You’ve got two years to sue someone in Illinois if they hit your car and hurt you. It’s pretty straightforward – the clock starts ticking when metal meets metal. But the law’s got some twists and turns, as these things usually do.
Please be advised that certain conditions may alter the aforementioned temporal constraints, to wit:
Sometimes, you don’t know you’re hurt right away. Maybe your neck starts killing you three months after the crash. In that case, you get your two years starting from when you first noticed something was wrong (or when you should’ve seen, as the courts like to say).
Got a kid in the crash? Different story. The law hits pause until they turn 18. After that, the usual two-year countdown begins.
Here’s where it gets exciting: If you’re dealing with a government vehicle, like a city bus that clips your car, that’s a unique beast. You’ll want a lawyer on speed dial because there’s a separate rulebook for suing the government.
Now, if we’re talking about fixing your banged-up ride, you have a longer window—five years—to file a claim.
The bottom line is don’t sit on this stuff. These deadlines might seem far off, but cases get messy. Smart money says to talk to a lawyer sooner rather than later. They’ll know all the fine print that might apply to your situation.
