

The deadlines that matter in Maryland

• Personal injury lawsuit: 3 years. Maryland's statute of limitations (the legal deadline to file a lawsuit) for injury cases is 3 years. Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Proc. 5-101. Official text
• Work injury, tell your employer: 10 days. Give oral or written notice within 10 days of an accidental injury (30 days for a death). Missing it can bar the claim unless the Workers' Compensation Commission excuses it. Md. Code, Lab. and Empl. 9-704. Official text
• Work injury, formal claim: 60 days, hard stop at 2 years. File your claim with the Commission within 60 days of the injury. Late filing can be excused, but 2 years is an absolute bar. Md. Code, Lab. and Empl. 9-709. Official text
• Claim against the State of Maryland: 1 year. Send a written claim to the State Treasurer within 1 year; the lawsuit itself must be filed within 3 years. Md. Code, State Gov't 12-106. Official text
• Claim against a county or city: notice within 1 year. The notice must go to the specific official the law names for that county or city, and the right recipient varies by place. Both government deadlines can be excused for good cause, but do not count on it. Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Proc. 5-304. Official text

Warning: don't wait! Maryland's 3-year injury clock is a trap, because the 10-day work notice and 1-year government notice run much faster underneath it, so people wait, and waiting kills cases. The longer you wait, the fuzzier memories get and documents get lost. Collect and save what you can, then talk to an advocate immediately. And important: medical claims can have different, often shorter deadlines. Do not assume the standard rule covers a hospital or doctor case. Minors and some other people may get extra time. Laws change, so treat these as starting points, not legal advice for your exact case.

Protect your case

1. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
2. Report the injury in writing. Work injury: tell your employer today. In Maryland the window is only 10 days. Crash: call the police and get the report number. Fall or dog bite: tell the property owner or dog owner and keep proof you did.
3. Save everything. Photos of the scene, names of witnesses, receipts, and every letter or text about the incident.
4. Be very careful what you say about your own actions. Maryland is one of the last states where any share of fault on your part, even a small one, can bar your recovery completely (more below). Casual apologies and guesses get used against people.

Talk to an advocate. Not sure which deadline applies to you?

Never do these

• Never sign a release or accept a first settlement offer without talking to an advocate first. Once you sign, you may not be able to undo it.
• Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company, even your own. Talk to an advocate first.
• Never say "I'm sorry" or guess at fault after an accident. In Maryland, any share of fault can end your recovery completely.
• Never post about the incident or your recovery on social media. Insurers use these posts against you.

Common situations in Maryland

Hurt at work

Maryland workers' compensation (the no-fault system that pays for work injuries) moves fast: 10 days to report, 60 days for the claim form, and an absolute 2-year bar. The good news is that comp is no-fault, so the strict fault rule below does not apply to comp benefits.

Report the same day, file early, and keep copies of everything.

Hurt on the road

Car, motorcycle, bike, and pedestrian injuries generally fall under the 3-year lawsuit deadline. Fault is where Maryland is hardest on injured people. It follows the contributory negligence rule: if the other side convinces a court you were even slightly at fault, you can recover nothing at all.

Maryland's highest court reaffirmed this rule in Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia (2013). Court opinion Only a handful of places still use this rule, and it is the single biggest reason not to handle a contested Maryland injury claim alone.

Hurt on someone's property, or by a dog

Slip and fall cases follow the same 3-year clock, with the 1-year notice rules if the property belongs to the state, a county, or a city. Contributory negligence looms over fall cases too, because "you should have watched your step" is exactly the argument the rule rewards.

For dog bites, Maryland law gives victims a head start: proof that the dog caused the injury creates a presumption that the owner knew the dog was dangerous, and the owner has to rebut it. A dog running at large brings stricter liability. Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Proc. 3-1901. Official text

A story worth knowing

In Baltimore, Jacqueline Cade stumbled and fell as she was leaving an elevator on the seventh level of a parking garage at 210 West Baltimore Street. She sued the garage operator, Arrow Parking Corp., saying the elevator was not level with the floor. Arrow Parking argued she was contributorily negligent and that the uneven elevator was an open and obvious condition it had no duty to warn her about, the same fault argument Maryland allows to wipe out a claim entirely. A jury sided with Cade anyway, and Maryland's Appellate Court affirmed the verdict in a February 2024 opinion. (Maryland Daily Record) Gather solid proof of exactly what happened before you talk to the other side.

What we can help with

We are not a law firm and we do not charge injured people anything. We are your advocate. Here is what that looks like:

• Explain your rights and the Maryland deadlines above in plain language.
• Help you figure out which situation you are in: work injury, road injury, government property, dog bite, or something else.
• Connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. In a contributory negligence state, that matters even more.
• A nearby hospital, lab, or doctor can document your condition, which supports your claim.

Our help is always free to you. We never take money from injured people.

Talk to an advocate. You do not have to figure this out alone. Start the form or open the chat.

Sources

• Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Proc. 5-101 (personal injury statute of limitations): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcj&section=5-101&enactments=false
• Md. Code, Lab. and Empl. 9-704 (work injury notice): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gle&section=9-704&enactments=false
• Md. Code, Lab. and Empl. 9-709 (workers' compensation claim deadline): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gle&section=9-709&enactments=false
• Md. Code, State Gov't 12-106 (claims against the state): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gsg&section=12-106&enactments=false
• Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Proc. 5-304 (notice to local governments): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcj&section=5-304&enactments=false
• Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Proc. 3-1901 (dog bite liability): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcj&section=3-1901&enactments=false
• Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia, 432 Md. 679 (2013): https://www.mdcourts.gov/opinions/coa/2013/9a12.pdf
• Arrow Parking Corp. et al. v. Jacqueline Cade, Maryland Daily Record (2024): https://thedailyrecord.com/2024/02/07/arrow-parking-corp-et-al-v-jacqueline-cade/

Last reviewed: 2026-08-17

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.