Car Accident Settlements: What You Need To Know

After a car accident in Connecticut, anyone who has been injured needs to understand the state laws that could affect any insurance claim or lawsuit that might be filed over the accident. This page offers a guide to the Connecticut-specific resources on All-About-Car-Accidents.com, including the state laws and car insurance rules you need to keep in mind. We’ll also provide tips on when it might be a good idea to contact a Connecticut car accident lawyer for help with your claim.

Connecticut Car Accident Laws

After a car accident in Connecticut, if you decide to file a liability claim or lawsuit against the at-fault driver, there are a few state laws to know about, starting with the time limit for getting a lawsuit started in Connecticut’s civil court system. This type of law is called a statute of limitations, and every state has one. There are different time limits for different kinds of cases.

In Connecticut, whether you are filing a lawsuit for personal injury or vehicle damage after a car accident, you have two years from the date of the crash to file the complaint in Connecticut’s civil court system. You can find this law at Conn. Gen. Stat. Ch. 926 Sections 52 to 58.  What happens if you don’t get your case filed before the statutory deadline passes? The court will almost certainly refuse to hear it. So it’s critical to follow the statute of limitations as it applies to your case.

Connecticut Car Insurance Requirements and Rules

If you’re making an injury claim or a vehicle damage claim after a car accident in Connecticut, car insurance coverage will almost certainly play a big role, whether you are making a claim under your own policy or with the at-fault driver’s carrier (the latter is known as a third party car insurance claim). Here is a brief overview of Connecticut’s car insurance rules and requirements:

• Connecticut is a “fault” or “tort” car insurance state, which just means that after a car accident you are free to file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit against the other driver (you can also make a claim under your own coverage).
• The minimum car insurance coverage requirements for drivers in Connecticut are: $20,000 for any one person injured or killed in an accident, $40,000 per accident if more than one person is injured or killed, $10,000 per accident to cover property damage costs, and $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident in uninsured motorist coverage.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Connecticut

If your car accident claim is pretty straightforward, you may not need to hire a lawyer, especially if the other side is admitting to being at fault for the accident and you didn’t suffer serious injuries. As long as you’re comfortable doing so, you can probably handle that kind of claim yourself.

But if the other driver’s insurance adjuster is saying you were at fault for the car accident, or if you suffered significant injuries, things can get contentious and complicated pretty quickly, and it might be a good idea to discuss your situation with a local car accident lawyer. Remember that most car accident lawyers represent their clients on a contingency basis, meaning that you don’t pay unless you receive a successful settlement or court award.

A good attorney knows how to handle the back-and-forth of settlement negotiations with car insurance adjusters and other lawyers, and will make sure your rights are protected at every stage in the claim process, including filing a car accident lawsuit in the Connecticut civil court system if it comes to that.

At Maya Murphy, P.C., our personal injury attorneys are dedicated to achieving the best results for individuals and their family members and loved ones whose daily lives have been disrupted by injury, whether caused by a motor vehicle or pedestrian accident, a slip and fall, medical malpractice, a defective product, or otherwise. Our attorneys are not afraid to aggressively pursue and litigate cases and have extensive experience litigating personal injury matters in both state and federal courts, and always with regard to the unique circumstances of our client and the injury he or she has sustained.
Source: NOLO