Connecticut Personal Injury Law Overview

Personal injury law is a very broad area of law that includes cases such as medical malpractice, vehicle accidents, defective products, and premises liability. If you or a loved one was injured (or killed) due to someone else's negligence or wrongdoing, you may have a valid personal injury claim.

Negligence

In order to prove fault in a personal injury case, the plaintiff (the victim) must prove negligence. Keep in mind that negligence does not mean that someone hurt you intentionally; it seems means that a reasonable standard of care was not provided. In Connecticut, the following four elements must be present in order for the plaintiff to prove negligence on the part of the defendant:

• The person who caused your injuries owed you a duty
• The person failed to uphold that duty
• That failure caused your injuries
• You suffered damages

Statute of Limitations

All fifty states have time limits, called statute of limitations, in personal cases. This means that you have only a certain amount of time following the injury or death to file a personal injury lawsuit. The time limits vary from state to state and from case to case, but in Connecticut, the statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is two years. However, certain types of lawsuits with special circumstances provide more time. Your personal injury attorney can explain this more thoroughly to you at the time of your consultation.

Compensation

Connecticut personal injury law allows compensation for the following:

• Lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity
• Medical bills: past, present and future
• Expenses incurred as a result of your injury such as hiring help around the house, a nurse, etc.
• Property damage
• Permanent disability
• Emotional distress

Punitive damages are damages awarded to plaintiff that are intended to "punish" the defendant.

Connecticut law follows the doctrine of "modified comparative negligence," which states that even if you were partly responsible for your injuries, you may still collect damages from the responsible parties as long as you were 49% or less responsible for those injuries.

Connecticut law also follows the doctrine of "several liability," that states if multiple parties were deemed responsible for your injuries, the parties are only responsible for their share of the blame. If one party cannot pay, the other parties cannot be held responsible for paying his share. Connecticut law also states that if you have not been paid in full within one year of the final judgment, the court may re-allocate the remaining damages.

If you live in Connecticut and feel you may have a valid personal injury claim, please contact an experienced Connecticut personal injury attorney in your area today.