Time limits on filing an Illinois injury lawsuit

Illinois sets a time limit of two years on filing a personal injury lawsuit in the state's civil court system. This two-year time limit, known as a "statute of limitations," begins to run on the date of the accident in most cases. Sometimes, however, a statute of limitations might run from the date you discovered you were injured, rather than the date of the event that injured you. This later date is known as a "discovery date."
For injury claims against a city or county, you have one year to file a lawsuit. The time limit to sue the state is two years, but you must file a formal claim within one year in order to sue.