How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit?

One event can start different clocks

A deadline to sue is not the same as a deadline to tell an insurer. A claim against a city can add a separate notice step. More than one clock may run at once.

Write down the event date, the people involved, and when you first learned of the harm. Keep letters and claim forms. A lawyer needs those facts to check which rules apply.

Sources: [1][2][6][5]

If a public agency may be at fault, start with government claim deadlines.

An open insurance file does not replace a court filing. Compare the difference between a claim and a lawsuit.

What if I learned the cause later?

Finding harm later can raise a different start-date question. It is not enough to say that you got a new diagnosis. What you knew, what you suspected, and what a reasonable check would have shown can matter.

The Fox case explains why courts look at the facts behind a later-discovery claim. It does not grant a fresh deadline every time a person learns a new detail.

Sources: [4]

A child’s age can raise a different issue. Read time limits for a child’s injury.