If the accident involved a federal or state employee or vehicle, then that entity may be responsible for the resulting damages and injuries. Victims in these cases have six months from the date of the crash to file an administrative claim with the agency. The government then has 45 days to respond. If the government rejects the submitted claim, then the victim only has six months to file a lawsuit. If the government doesn’t respond at all, then the victim must file a lawsuit within two years of the date of the collision. Before a lawsuit can be filed against a government entity, specific criteria must be met.