Most people who call us too late were waiting for something reasonable — an insurer, an apology, a repair.
California gives you two years for most personal injury claims and four for a written contract, but the clock does not start when you decide to act. It starts when the harm occurred, or when a reasonable person would have discovered it, and insurers are practised at keeping a file warm until that date passes.
If something has gone wrong and you are waiting on somebody else’s process, put a date in your calendar three months before the limitation period expires. If nothing has moved by then, get an opinion. A thirty-minute call costs nothing and it is the difference between a claim and a regret.