New Hampshire injury rights, deadlines, and help

This page covers New Hampshire injury deadlines and what to do right now.

Are you in an emergency right now?

• Check yourself and others for injuries, breathing, and bleeding.
• Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the area 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.

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 deadline box: New Hampshire's key time limits

• Personal injury lawsuit: 3 years. Under RSA 508:4 (RSA is the Revised Statutes Annotated, New Hampshire's law code), most injury lawsuits must be filed within 3 years. This is the statute of limitations (the legal deadline to file a lawsuit). (Source)
• Work injury, notice to your employer: 2 years. Under RSA 281-A:19, notice of the injury must reach your employer within 2 years, and the clock accounts for injuries you discover later. This is unusually generous, but do not lean on it. Report in writing right away. (Source)
• Work injury, file the claim: 3 years. Under RSA 281-A:21-a, a workers compensation claim (the state system that pays for work injuries) must be filed within 3 years of the date of injury, with a discovery rule for late-appearing conditions. (Source)
• Injury involving the state: 180 days. Under RSA 541-B:14, IV, a claim against a state agency calls for written notice to the agency within 180 days of the injury. A late notice bars the claim only if the state proves it was substantially prejudiced, but treat 180 days as the real deadline. The action itself must be brought within 3 years. (Source)

Warning: don't wait! The comfortable 3-year clock is a trap. New Hampshire's deadlines are friendlier than most states', so people relax and drift, 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.

Protect your case

1. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free. Talk to an advocate.
2. If it happened at work, give your employer written notice today, even though the law allows much longer. 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, an icy walkway, a machine).
5. Get names and contact information for witnesses.
6. Note who owns the place where you were hurt. If a state agency is involved, the 180-day notice clock is already running.

Never do these

• Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company, even your own. Talk to an advocate first.
• Never sign anything from an insurance company, or accept a settlement offer, before you talk to an advocate. Once you sign, you may not be able to undo it.
• Never admit fault at the scene. Stick to facts only.
• Never post about your injury or recovery on social media. Insurers use these posts against you.

Common situations in New Hampshire

Hurt at work. The long notice window helps people whose injuries develop slowly, like back problems and repetitive strain. But the strongest claims are still built early. Memories fade, supervisors change, and an injury reported two years late invites a fight about whether it happened at work at all.

Report in writing the same day, and keep tracking the separate 3-year claim deadline.

Hurt on the road. New Hampshire uses modified comparative negligence (a rule that reduces or blocks recovery based on your share of fault). Under RSA 507:7-d, you can recover as long as your fault is not greater than the other side's, with your damages reduced by your share. (Source)

Because your percentage of fault is worth real money, early photos, witnesses, and the crash report matter.

Hurt on someone's property. Falls, dog bites, and unsafe conditions follow the same 3-year lawsuit clock. Dog injuries are covered by one of the stronger victim statutes in the region. Under RSA 466:19, the owner or keeper is liable for any damage done by the dog, unless you were trespassing or committing another wrong. You do not have to prove the dog was ever vicious before. (Source)

Winter falls deserve a note too: document ice and snow conditions immediately, because they melt away with the evidence.

A true story: the retainer paid, the deadlines missed

A Wisconsin woman with a products liability claim paid a lawyer a $3,200 retainer to pursue it. She was entitled to rely on him. Instead, he filed an action he should have known was barred, failed to sue the right people in time, and missed a deadline to respond to a motion, so her case was dismissed permanently. Worst of all, he let the statute of limitations run out before he ever told her what was happening. Her claims became barred forever. The court's referee said the lawyer's incompetence "deprived her of all opportunity to have her rights adjudicated." In 1984 the Wisconsin Supreme Court publicly reprimanded him and ordered the retainer repaid. She got her fee back. Her injury claim was gone. (Source: In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Swartwout, Wis. 1984)

The lesson travels well to a state with comfortable deadlines: a long clock only protects you if someone is actually watching it. Talk to an advocate first, and ask any lawyer for regular written status updates and the key dates in your case.

Talk to an advocate. You do not have to sort out New Hampshire's deadlines alone.

What we can help with

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

• Understand which New Hampshire deadlines apply to your situation
• Understand why a written work-injury notice, sent today, matters
• Know what records, photos, and timeline details to keep, including winter conditions before they melt
• Connect with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves

All of it is free to you. We never take money from injured people.

Talk to an advocate. If you or someone you love was hurt in New Hampshire, you do not have to sort this out alone. Start the form or open the chat.

Sources

• RSA 508:4 (personal injury time limit)
• RSA 281-A:19 (workers comp notice)
• RSA 281-A:21-a (workers comp claim deadline)
• RSA 541-B:14 (claims against the state)
• RSA 466:19 (dog damage statute)
• RSA 507:7-d (comparative fault)
• In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Swartwout, 116 Wis. 2d 380 (1984)

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.