Car accident happening along the highway

Year after year, car accidents remain a leading cause of death* in the United States. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), over 42,000 people were killed in auto accidents nationwide in 2020 alone.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) further reports that the number of auto-accident fatalities in Connecticut reached a five-year average of 295* in that same year.

If you were involved in a car accident, you might be wondering how you will pay for costly medical bills and make up for your lost wages if you cannot work due to your injuries. After a serious car accident, obtaining legal help is crucial to pursue fair compensation—especially if you suffered severe injuries that require compensation for long-term medical or lifestyle costs, or if liability is disputed and the other driver is blaming you. If you bear little to no fault for the accident, you are likely entitled to legal compensation from the at-fault party.

Do not wait to have your case reviewed by an experienced Hartford car accident lawyer who can provide the legal help you need to pursue fair compensation after a serious car accident.

At Jainchill & Beckert, LLC, our dedicated legal team of experienced auto accident lawyers provides personalized legal services with over 50 years of combined experience defending the rights of car accident victims throughout Connecticut. We offer free initial consultations and work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Selecting the right attorney and law offices can significantly impact the outcome of your car accident case. Contact us today for a free consultation with a Hartford car accident lawyer.

Post-Accident Procedures: What to Do Immediately After a Car Crash in Hartford

Being involved in a car accident in Hartford can be overwhelming, especially since serious crashes often result in complex legal and medical challenges. Knowing what steps to take in the immediate aftermath can help protect your safety, your rights, and your ability to recover compensation. Here’s what you should do if you find yourself at the scene of a crash:

1. Prioritize Safety and Check for Injuries: First, check yourself and any passengers for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call 911 right away to request emergency services. Even if injuries seem minor, it’s important to have medical professionals assess the situation, as some injuries may not be immediately apparent.

2. Move to a Safe Location: If your vehicle is drivable and it’s safe to do so, move it to the side of the road or a nearby parking lot to avoid blocking traffic and reduce the risk of another accident. Turn off your engine and activate your hazard lights to alert other drivers to the incident. If you cannot move your car, remain inside with your seatbelt fastened until help arrives, and use hazard lights, road flares, or warning triangles to make the scene more visible.

3. Contact the Police and File a Report: Connecticut law requires you to report most car accidents to the police, especially if there are injuries or significant property damage. When officers arrive, provide a clear account of the incident, including the date, time, location, and details about how the car wreck occurred. The police will create an official police report, which is essential for any insurance claim or legal action that follows, and it plays a key role in how fault is determined. Be sure to ask how you can obtain a copy of this report for your records.

4. Exchange Information with the Other Driver: Share your name, contact information, driver’s license number, and insurance details with the other driver involved in the accident. Collect the same information from them. Avoid discussing fault or apologizing, as these statements could be used against you during the investigation or in the aftermath of the crash.

5. Document the Scene: If it’s safe, take photos or videos of the accident scene, including all vehicles involved, any visible injuries (such as broken bones or signs of traumatic brain injury), road conditions, traffic signals, and the overall layout of the intersection or lane where the incident occurred. Documenting the scene is crucial for supporting your claim later, especially in cases involving catastrophic injuries. These images can provide valuable evidence for your insurance claim or any legal action.

6. Gather Witness Information: If there were people who saw the accident, ask for their names and contact details. Witnesses can help clarify what happened and support your version of events if there is a dispute.

7. Seek Medical Attention: Even if you feel fine, it’s wise to get checked by a healthcare professional after a car accident. Seeking immediate medical treatment is important to create a record connecting your injuries to the crash. Injuries can include broken bones, traumatic brain injury, or other catastrophic injuries that may require ongoing care such as physical therapy. Some injuries may not show symptoms right away, and having a medical record from the date of the incident can help if you need to file a claim later.

8. Notify Your Insurance Company: Contact your insurance provider as soon as possible to report the accident. Provide them with all relevant information, including the police report number, photos, and details about the other driver. Keep a record of all communications and any expenses related to the crash, such as medical bills, vehicle repairs, or rental car fees.

Be cautious when speaking with insurance adjusters, as their goal is often to minimize payouts. Consulting a Hartford car accident lawyer can help protect your interests and ensure you receive fair compensation.

