Across the country, millions of people are injured in car accidents. These accidents are life changing experiences, usually resulting in serious personal injuries. Although we cannot control how other people drive, we can control our response following the crash. The car accident itself is just the beginning of a long process that typically starts with a police investigation and determination of fault, and proceeds to medical treatment, the filing of an insurance claim, and potentially litigation and trial. At Etemi Law, our car accident lawyer has a track record of successfully handling all types of motor vehicle collisions, from the insurance claim filing, negotiations, all the way through litigation and trial. We know that the process can be difficult and intimidating and hiring a car accident attorney early on to fight for you is the key to maximizing success.
Types of Traffic Accidents
Our team has experience handling all sorts of motor vehicle collisions, including:
- Rear end collisions
- Side swipes
- Head on collisions
- Left-turn crashes
- Intersections collisions
- Drunk driving crashes
- Pedestrian collisions
- Rollover collisions
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Single-vehicle or multi-vehicle pileups
- Trucking crashes
It is critical to work with a lawyer who has a proven record of helping survivors of many different types of car crashes in Waterbury. Experienced attorneys understand the consequences of different kinds of drunk driving accidents, and can prove to a court that a person’s negligence caused a collision.
Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents in Waterbury
There are various causes of automobile crashes, truck accidents, and pedestrian accidents such as:
- Distracted driving like talking on the phone or to passengers, eating or drinking, or reading directions on a map or GPS
- Speeding and aggressive driving
- Intoxicated driving
- Changing lanes without signaling
- Following too closely
- Tire blowouts, brake failures, or other mechanical issues
- Bypassing stop signs or traffic lights
- Driving recklessly in dangerous weather conditions
- Poorly marked hazards on a road
Collecting evidence and determining the cause of a crash is a key part of filing a civil claim. To do this, an experienced car accident lawyer or a legal representative could visit the crash scene and interview bystanders. They may also examine a police report, traffic camera photographs, weather reports, vehicle maintenance history, Connecticut law, and original vehicle manufacturing records. If necessary, a skilled Waterbury attorney could help an injured victim of a car accident plaintiff legally obtain copies of the other driver’s medical records to determine if this defendant was driving while intoxicated.
What Is the Impact of a Car Crash?
Serious car accident cases can leave physical and emotional wounds that may linger for many weeks, months, years, or a lifetime and cause post traumatic stress disorder. Often, motorists involved in car accidents face expensive medical bills, rehabilitation costs, lost income, and a reduced enjoyment of daily life. A dedicated personal injury attorney here in Waterbury could help an injured motorist evaluate their losses after car accidents and pursue an adequate settlement.
Sadly, some automobile accidents result in serious injuries or in death. After a fatal crash, a compassionate car accident attorney could help surviving family members file a wrongful death claim to seek much-needed justice from their car accident case.
How Much Compensation Can You Receive from a Car Accident?
You will have many bills and lost wages from vehicle accidents you’ll want your car insurance company to take care of, including:
- Car repairs—Many car accidents leave the car completely totaled, and you’ll need to either fix your car or replace it with a new one. With the price of cars skyrocketing recently, these repairs are very expensive. The person who caused the car accident caused by reckless driving or ignoring safety or other traffic laws should pay for it.
- Medical treatment—If you suffer severe internal injuries, you will need to go to the hospital and possibly receive x-rays, surgery, rehabilitation, and prescription medication. Medical treatment for even a minor injury will cost thousands of dollars.
- Car rental—While your car is at the body shop, you will probably need to get a rental, which can cost hundreds of dollars a day in lost wages.
Our car accident clients also seek compensation for pain and suffering from catastrophic injuries from their insurance company to pay their medical bills. A Connecticut car accident lawyer at Etemi Law can review your injuries, any property damage, the emotional fallout. In many settlements, pain and suffering makes up a large fraction of the settlement, but insurance companies are rarely eager to pay a fair amount.
If a loved one died, you can bring a wrongful death claim. The compensation for wrongful death claims covers things like the deceased’s loss of earning capacity, conscious pain and suffering, medical expenses and funeral or burial expenses. A surviving spouse can also seek money for loss of companionship.
There are some limitations on what you can receive. Our car accident lawyer can explain them in greater detail in a free consultation with our auto accidents law firm.
Insurance and Waterbury Car Accidents
The purpose of personal injury claims is to seek financial compensation for severe injuries from haven car accidents. For most accidents, victims seek payment from a car insurance company. Many policies might apply, and some victims don’t know which insurance adjuster or employer to contact. One of our Waterbury car accident lawyers will meet to review the car accident and the applicability of the following insurance:
- Liability coverage: Connecticut requires that motorists carry liability insurance to cover an accident they cause. This insurance pays for medical treatment and lost income, as well as car damage.
- Uninsured motorist coverage: If the at-fault driver lacks insurance, then a victim can use their uninsured motorist insurance. Your insurer should have offered this coverage when they sold you a liability policy. It is also fault-based, which means you can’t use it if you are responsible for the car crash. You can also use uninsured motorist coverage if you are hurt in a hit and run.
- Collision coverage: This optional insurance covers car repairs after a wreck. It is no-fault.
- Personal injury protection: PIP insurance is optional. It covers medical treatment for injuries you suffer in a Waterbury car accident, regardless of fault.
Many motorists are confused about what insurance coverage to tap in car accident cases. This is one reason to contact one of our car accident lawyers. We have a car accident attorney who can review all the relevant policies and submit claims in ways that ensure you receive maximum compensation and the most money.
