Waterbury Personal Injury Attorney

Many people find the term “personal injury” misleading because it does not refer to an injury at all. Rather, personal injury is synonymous with a wider field of law known as “tort law.” As its name suggests, tort law addresses “torts,” which are acts or omissions that give rise to injury or harm in another. Tort law includes personal injury cases, products liability claims, premises liability cases, instances of medical malpractice, and wrongful death claims. Simply put, a personal injury [case] deals with acts of negligence that cause injuries.

Negligence is the legal term for carelessness. The Legal Information Institute defines negligence as: a failure to behave with the level of care that someone of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same circumstances. Sometimes, negligence occurs when someone violates a duty of care they owe to someone else. Drivers, for example, owe a duty of care to those around them and doctors owe a special duty of care to their patients. To prove negligence in court, you will need to show someone owed you a duty of care, they breached this duty, you were injured, and your injury was caused by their breach.

According to the American Bar Association, automobile accidents inspire the majority of personal injury lawsuits. Other common claims involve slip-and-fall accidents, dog bites, and workplace or construction site accidents.

Most personal injury cases settle outside of court. The amount of your settlement will vary and depend on factors like the severity of your injury, the strength of evidence in your case, and whether or not fault is clear. Your attorney may be able to give you a better estimate based on your specific case, but a successful settlement can never be guaranteed.

In Connecticut, you typically have 2 years from the moment you sustain or discover your injury to file a personal injury case. While there are some exceptions, claims filed after 2 years will not be valid in court. If you are nearing your deadline or think you have cause for an extension, you should talk to an attorney right away.