9. Consider Legal Guidance: If you’re unsure about your next steps or if the accident involved serious injuries, it may be helpful to contact a Hartford car accident lawyer. An attorney can help you understand your rights, guide you through the claims process, and ensure you have the support you need during the aftermath of the accident.

By following these steps, you can help ensure your safety, protect your interests, and make the process of dealing with the aftermath of a car accident in Hartford as smooth as possible. Remember, taking the right actions at the scene and in the days that follow can make a significant difference in the outcome of your case.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Auto Accidents in Hartford?

In most cases, multiple factors conspire to give rise to an auto accident. Negligent drivers and someone else’s negligence, such as a manufacturer or third party, are common causes of car accidents. Some form of driver error is normally involved. Common causes of auto accidents and motor vehicle collisions include the following:

Intoxicated driving – As we all know, alcohol dulls reflexes and impairs judgment, thereby increasing the likelihood of risky behavior behind the wheel. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 29 people die in auto accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers every day in the United States. This translates to one death every 50 minutes.
Distracted driving – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,142 people lost their lives to distracted driving in 2020 alone. Though any distraction may lead to a car accident, texting is the most common. To illustrate, a car moving at 55 miles per hour will travel the length of a football field in about five seconds, the average amount of time it takes to read a text message. Imagine the accidents that could arise while traveling that distance with your eyes off the road.
Aggressive driving – This is a broad category that includes things like weaving through traffic, road rage, changing lanes unsafely, turning at high speed, and failure to yield the right of way. However, speeding is by far the most common form of aggressive driving and has been involved in one-third of all auto accident deaths for the past two decades. Tragically, speeding led to 11,258 traffic deaths nationwide in 2020. If you notice that another driver is speeding, it is best to keep your distance.
Poor road conditions – Bad weather and poorly designed roads can make it difficult for drivers to avoid collisions. All motorists are responsible for adjusting their driving to account for unsafe road conditions. However, if poor road maintenance causes an accident, the government entity responsible for keeping roads in good shape may ultimately be liable. Suing government entities comes with unique complexities and requires the attention of a skilled lawyer.
Mechanical defects – Some accidents can be traced back to design or manufacturing defects in a vehicle or its parts. Though relatively rare, these accidents may lead to product liability for the manufacturer or vendor. Because this case type is generally more complex and less common than others, it is important that victims injured by defective products have an experienced attorney in their corner.
Hit and run accidents – Hit and run accidents present unique legal and insurance challenges, especially when the at-fault driver cannot be identified. Law enforcement involvement and uninsured motorist coverage are often crucial in these cases.

What Damages Can I Recover Through a Hartford Auto Accident Lawsuit?

If you were injured in a car crash at little to no fault of your own, chances are you are entitled to legal compensation from the at-fault party. After a car accident, you can pursue compensation for medical expenses, which may include both current and future medical expenses related to your injuries, as well as lost income from missed work and diminished future earning capacity.

Damages in a Hartford car accident claim may include:

Medical costs associated with treating your injuries
Lost wages and lowered earning capacity
Physical pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Lowered quality of life
Loss of consortium
Lost or damaged property

When an injury victim dies in a car accident, their estate can also seek a wide variety of compensation through a survival action against the at-fault driver.

No matter the circumstances of your loss, our car accident injury attorneys stand by to help. Our wrongful death law firm page might be of help to you.

Who Will Pay for My Recovery After a Car Crash in Hartford?

In most cases, injury victims in auto accidents are compensated through insurance. Filing a car accident claim often involves dealing with insurance adjusters, who may try to minimize payouts and protect the insurer’s interests. In the past, Connecticut was a “no-fault” state when it came to car insurance.

This meant that all drivers were expected to file a claim with their own auto insurer to cover their injuries and losses in the event of an accident, even when they did not cause the crash.

This changed when Connecticut switched to a fault-based system in 1994. As in most other states, car accident victims can now seek compensation for their injuries and losses by filing a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer.

To make sure compensation is available, drivers in Connecticut are required to carry at least the following minimum levels of auto insurance:

$25,000 in bodily injury liability per person
$50,000 in bodily injury liability per accident
$25,000 in property damage liability per accident

After a car wreck, it’s important to document the scene and obtain a police report to support your insurance claim and strengthen your case.

