Do not treat two years as extra time.
People hear that Nevada gives injury claimants two years and they relax. That is the wrong lesson. The Nevada personal injury statute of limitations is a filing deadline, not a suggestion to wait. Evidence moves. Witnesses leave the Strip. Hotel video loops. An insurer writes a friendly letter and then later argues that you slept on the claim.
This page is general information for people hurt in Nevada, including visitors. It is not legal advice, it is not a calculator, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Renee Finch (NSBN 13118) and Jaclyn Kliewer (NSBN 14898) are Nevada counsel at Summit Trial Attorneys. For a private review, call Call or text 702.789.4200 or write intake@stattorneys.com.
The two-year injury period under Nevada law.
Nevada Revised Statutes 11.190 collects limitation periods for many civil actions. In the personal-injury setting, counsel and courts often look to the two-year period that covers actions to recover damages for injuries to a person, and for the death of a person, caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another.
That is the statute people mean when they say “Nevada is a two-year state.” It is a real rule. It is also incomplete as a plan. The clock usually starts when the cause of action accrues, often the date of the crash, fall, or assault. Accrual can be argued. None of those arguments should be tested for the first time on the last day.
A website cannot tell you when your period started or whether a different statute controls. Understanding your rights covers the broader picture. This page stays on timing, because timing is where files quietly die.
Death claims are not extra years.
Families sometimes assume a death investigation, a coroner’s process, or probate will hold the civil calendar. In Nevada, wrongful-death actions are commonly analyzed under the same two-year injury-and-death language. That is not a reason to file on a rumor. It is a reason not to wait for every official paper to arrive in the mail.
Who may bring the action, what damages are available, and how insurance responds are separate questions from the date. Start with our wrongful death page and a conversation. Do not take comfort from a forum post that “you have two years from the funeral.”
If the death followed a crash, preserve the same physical evidence you would in any serious collision. Start with our wrongful death page and what to do after a car crash.
Notice problems can end a file earlier than the statute.
Limitation periods are not the only clocks. Some defendants get a shorter, practical deadline because the law requires notice of a condition, a claim form, or prompt policy notice.
Hotels and public accommodations
Innkeeper liability in Nevada often turns on actual or constructive notice of the condition that caused the harm. That is Nevada hotel-notice territory, not a slogan. It is a proof problem and a timing problem. The spill is mopped. The camera overwrites. The guest flies home. See hotel injuries and hotel injury claims.
Government and public employees
Claims involving the State of Nevada or a political subdivision can involve claim-presentation rules under Nevada personal-injury statutes in addition to ordinary limitation periods. Missing a notice or claim step is not cured by “I still had two years.” If a city bus, a county vehicle, a public building, or a public employee may be involved, say so on the first call.
Insurance contracts
Uninsured-motorist and first-party policies often require prompt notice and cooperation. Those are contract terms, not Nevada limitation rules. An insurer can argue that late notice prejudiced the investigation even when a civil complaint would still be timely against a driver.
Other theories, other calendars.
Not every harm that feels like “personal injury” uses the same period. Medical-malpractice statutes, product claims with different accrual arguments, bad-faith insurance actions, and some federal theories can look different. Minors and legal disability can affect timing under other Nevada limitation provisions. None of that is a reason to assume you have more time. It is a reason to have Nevada counsel look at the facts instead of a blog.
Comparative fault can still be litigated inside a timely case. It does not extend the statute. If an insurer is already assigning percentages, read that as a preview of the defense, not as extra calendar.
What this page will not do.
It will not tell you that you are safe. It will not tell you that you are out of time. It will not compute a date from a crash report you paste into a form. Summit does not give guaranteed results. Past results do not predict your case.
- Write down the date and place of the injury, in Nevada local time
- Keep discharge papers, photographs, and the names of witnesses
- Do not rely on an adjuster’s “we have plenty of time”
- If a hotel, casino, or public entity is in the story, say so immediately
The office is at 8488 Rozita Lee Ave, Building 3, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89113. If Spanish is easier, say so.
Bring the date of the injury and whatever paper you have. We will tell you whether Summit may be able to help. This website is not your calendar.
Free case reviewQuestions people bring to the first call.
These answers are general information. They are meant to help you prepare for a conversation, not to replace advice about your situation.
Is every Nevada injury case a two-year case?
No. Many injury actions use the two-year period in Nevada limitation rules. Government, hotel notice, and insurance-contract rules can run shorter. Do not treat two years as a safe default.
Does a death in the family add time to file?
Usually not. Wrongful-death actions are commonly discussed under the same two-year language in Nevada limitation rules. A death does not add years. Speak with Nevada counsel promptly.
I was hurt at a hotel. Is the deadline the same?
Not always. Hotel files can involve Nevada hotel-notice proof, and video disappears. Timing and proof are both problems. This is general information, not advice about your stay.
Can I wait until I finish treatment to worry about the date?
Waiting for a full medical picture does not pause the statute. Records can be gathered while a file is opened. If you are close to an anniversary, call counsel before you assume there is time left.
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