Contributory Negligence in a Connecticut Car Accident
Not all Waterbury, CT car accidents are black and white in personal injury cases. Sometimes, each driver shares some fault for the wreck. Car accident victims can contribute to their accidents through their own negligence, including:
- Texting and driving
- Zoning out
- Failing to pay attention
- Speeding
- Driving too closely
- Passing illegally
- Nodding off
Under the law, a motorist who is somewhat at fault will receive less compensation for their car accident. Someone 50% or less responsible will have compensation reduced proportionally. Consequently, if you were 50% responsible for automobile accident, you will receive only half of what you otherwise would get if you were blameless. If you were 30% at fault, you would receive only 70%.
What if you are more than 50% to blame? In that case, the law bars you from receiving any financial compensation. As you can imagine, defendants often raise comparative fault in Connecticut car accidents because it’s a way to save on paying compensation. Your car accident attorney should know how to counter these arguments and show the majority of blame lies with the defendant.
Can You Handle Your Own Car Accident Claim Without a Car Accident Attorney?
Some car accident victims believe they can handle their car accident claim as well as any car accident lawyer to help cover car accident injuries. And that might be true, if all you suffered from an auto accident was some damage from the motor vehicle accident. But serious car accidents cause major bodily injuries, like fractures, whiplash, and traumatic brain injuries. Other car and auto accident attorneys’ clients are paralyzed below the waist or lose a limb. Any car accident involving bodily injury is more complex, because it’s not carved in stone how much compensation you can receive from a motor vehicle or haven car accident claim.
Here are five reasons to hire a Connecticut car accident attorney at Etemi Law:
- Our Connecticut car accident lawyers know how to analyze fault and gather evidence from an automobile accident to show your own contributory fault is minimal.
- You can focus full-time on healing because you know we will be doing all the legal work of your car accident case for you.
- Our law firm assess any settlement offer and reject it if it is too low, all the while explaining to the insurance companies why you deserve more money in a settlement for maximum compensation.
- Our car accident attorneys know how to negotiate the maximum financial compensation for our car accident victims.
- Our Waterbury car accident attorneys can file a lawsuit when settlement negotiations with the driver’s insurance company hits a wall, and we will litigate your car accident claim all the way to victory.
Don’t settle for an inexperienced lawyer or someone who only practices personal injury law on the side. Etemi Law has tackled countless property damage and car accident and personal injury lawsuit cases, and we have helped obtain compensation for many people just like you. You can lean on our experience to ensure you are taken seriously in negotiations.
Important Deadlines for Your Car Accident Claim
Injured motorists deserve financial compensation in their injury claim from a car accident. However, the statute of limitations in Connecticut does not give you an unlimited amount of time to file a car accident lawsuit. The statute of limitations in Connecticut is only two years for a personal injury or accident report. If you file after this deadline, then you lose the ability to hold the defendant accountable in court.
Other deadlines might apply if you are suing a city for a road defect. It is critical to contact one of our Waterbury car accident attorneys as soon as possible to review your car accident case first. We can file all necessary paperwork to protect you.
Contact a Waterbury Car Crash Attorney
If you or your loved one has been a victim of a motor vehicle collision, please contact us immediately. If we go forward with your case, we’ll work quickly and aggressively to obtain the MAXIMUM result for you. And we never charge you by the hour — we get paid only if we win. Contact us today to set up your free consultation with our highly experienced lawyers today.
Call us at (203) 680-8080, email, or via our online Free Case Evaluation Form to set up your free consultation today.
Call us at (203) 680-8080, email, or via our online Free Case Evaluation Form to set up your free consultation today.
The customer service was phenomenal and was able to answer all my questions and concerns!
Etemi Law has professional experience and serious work ethic I would highly recommend in selecting a lawyer.
Communication, always answering phone calls, always there for any questions no matter what, Etemi Law exceeded my expectations!!
Ron and Lou are terrific attorneys and care a great deal about their clients. I strongly recommend them for car accidents and other personal injury matters.
Hiring Attorney Etemi was life changing. He put my best interests at the forefront, working tirelessly to ensure that I was treated fairly and always informed. Ron was everything you want an attorney to be, and nothing that you don’t. He was thorough, insightful, methodical, informed, collaborative, and deeply passionate about my case. I do — and have — recommend(ed) Ron Etemi and Etemi Law without reservation.
Etemi Law is exceptional. Attorney Ron and Lou Etemi represented me in a very difficult accident case. We won! Etemi Law delivered.
I strongly recommend Etemi Law. Ron and Lou are the best in Connecticut. Thank you, Ron and Lou, for everything that you did for my case.
Ron handled my personal injury case from beginning to conclusion. From my personal experience, Ron is by far one of the best injury lawyers in Connecticut.
I highly recommend Etemi Law! They know the law inside and out and won’t just settle until their clients are provided with what they deserve.
Thank you to Lou and his team for all their help in a time of need. I highly recommend his services.
Ron and Lou’s negotiation and litigation skills are unmatched, and they are highly respected amongst their peers and the community at large.
Etemi Law was phenomenal since the first day we called them for help and delivered great results.
Ron and Lou are absolutely amazing at what they do.
Best in the business. They treat you like family and get results!
Two of the most aggressive attorneys I have ever met.
I highly recommend Etemi Law!
They communicated with me through the entire process . . . They are amazing at what they do!
A law firm that will give you results and treat you like family.
The Etemi brothers are the real deal.
You will not find representation better than Ron and Lou.
There is no law firm better then Etemi Law.
A fantastic duo.
Ron is the best.
Lou is simply the best!
Great attorneys, down to earth.
These guys are the best in CT.
Ron Etemi is a guiding light for our family.
The communication was beyond excellent.
Attorney Lou Etemi is a fighter! He fights for everything his clients deserve.