Why do personal injury rules vary so much by state?

Tort law in the United States is state law. Each state legislature and supreme court set their own negligence rule, statute of limitations, and damages caps. The same crash can be worth very different amounts in two states, even with identical injuries and identical insurance.

Which states still apply contributory negligence?

Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia still apply pure contributory negligence. In those jurisdictions, even 1% fault on your part can bar recovery completely.

What is a no-fault auto state?

In a no-fault state, your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays your initial medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. You can step outside the no-fault system and sue the at-fault driver only if your injuries meet a defined tort threshold.

State hubs

Personal injury rules in all 50 states

The same crash, slip, or malpractice case can pay very different amounts depending on which state's law controls. Pick your state to see the negligence rule, filing deadline, no-fault status, and damages caps that apply.

AlabamaAL · 2y · Contributory AlaskaAK · 2y · Pure comp.ArizonaAZ · 2y · Pure comp.ArkansasAR · 3y · Mod. 50%CaliforniaCA · 2y · Pure comp.ColoradoCO · 2y · Mod. 50%ConnecticutCT · 2y · Mod. 51%DelawareDE · 2y · Mod. 51%District of ColumbiaDC · 3y · Contributory FloridaFL · 2y · Mod. 50%GeorgiaGA · 2y · Mod. 50%HawaiiHI · 2y · Mod. 51%IdahoID · 2y · Mod. 50%IllinoisIL · 2y · Mod. 51%IndianaIN · 2y · Mod. 51%IowaIA · 2y · Mod. 51%KansasKS · 2y · Mod. 50%KentuckyKY · 1y · Pure comp.LouisianaLA · 1y · Pure comp.MaineME · 6y · Mod. 50%MarylandMD · 3y · Contributory MassachusettsMA · 3y · Mod. 51%MichiganMI · 3y · Mod. 51%MinnesotaMN · 2y · Mod. 51%MississippiMS · 3y · Pure comp.MissouriMO · 5y · Pure comp.MontanaMT · 3y · Mod. 51%NebraskaNE · 4y · Mod. 50%NevadaNV · 2y · Mod. 51%New HampshireNH · 3y · Mod. 51%New JerseyNJ · 2y · Mod. 51%New MexicoNM · 3y · Pure comp.New YorkNY · 3y · Pure comp.North CarolinaNC · 3y · Contributory North DakotaND · 6y · Mod. 50%OhioOH · 2y · Mod. 51%OklahomaOK · 2y · Mod. 50%OregonOR · 2y · Mod. 51%PennsylvaniaPA · 2y · Mod. 51%Rhode IslandRI · 3y · Pure comp.South CarolinaSC · 3y · Mod. 51%South DakotaSD · 3y · Pure comp.TennesseeTN · 1y · Mod. 50%TexasTX · 2y · Mod. 51%UtahUT · 4y · Mod. 50%VermontVT · 3y · Mod. 51%VirginiaVA · 2y · Contributory WashingtonWA · 3y · Pure comp.West VirginiaWV · 2y · Mod. 50%WisconsinWI · 3y · Mod. 51%WyomingWY · 4y · Mod. 51%

Check your claim

Free, confidential, no obligation.

Start case review

How to read these hubs

Each state page summarizes four things: how long you have to file (statute of limitations), how shared fault is handled (negligence rule), whether your own auto policy pays first regardless of fault (no-fault), and whether any cap limits the damages a jury can award. Every page links to the underlying state code or controlling case so you can verify the rule yourself.

How to read these hubs

Sources