Similar to many other areas of law, statutes of limitations do exist for torts in general, and particularly so for personal injury cases. If you didn't know, statutes of limitations are a state-by-state common law statute that enforces a limit on the amount of time that can expire between an event and the initiation of legal proceedings. The purpose of these statutes is to shield the defendant from an unfair trial that could result from the time that has passed — with time, evidence, including witnesses, can be lost on either side. In the United States, the statute of limitations are established on a state level, so the amount of time can vary depending on the state in which the event happened — not the state where you live. In a personal injury case, it is also helpful to know that certain cases, in some states, may be granted with an extension on limitations for due circumstances, such an injury that takes longer to be diagnosed than the given time.