Home › Personal Injury Laws by State › Wyoming Personal Injury Laws

Wyoming generally allows most personal injury lawsuits based on negligence to be filed within four years after the claim accrues, a longer period than most states provide. Shorter periods and special requirements apply to some kinds of claims, including medical malpractice, wrongful-death, and claims against governmental entities. This page cannot determine which deadline applies to any particular situation; only a licensed Wyoming attorney reviewing the facts can do that.

Wyoming generally follows an at-fault system for motor-vehicle injury claims. Liability ordinarily depends on who caused the collision. The compensation available in any particular matter generally depends on the injuries or losses involved and the insurance coverage that applies. How these rules apply in any individual situation depends on its facts, and if the parties involved cannot agree on liability, the court process may be necessary to resolve it.

Wyoming follows a modified comparative-fault rule. In general terms, compensation may be reduced according to an injured person's share of fault, and recovery is generally barred when that person's share of the fault is greater than half of the total fault involved. Whether and how fault is attributed in any particular matter depends on its facts and may have to be determined by a court of law.

Wyoming generally requires vehicle owners to maintain liability insurance that meets minimum requirements established by state law. Wyoming policies generally must include uninsured-motorist coverage unless the named insured rejects that coverage. Underinsured-motorist coverage may be available depending on the policy. The coverage available in any particular situation depends on the policies involved and current law.

The Wyoming constitution generally prohibits laws that limit the amount of damages recoverable for causing the injury or death of a person, so the caps on compensatory damages that exist in many states generally do not apply in Wyoming injury cases. Special rules may still apply to certain claims and parties, including claims involving governmental entities, and other categories of damages are subject to separate legal standards. Because these rules can vary by claim and may change, this page does not determine what damages may be available in any particular matter.

Wyoming personal injury lawsuits may be filed in the state's district courts, which have general civil jurisdiction, with circuit courts handling some more limited civil matters. Many injury claims are resolved through insurance processes or negotiation without a lawsuit being filed. Which court, if any, would be appropriate depends on the nature of the claim, the relief involved, and other facts that a licensed Wyoming attorney can evaluate.

A licensed Wyoming attorney can explain how rules involving deadlines, fault, insurance, damages, and procedure may apply to a specific situation—something a general reference page cannot do. This platform helps injured people seek connections with participating local personal injury attorney offices in the Wyoming communities listed below, based on availability. Requesting a connection is free and carries no obligation to hire an attorney.