In Kentucky, you usually have one year from the date you were hurt to file a personal injury lawsuit, and believing the "you get two years" line is a common mistake that costs people claims.

That two-year idea gets repeated because people mix up different deadlines. For most hotel injury cases in Kentucky, the basic rule is one year under KRS 413.140. If you slipped in a flooded hallway, got hit by falling storm debris, or were hurt because a Lexington hotel ignored a dangerous condition during heavy rain season, the clock usually starts the day it happened.

The correct approach is to act like the deadline is already running, because it is.

Waiting even a week can matter for another reason besides the statute of limitations: evidence disappears fast. Hotels overwrite surveillance video, clean the area, repair broken doors or drains, and employees forget details. In a storm-related case, weather conditions on that exact day can become a big fight.

Right away, try to lock down:

• the incident report
• names of hotel staff and witnesses
• photos/video of the hazard and your injuries
• your medical records from the ER, urgent care, or Baptist Health/Lexington clinics
• any proof of weather conditions from that day in Fayette County

If the injury involved a work trip, don't assume workers' comp deadlines replace your hotel claim deadline. They are different systems.

And if the property was run by a government entity instead of a private hotel, different rules may apply, including shorter notice requirements. That is another reason the "every injury case gets two years" myth is so dangerous.

So for a Lexington hotel injury, one year is the deadline most people should be thinking about, not two.