Washington DC Personal Injury Law and Settlements

This page looks at settlement amounts and jury awards in personal injury cases in Washington DC. Our attorneys also offer an analysis of Washington DC personal injury law.

As a personal injury victim pursuing a compensation claim in DC, it’s natural to want to understand the potential range of settlement payouts for your claim. After all, monetary compensation is ultimately the goal of a personal injury or wrongful death claim.

This page aims to explore how personal injury cases have been resolved in Illinois, allowing you to compare your claim with Washington DC personal injury settlement statistics and examples of settlements and jury awards.

Washington DC Settlements & Verdicts

If you are thinking about filing a personal injury lawsuit in Washington, D.C., it can be helpful to look at past jury verdicts and settlement amounts to get a sense of how similar claims have been valued. Because that is what a civil lawsuit is about: money. Our lawyers do not run from this.

So whether your case involves an auto accident, a workplace injury, or a negligence lawsuit stemming from medical malpractice or dangerous property conditions, this information can give you a rough idea of what compensation might look like. However, no two cases are the same. Injury compensation depends on many factors, like the extent of your injuries, the strength of the evidence, and how juries respond to your case.

Keep in mind D.C. has a strict statute of limitations for personal injury claims, which means you need to act quickly. You want to find the best DC personal injury lawyer can find to assess the value of your claim and help you avoid missing critical deadlines. The following examples illustrate how settlement payouts and jury awards have played out across a variety of personal injury cases in D.C.. Still, they should not be used as a substitute for experienced legal advice. Trying to value your case based on prior results is the wrong way to calculate settlement compensation.

Below are summaries of reported settlements and jury verdicts in various recent personal injury cases in the District of Columbia:

$8,000,000 Verdict (2025): A 43-year-old public school teacher and father of three died during a routine medical procedure due to the medical team’s failure to monitor and treat his airway. The plaintiff’s estate filed a wrongful death and medical malpractice claim. The jury awarded $8 million after a full trial, including economic damages and compensation for the family’s suffering.

$1,006,500 Verdict (2023): A 46-year-old woman was walking on a public sidewalk near an intersection when she was struck from behind by an unoccupied District of Columbia Public Works vehicle. After a parking enforcement officer employed by the defendant exited the van, it rolled downhill for a full city block, mounted a curb, struck two fixed objects, and struck the plaintiff, causing three fractured vertebrae in her spine.

$49,784 Verdict (2022): The plaintiff was a pedestrian hit by the defendant’s vehicle while walking through a crosswalk. The plaintiff suffered moderate injuries to her left hip and leg—nothing was broken or permanent.

$60,000 Verdict (2022): Plaintiff suffered soft tissue injuries to her back and foot when the defendant drifted into oncoming traffic and struck her vehicle as she approached an intersection.

$55,000 Verdict (2021): The plaintiff, a male in his mid-80s, tore his right rotator cuff requiring corrective surgery due to an auto accident. After settling with the at-fault driver, he brought a UIM claim against his own insurance company.

$680,000 Verdict (2020): A 32-year-old female underwent a mammogram, and the defendant radiologist interpreted the results as normal. Two years later, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had already spread. She sued the radiologist for negligently failing to identify the cancer on her earlier mammogram.

Personal Injury Laws in Washington DC

This section will review some of the key points of law relating to general tort or personal injury lawsuits in Washington DC.

Understanding the 3-Year Deadline for Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Washington, D.C.

If you have been injured (as opposed to wrongful death) due to someone else’s negligence, whether in a car accident, a slip and fall, a medical malpractice incident, or another type of harmful event, it is critical to understand that the law does not give you unlimited time to pursue compensation. Washington, D.C. imposes a strict time limit for filing personal injury lawsuits, known as the statute of limitations. Failing to act within this window can result in your claim being permanently barred, no matter how strong your case might be.

Under D.C. Code § 12-301(8), most personal injury claims in the District of Columbia must be filed within three years from the date the cause of action “accrues.” In most cases, this means three years from the date of the injury—the day the accident or negligent act occurred. This statute applies to a wide range of personal injury claims, including those involving motor vehicle collisions, premises liability (such as falls or unsafe property conditions), and medical malpractice.

