Clients always ask, “What is my personal injury case worth?” It’s a great question with no one-size-fits-all answer. Every Connecticut personal injury claim has specific facts unique to each person’s case. The only way to get an accurate estimate of your case’s value is to consult an experienced personal injury attorney.
What Factors Affect the Value of My Personal Injury Case?
Many contributing factors impact the value of your personal injury claim, such as:
- Severity of injuries – The greater the injuries, the steeper your medical bills will be and the longer you will likely be out of work. Severe injuries can lead to higher intangible losses, including pain and suffering, lost quality of life, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Liability – The liable parties also play a role in the value of your case. For example, you may be able to recover more compensation if a business is liable for your injuries rather than a private individual. Businesses generally have insurance policies with greater limits, potentially opening the door to more compensation for you.
- Insurance policy limits – If the liable party doesn’t have adequate insurance, it can be hard to recover the full amount of your losses from them. For example, in Connecticut, drivers are only required to have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person. In a car accident case, you can only recover compensation up to the other driver’s policy limits. If you suffered catastrophic injuries in a crash, the minimum insurance amounts likely won’t be enough to cover your needs. An attorney can explore other options with you.
- Settlement negotiations – Most personal injury lawsuits end in a settlement. While a skilled attorney may be able to secure a significant jury award at trial, it’s essential to recognize that your lawsuit will likely settle before that point. Be sure to hire a personal injury lawyer with experience handling cases like yours and a proven track record of success. The strength of your attorney’s advocacy skills can make a difference in the outcome of your case. Experienced personal injury lawyers also know the sneaky tactics insurers use to minimize claims and can counter those strategies by building a solid, fact-based case on your behalf.
It’s disappointing to many, but there’s no such thing as the average personal injury settlement amount. Every case is different.
How Will You Determine Who is at Fault for the Accident That Caused My Injuries?
Determining fault in an accident involves collecting robust evidence showing who caused the incident. Examples include:
- Accident scene photographs and videos
- Security or traffic camera footage that captured the incident as it happened
- Eyewitness statements that corroborate your claims or provide additional information
- Expert testimony from medical professionals, industry experts, or accident reconstruction specialists
- Other case-specific types of evidence, such as the truck driver’s logbook in a truck accident case, the incident report from a slip and fall in the grocery store, or animal control reports in a dog bite case
Is Connecticut a No-Fault State?
Questions about “fault states” and “no-fault states” arise in car accident cases. Connecticut is a fault state for auto insurance, which means that the party responsible for harming you in a car crash is also responsible for paying for your injuries and losses. You would file your auto insurance claim against the at-fault party’s liability coverage policy instead of your own.
How Could My Settlement Be Affected if I am Partly to Blame for the Accident?
Fault also plays an essential role if multiple parties are liable for your injuries. Under Connecticut law, each party is only liable for damages proportional to their share of fault. This means you can still recover compensation if you are partly at fault for an accident.
However, there’s a limitation. You must be 50 percent or less responsible to recover money, and your compensation will be reduced by your share of the blame. When seeking compensation through insurance claims or lawsuits, the other side will use this statute to work aggressively and pin the blame on you. If they succeed, you get less money. An experienced injury lawyer can develop strategies to minimize your liability and maximize the value of your claim.
Should I Accept the Insurance Company’s Initial Settlement Offer?
In general, it’s a bad idea to accept the insurance company’s initial settlement offer. Insurance companies are in the business of denying claims and reducing payouts to accident victims. Usually, the first offer is far below your case’s value — and the insurance company hopes you don’t know that.
Before discussing any aspect of your case with the insurance company, consider consulting a skilled lawyer. After reviewing your case, an attorney can place a full and fair value on your claim. Without getting legal advice, you risk settling for less than you deserve and not having enough money to cover the full extent of your losses, such as future medical expenses. Once you settle, you can’t ask for additional compensation later.
What Is the Connecticut Statute of Limitations for Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
In Connecticut, personal injury victims have two years to file lawsuits against the parties responsible for their injuries. If you fail to file your lawsuit within this deadline, you will be barred from seeking compensation through the court system.
Some exceptions apply. If you didn’t know you suffered a personal injury, this time limit may not begin until you learn (or should have reasonably learned) that you are a victim. Your lawyer can advise you about whether a deadline extension is available in your case.
Keep in mind that the deadline could be shorter if you are suing a government agency. Claims against public entities have a notice of claim requirement, which means you must notify the at-fault entity within 90 days of the injury or your claim could be dismissed.
Contact a Connecticut Personal Injury Lawyer
If you suffered an injury caused by someone else’s negligence in or around Hartford, Connecticut, contact Jainchill & Beckert, LLC for a free case review. Our team has over 55 years of combined legal experience handling personal injury and related cases. We’re committed to providing trusted legal representation for hardworking clients and encourage you to read our testimonials to learn why we have a high client satisfaction record.
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