Personal injury lawsuits in Connecticut must be filed within two years from the date of an injury or accident—though certain types of injury litigation must be filed within one year.
Adding to the urgency, notice deadlines arrive quickly for Personal Injury claims, which include car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall incidents, and other injuries caused by the negligence of another person or entity.
A notice of intent to sue a Connecticut town or city for an injury resulting from the actions of a municipal employee must be filed within six months (180 days) of the accident or injury date, for example. This filing deadline applied in a recent case in which Partner Christopher Sica won damages for a client blamed by Waterbury Police for a crash involving a cruiser.
However, for injuries resulting from a slip-and-fall caused by a defective municipal sidewalk, notice must be filed with the Connecticut town or city within three months (90 days). Such was the case in Partner Alan Rome’s $770,357 jury verdict for a client in a lawsuit against the Town of West Hartford for failing to maintain its sidewalks in safe condition per state statutes.
Similarly, notice for accidents or injuries allegedly caused by a defective condition on a Connecticut state highway, or by a motor vehicle owned by the state and operated by a state employee, must be filed within three months (90 days).
While the two-year statute of limitations for filing the injury lawsuit itself covers most types of accidents and injuries, there are exceptions.
One example involves establishments or social hosts who sell or provide alcohol to a minor (under 21) whose actions injure a person or property, such as a drunk driver who causes a crash resulting in injuries or death.
Such cases fall under the Dram Shop Act, and in Connecticut these claims must be filed within one year from the date of the accident or injury.
Notice of such a Dram Shop action must be filed with 120 days (four months), and within 180 days (six months) in the case of the death or incapacity of any aggrieved person.
These and other factors make it critical to connect with an experienced injury attorney as soon as possible after an injury or accident to evaluate your claim and initiate legal action to ensure a successful outcome and optimal level of compensation.
The legal issues that arise from Personal Injury cases are typically complex, and the procedural requirements and deadlines are non-negotiable; if you miss a filing deadline or fail to file an injury lawsuit within the proscribed statute of limitations period, you have no recourse.
“Anyone who has been injured due to the negligence of another person or entity deserves economic and non-economic damages, and engaging an experienced injury attorney as quickly as possible is the best way to ensure you get what you deserve,” Attorney Sica said.
When injured parties don’t contact an attorney promptly, it can be based on doubt caused by feeling partly responsible.
“Connecticut has what’s called a modified comparative negligence law, which essentially means an injured party can win damages in a Personal Injury case even if they were partially at fault for what happened,” Attorney Sica said. “In fact, you may well have a successful claim even if it’s determined you were almost equally responsible, as long as you weren’t more than 50 percent negligent. That’s something most people don’t know.”
The highly experienced Personal Injury attorneys at Rome Clifford Katz & Koerner LLP have a proven record of successful outcomes, including through settlements and going to trail and achieving a favorable jury verdict and financial damages award.
Call our Hartford office at (860) 232-3000 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation.
You may also connect with Attorney Sica and Attorney Rome directly through their profile pages, which feature recent successful outcomes, as well as client reviews and testimonials.
About RCKK Law
Rome, Clifford Katz & Koerner is a Hartford-based law firm whose attorneys collectively have more than 100 years of experience in a wide variety of legal areas. Whether you are dealing with a motor vehicle accident, a Workers’ Compensation injury, a Family Law matter, or a business concern, our skilled lawyers will aggressively advocate on your behalf. We represent individuals and businesses in Connecticut and throughout the New England states.