The purpose of the statute of limitations is to encourage the timely resolution of disputes and to ensure that evidence, such as witness memories and physical documentation, remains as accurate and available as possible. Once the three-year window closes, courts will typically refuse to hear your case, and insurers will deny coverage, citing your failure to file on time.

However, certain exceptions may apply. For example:

Discovery rule: In some cases, the injury is not immediately known or discoverable. For instance, in medical malpractice cases, the clock may not start ticking until the patient discovers—or reasonably should have discovered—the harm caused by a medical error.
Minors and legal incapacity: If the injured party is a minor or legally incapacitated at the time of the incident, the statute of limitations may be tolled (paused) until the disability is lifted, typically when the minor turns 18 or the incapacitation ends.
Claims against the government: Special rules and shorter deadlines may apply if you are suing a government entity or employee. Notice requirements often apply and must be satisfied well before the statute of limitations expires.

Because the statute of limitations is strictly enforced and certain exceptions are highly fact-specific, it is important to speak with a qualified personal injury attorney as soon as possible after your injury. A lawyer can help you preserve your rights, gather the necessary evidence, and ensure that your claim is filed within the proper timeframe.

The bottom line: In Washington, D.C., you typically have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit. Do not assume you have more time. If you wait too long, you may lose your right to seek justice and compensation for your injuries.

What Does “Three Years” Really Mean?

In most cases, the clock starts ticking on the date of the injury. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, your three-year deadline to file a lawsuit almost always begins on the date of the crash. That means if the accident happened on May 22, 2025, you typically have until April 22, 2028, to file your case in court.

But not every case is that straightforward.

What If You Did Not Know Right Away That You Were Injured?

In more complex situations—think medical malpractice, product liability, or toxic exposure—the D.C. courts apply what is known as the “discovery rule.” Under this rule, the three-year period does not begin until the moment you knew or reasonably should have known that:

You were injured, and
That your injury may have been caused by someone else’s negligence.

For instance, if a doctor misreads a test in 2020, but you only learn in 2022 that the mistake caused you harm, your time to file may start in 2022—not 2020. This rule is designed to protect victims who could not have known they were hurt due to someone else’s carelessness until later.

Why This Matters

Missing the statute of limitations means losing your right to sue—permanently. Even if your case is strong and the other side was clearly at fault, the court will dismiss your lawsuit if it is filed too late. That is why timing is critical, and consulting a knowledgeable DC personal injury lawyer as soon as possible can make all the difference.

It also matters because calculating when your claim “accrued” is not always simple. What seems like the start of the clock to you may be interpreted differently by an insurance company or by a judge. There can be disputes about when you should have discovered your injury or who may be responsible. When this is at issue, you lose even when you win because of the resources that get drained into it and how the risk of a judge or jury seeing it differently compromises settlement amounts. The take-home message is act as soon as you possibly can.

2-Year Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death

The statute of limitations for wrongful death claims in Washington, DC is two years from the date of death. DC Code § 12-2702. This simply means that if the surviving family members of a victim want to file a lawsuit for wrongful death, they must file within 2 years after the victim dies.

Washington DC Follows the Contributory Negligence Rule

Washington, D.C., is among the few jurisdictions that continue to follow the incredibly unfair doctrine known as “contributory negligence.” Under the rule of contributory negligence, a plaintiff is supposed to be legally barred from recovering any damages if their actions contributed to the accident or injury in any way. So if a jury finds that the defendant was 90% at-fault for the accident and the plaintiff was only 5% at-fault, under contributory negligence, the plaintiff is barred from recovering any damages.

DC Dog Bite Cases

Under the Washington, DC dog bite law, dog owners are legally responsible if their dog attacks and injures someone. Dog owners in DC can be liable for injuries caused by their dogs based on statutory strict liability. The statutory strict liability comes from a DC statute that says that dog owners are strictly liable for any injuries their dog causes when the dog is “at large,” even if the dog is not known to be dangerous. DC Code § 8-1801. This means that if a dog is not on a leash or gets out of a fenced yard, the owner(s) will be liable for any injuries it causes, even if the owner has no reason to believe the dog is dangerous. If the dog is not “at large,” the owner can be liable based on standard negligence theories.

