When you’re side-swiped, rear-ended, or hit head-on by a careless driver, you might qualify to sue them. By leveraging personal injury laws to your advantage, you can make the at-fault motorist pay for your car repairs, medical bills, lost wages, and pain.
Working with a Connecticut car accident lawyer at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, gives you the backing of a hand-picked advocate with an impressive track record. For over 35 years, our personal injury attorneys have fought for injured people throughout Connecticut as they seek to reclaim their agency and rebuild their lives. Our team’s accomplishments have earned them spots on exclusive lists, such as the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.
Many scenarios can lead to a serious or fatal crash. For example, someone on their way home from a late-night shift at work may speed and hit a bicyclist. Or an SUV’s brakes could glitch, resulting in the driver blowing past a stop sign and smashing into a pickup truck’s side. Other examples include the following:
When you’re involved in a crash that kills or injures someone, Connecticut General Statutes § 14-224 requires you to stop your car, pull over, and exchange information with those involved. Some of what you might need to share include your:
If you can’t do this at the time of the incident, you can meet this legal requirement by telling the police about what happened—if you haven’t already.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-108a may also require you to notify the police if the crash kills or injures someone or results in more than $1,000 in damages. When in doubt, it is best to contact law enforcement or talk to a Connecticut car accident attorney who can help you understand and meet your reporting requirements. A proactive lawyer can also speak to the insurance company on your behalf and, if necessary, bring a lawsuit so you can access the full range of damages you’re entitled to.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584 gives you a certain amount of time to take legal action against the driver who caused you harm. Under this regulation, you must file suit within two years after the wreck. If you sue the person or institution that harmed you, the compensation you receive could address your lost income, pain and suffering, medical bills, and car repairs.
However, the comparative negligence rules—found in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572h—may limit how much you receive. Under these regulations, the court may reduce your settlement by how much it thinks your actions contributed to what happened. For example, if the at-fault driver was drunk and swerved into your lane, but you were also texting and driving, the judge may decide you and the other motorist are to blame.
You may still be able to recover compensation if you share responsibility for what occurred unless your actions are 50 percent or more to blame. Our skilled car accident lawyers in Connecticut can help you locate and use valuable evidence to build a strong case against the other driver. They can develop and champion arguments in court and during negotiations to help show the other motorist shares most of the fault for the collision.
When you’re in a collision, it can completely uproot your life, causing you to miss work, spend time in the hospital, and set aside hours of your week to talk to intrusive insurance adjusters. You deserve better than this. Our legal team helps injured individuals get the recognition they’re entitled to for their pain and losses.
Get in touch with D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, to set up a remote or in-person consultation with a Connecticut car accident lawyer you can trust. The cost to meet with us is free and there is no obligation.