Of course, despite these legal requirements, not all drivers follow the law. In fact, according to the Insurance Research Council (IRC), one in eight drivers (12.6 percent) nationwide had no auto insurance in 2019. Fortunately, the uninsured motorist rate is somewhat lower in Connecticut (6.3 percent).

In the event that there is insufficient auto insurance to cover their losses, injured victims can try to seek compensation by filing a lawsuit directly against the at-fault driver.

However, because most uninsured drivers will not have sufficient assets to pay for the damage they cause in an accident, this route is likely a dead end. To prepare for this scenario, all drivers should consider purchasing Uninsured/Underinsured (UM/UIM) Motorist coverage.

To learn more about the compensation we regularly recover for our clients, see Jainchill & Beckert: Case Results. Contact one of our Hartford car accident lawyers today for a case review.

Is There a Deadline for Filing Car Accident Claims in Connecticut?

Yes. In most cases, the statute of limitations in Connecticut gives you two years from the date of a crash to file a lawsuit seeking compensation from the at-fault party. It is crucial to meet all legal deadlines, as failing to do so can result in losing your right to file a claim. Though very limited exceptions exist, missing the two-year deadline nearly always results in your case being dismissed in court.

In turn, by losing the ability to sue in court in the event a reasonable settlement cannot be reached with the at-fault party and their insurers, you will severely undermine your position during out-of-court settlement negotiations.

In fact, you will have little choice but to accept the opposing party’s lowest offer, assuming their insurer does not deny your claim altogether.

To avoid complications and ensure you do not lose your right to seek compensation in court, you should have your case reviewed by a Hartford car accident attorney as soon as possible after the accident.

Our Hartford personal injury attorneys are ready to evaluate and handle your case. Call a car accident attorney in Hartford today.

Our Car Accident Attorneys in Hartford Can Help

The car accident lawyers at Jainchill & Beckert, LLC believe that all car accident victims deserve excellent legal representation. Our legal team guides clients through the legal process of a car accident case, working to secure fair compensation for injuries, damages, and losses. As Hartford car crash attorneys, we have access to medical experts, investigators, and accident reconstruction specialists to strengthen your case. If the insurance company offers a low settlement that does not cover your damages, hiring a lawyer can help negotiate a fair amount on your behalf. If you were injured in an auto accident at little to no fault of your own, we are ready to make sure you understand your rights and are not taken advantage of on your route to maximum compensation.

Contact our Hartford personal injury lawyer today for a free consultation with an experienced Hartford car accident lawyer.

Here are several resources for victims of car accidents in Hartford, CT:

Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT): The CTDOT website provides information on road safety, accident statistics, and resources for victims of car accidents. Visit their website at CTDOT.
Connecticut Office of Victim Services (OVS): OVS provides support and assistance to victims of crime, including victims of car accidents. They offer resources such as counseling, financial assistance, and guidance through the criminal justice process. Visit their website at Connecticut Office of Victim Services.
Connecticut State Police – Troop H Hartford: The Connecticut State Police Troop H in Hartford may offer resources and assistance for victims of car accidents, including accident reports and guidance on the next steps. You can find more information on the Connecticut State Police website or by contacting Troop H directly.
Hartford Healthcare Trauma Services: Hartford Healthcare Trauma Services provides support and resources for victims of traumatic events, including car accidents. They offer trauma counseling, support groups, and rehabilitation services. You can learn more about their services on the Hartford Healthcare website.
Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence (The Alliance): While primarily focused on sexual violence, The Alliance may also provide support and resources for victims of other types of trauma, including car accidents. They offer counseling services and referrals to other support organizations. Visit their website at The Alliance.
Connecticut Legal Services: Although you requested not to include law firms, Connecticut Legal Services is a non-profit organization that provides legal assistance to low-income individuals. They may offer guidance on legal matters related to car accidents, such as insurance claims and the rights of victims. Visit their website at Connecticut Legal Services.

These resources should provide valuable support and assistance to victims of car accidents in Hartford, CT.

Sources:

Car Accident Attorney in Hartford