Washington DC Sex Abuse Civil Lawsuits

In addition to criminal charges, victims of sexual abuse and assault can file civil lawsuits against their abusers and the institutions that negligently allowed the abuse to occur (e.g., schools, churches, etc.). Plaintiffs can get monetary damages for the physical and emotional damage caused by the abuse. Under Washington DC law, unwanted sexual contact qualifies as abuse or assault.

Like many other states, Washington, DC has recently amended its statute of limitations law to give victims of child sex abuse the ability to file civil lawsuits years after the abuse occurred. Under DC’s new law, if the victim was under 35 when the sexual abuse occurred, they have until their 40^th birthday to file a civil lawsuit. If the victim was 35 years or older when the abuse occurred, they have five years to file a civil lawsuit.

Washington DC Product Liability and Mass Tort Cases

Manufacturers or sellers of a product can be held liable under DC law if that product is defective and that defect causes injuries or harm. Washington DC law follows the three basic types of product defects as identified in the Restatement of Torts: manufacturing defect, design defect, and failure to warn.

There are several national mass torts or “class actions” that involve Washington, DC plaintiffs, including claims our law firm is handling across the country:

Hair relaxer lawsuit: recent evidence has shown that long-term use of chemical hair relaxer products (most commonly used by African American women) can cause uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine fibroids, and other conditions. This has prompted hundreds of women to file hair relaxer lawsuits.
Bard PowerPort Lawsuit: The PowerPort is a port catheter device implanted under the skin, most commonly used by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy to allow easy access to veins for repeated treatments. However, design and manufacturing defects in Bard’s PowerPort have been linked to serious complications, such as catheter fracture, migration, infection, and bloodstream injuries, resulting in a growing number of product liability lawsuits filed by injured patients across the country.
Suboxone Lawsuits: Suboxone is a prescription medication used in the treatment of opioid dependence, combining buprenorphine and naloxone to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings. The growing wave of Suboxone lawsuits allege that the manufacturer failed to adequately warn patients and healthcare providers that the drug’s acidic film formulation could cause rapid and severe tooth decay, leading to dental injuries such as cavities, infections, extractions, and permanent tooth loss.
Depo-Provera Lawsuit: Depo-Provera, widely known as the “birth control shot,” is a long-acting injectable contraceptive that has recently come under scrutiny for its potential link to serious health risks. A growing number of lawsuits allege that Pfizer failed to warn patients and doctors about the drug’s association with intracranial hypertension and benign brain tumors, conditions that can lead to symptoms such as vision problems, chronic headaches, and in some cases, lasting neurological damage.

Washington DC Medical Malpractice Laws and Procedural Rules

Unlike many other jurisdictions, Washington DC has no special laws and procedural rules specifically applicable to medical malpractice lawsuits. Below is a summary of those DC laws and rules for medical malpractice cases.

No Certificate of Merit Requirement

Most states have enacted laws requiring plaintiffs to have their cases reviewed and supported by a medical expert before filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in court. The District of Columbia does not require plaintiffs to obtain a certificate of merit from an expert witness before filing a medical malpractice case. DC law only requires medical malpractice plaintiffs to give 90 days written notice to intended defendants and go through a preliminary non-binding arbitration process before proceeding with a lawsuit. This makes it somewhat easier to get a medical malpractice lawsuit filed quickly in the District compared to other states.

No Caps on Damages in Medical Malpractice Cases

Washington DC has no maximum caps or other restrictions on the type and/or maximum amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice cases.

Washington DC Sex Abuse Lawsuits

Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse or assault (defined as non-consensual sexual touching) can file a DC sex abuse lawsuit. Successful plaintiffs in a sex abuse lawsuit can get financial settlements. Victims can bring a sex abuse lawsuit not just against the individual who abused them, but against negligent third parties such as schools, or churches, that enabled the abuse to happen.

Hiring a Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer

Miller & Zois is one of the top plaintiff’s firms in the DC, MD, and VA areas. Our personal injury lawyers handle all types of serious injury cases in Washington, D.C. If you have been injured, call our lawyers at 800-553-8082 or click here for a free, no-obligation consultation.