WATERBURY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS

Get Help When You Need it Most

Your car accident likely left you injured and without a means of traveling to your place of employment. Worse yet, you are now at the mercy of the other driver’s insurance company, which will minimize your injuries and perhaps blame you for the collision. The Waterbury car accident lawyers at the Carter Mario Law Firm can help protect your rights when you are at your most vulnerable.

If you’re living in Waterbury and have been involved in a truck accident, or a motorcycle accident, or must file a workers’ compensation lawsuit, the personal injury lawyers at Carter Mario Law Firm can help.

When Do You Need a Waterbury Car Accident Lawyer?

If you were injured in a car accident, you should hire a Waterbury car accident attorney immediately. Your injuries and medical treatment will likely prevent you from being able to investigate your claim. Hiring a car accident lawyer will allow you to concentrate on your recovery while your attorney can begin building your case.

WATERBURY Car Accidents that are Minor

Most car accidents do not result in fatalities or serious injuries. While many car accidents only cause minor injuries, the effects these injuries have on victims’ lives are very real. Non-life-threatening injuries still require you to obtain medical treatment to ensure you make a full recovery and can cause you monetary suffering in the form of lost wages.

Car Accident Claims as a Passenger 

If you were injured in a car accident while riding as a passenger in a vehicle, you will likely have to file a claim with the insurance carriers of both drivers. While it is unlikely you will be blamed for the collision, the dispute regarding fault can complicate your case. This is because both drivers often deny fault and instead blame each other.

Suing for Hit & Run Accidents

Uninsured motorist coverage is required by Connecticut State law. This coverage is designed to protect you if you are in a collision with an uninsured vehicle or if you are struck by a vehicle and do not know the identity of the driver, i.e., a hit and run. If you were injured because of a hit and run accident, you can make an uninsured motorist claim with your insurance carrier.

Partial Fault in a Car Accident

Insurance companies often deny auto accident claims by blaming the victim for the collision. Depending on the facts of your case, you may be able to recover compensation due to Connecticut’s Modified Comparative Negligence law. Under this law, you can recover if you are not more than 50% at fault, however, your level of fault will reduce your award, e.g., a finding of 10% of fault reduces your award from $10,000 to $9,000.

Connecticut Car Accidents that are Catastrophic

A database maintained by the University of Connecticut revealed that 285 people died because of a car accident in 2021. Additionally, 1,466 people suffered serious injuries due to a car accident. Serious injuries often leave victims permanently disabled.

Wrongful Death Claims

The death of a close family member is never an easy experience. Fortunately, Connecticut State law allows the personal representative of a victim’s estate to assert a wrongful death claim. A wrongful death claim is brought on behalf of the victim’s estate and allows the estate to seek damages for the cost of the victim’s medical care and funeral expenses, the lost life of the victim, and for the pain and suffering the victim endured before their death.

Damages Available to Car Accident Victims in Waterbury, CT

To obtain financial compensation as a result of a car accident, you have to prove “damages.” “Damages” is a legal term that describes certain losses and injuries you endured because of the accident. Depending on the facts of your case, you can claim three types of damages:

• Compensatory
• Non-Compensatory
• Punitive

Compensatory

Compensatory damages are meant to compensate you for your economic losses. Specifically, you can claim compensatory damages for the cost of your medical treatment, and lost wages. You can also seek compensatory damages for out-of-pocket expenses.

Non-Compensatory

Non-compensatory damages are meant to compensate you for losses that cannot be numerically quantified. Stated more simply, you can seek non-compensatory damages for the pain and suffering your injuries caused. Additionally, you can also seek non-compensatory damages for the emotional trauma and mental anguish you suffered because of the collision.

Punitive

Punitive damages are not designed to compensate you for your losses. Instead, punitive damages are designed to punish the other driver. Claiming punitive damages requires you to prove the other driver acted recklessly, maliciously, or with gross negligence.

How to Prove Your Damages in a Car Accident

Proving damages requires you to present evidence which demonstrates your injuries were caused by the collision. Typically, this can be accomplished via your testimony and by presenting your medical records and medical bills. If your injuries were particularly severe, your case may require testimony by an expert medical witness.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Commonly Handle

Our Waterbury car accident lawyers represent injured victims in a wide variety of car accidents. We have successfully represented victims that suffered injuries due to:

• Drunk drivers
• Commercial truck collisions
• Uninsured vehicle collisions
• Motorcycle collisions
• Pedestrian collisions

Some of the most common types of car accidents are:

• Rear-end accidents at stop signs and red lights
• Rollover accidents caused by sideswipes
• Head-on collisions on two-way freeways
• Drunk driving accidents
• Distracted driving accidents caused by texting drivers
• T-bone accidents by turning left in front of oncoming traffic

While these types of accidents each have unique issues, our car accident attorneys use their superior litigation skills to obtain successful outcomes on behalf of our clients.

Most Common Injury from a Car Accident

Injuries caused by a car accident will vary, just as much as the details of the crash itself. Some people in a car accident will suffer severe injuries, like traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or spinal cord injuries. Others will suffer lacerations, fractures, burns, and other serious but less-life-threatening injuries.

Out of all the types of injuries suffered in car accidents, whiplash might be the most common, though. Whiplash is usually suffered by people in the front car of a rear-end accident, which are among the most common types of car accidents. It begins as a pain in the neck that can be deceptively easy to ignore with some painkillers. As a few hours or days go by, though, the neck injury can get exponentially more painful until it is debilitating.

What is the Statute of Limitations on Car Accident Claims in Waterbury, CT?

If you suffered an injury in a car accident in Waterbury, Connecticut, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. This is because Connecticut imposes a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims. If you fail to file a lawsuit prior to the expiration of the statute of limitations, you are forever barred from filing a lawsuit.

What to Do After a Car Accident

Following a car accident, you should check on the status of the other driver and contact the police. You should also immediately seek medical treatment if you suffered an injury. Finally, if you are able to do so without risking your safety, you should document the scene of the collision and attempt to obtain the contact information of potential witnesses.

Let our car accident team know if you did any of these things after a crash:

• Took pictures: In many car accident cases, insurance companies are finally willing to budge once they are shown photographic evidence that flies contrary to their arguments. If you took pictures of the scene, all cars, and all injuries, then our team should review them and put them to good use for your case.
• Called 911: First responders are enormously helpful after a car accident, even when no one is catastrophically injured. Police officers, firefighters, and paramedics all write reports about what they saw. If we can get access to those reports, then we might have another source of evidence that says the other driver caused the crash.
• Saw a doctor: A doctor should see you within 24 hours at most after being in a crash, regardless of how injured you think you are. We can take the report from your check-up and use it to validate your injuries and their cause.

Trust Carter Mario Law Firm’s Experience

The Waterbury personal injury attorneys at Carter Mario Law Firm has been fighting to protect the rights of injured victims for over 30 years. Our Waterbury auto accident attorneys have earned numerous awards and obtained over One Billion Dollars on behalf of our clients. For a free and confidential consultation, contact us today!