Every plaintiff seeking compensation for a personal injury has a limited time to file a claim. The time limit, known as the statute of limitations, is an absolute rule that applies to all injured bus riders and people in their own vehicles.
735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/13-202 says that injured plaintiffs have two years following the date of injury to demand compensation. This rule applies both to cases that go to trial and those that seek proper payments through insurance settlements.