Connecticut Serious Personal Injury Lawyer

Not every personal injury case calls for a trial lawyer. A minor fender-bender with clear fault and a reasonable insurance adjuster may resolve with a phone call. Serious personal injury cases are different. When a case involves a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, permanent disability, or a death, the stakes for everyone involved (the client, the insurance carrier, the corporate defendant) are large enough to change the dynamic completely.

In these cases, insurance companies hire experienced defense lawyers, retain their own experts, and prepare for the possibility of trial from day one. A plaintiff who walks into that environment without a firm capable of matching them is at a significant disadvantage. The settlement value of a serious personal injury case is shaped substantially by the credibility of the threat of trial. Defense lawyers and insurance carriers know which plaintiffs' firms try cases and which do not, and they offer accordingly. 

The firm tries cases. It has tried them to verdict against the largest hospitals, the largest insurance companies, and the largest corporations in Connecticut and throughout the country. That track record is part of what defendants weigh when deciding how to respond to a claim, and it is one of the most important factors in determining what a client ultimately recovers. Of course, not all cases settle, and the firm prepares all cases with that in mind, fully prepared to present the case to a jury when necessary.

There is no statutory definition of a "serious" personal injury in Connecticut, but the term carries meaning in practice. The firm uses it to describe injuries that fundamentally change a person's life: injuries that require ongoing medical care, that result in permanent disability or disfigurement, that affect a person's ability to work or care for a family, or that result in death.

These are the kinds of cases the firm focuses on. They tend to share certain features: substantial economic damages from medical bills, lost wages, and the cost of long-term care; substantial non-economic damages from pain, suffering, and the loss of life's normal activities; and a need for sophisticated litigation against well-defended opponents. The firm does not accept cases in the hope of obtaining a quick, discounted settlement. When SGT accepts a case, it prepares to take the case all the way to trial if necessary.

SGT represents victims of catastrophic injuries across the full range of negligent and wrongful conduct.

Car Accidents

Serious car accidents can cause traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, internal injuries, and death. The firm represents Connecticut drivers, passengers, and families of those killed in collisions caused by negligent, distracted, impaired, or reckless drivers. 

Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists have little protection in a collision, and motorcycle accidents disproportionately result in catastrophic injury or death. The firm represents riders and their families in cases against negligent motorists, dangerous road conditions, and other parties responsible for serious motorcycle crashes. 

Fires and Explosions

Fires and explosions can cause severe burn injuries, respiratory damage, and death. The firm represents victims of residential and commercial fires, gas explosions, and industrial accidents caused by negligent property owners, contractors, utility companies, and manufacturers of defective products. 

Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrians struck by cars, trucks, and other vehicles are at high risk of catastrophic injury or death. The firm represents Connecticut pedestrians injured in crosswalks, at intersections, in parking lots, and elsewhere by negligent drivers. 

Bicycle Accidents

Cyclists share the road with vehicles that vastly outweigh them, and even a low-speed collision can cause life-altering injury. SGT represents Connecticut cyclists struck by negligent drivers, harmed by dangerous road conditions, or injured by defective equipment. 

Sexual Abuse and Assault

Survivors of sexual abuse and assault may have civil claims against the perpetrators and against the institutions whose negligence allowed the abuse to occur. The firm represents survivors with discretion, care, and a thorough understanding of the legal options available under Connecticut law. 

Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury can result in permanent paralysis and a lifetime of care needs that few families are prepared to face. The firm represents Connecticut clients who have suffered spinal cord injuries in motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports accidents, surgical errors, and other incidents involving the negligence of others.

Truck Accidents

Collisions involving commercial trucks are among the most catastrophic on Connecticut roads. The firm represents victims of truck accidents and their families, pursuing claims against truck drivers, trucking companies, equipment manufacturers, and others whose conduct contributed to the crash. 

Wrongful Death

When the negligence of another causes a death, Connecticut law allows the estate to pursue a wrongful death claim on behalf of the family. The firm represents Connecticut families in wrongful death cases arising from motor vehicle crashes, medical negligence, defective products, criminal conduct, and other causes.

Liability in a serious personal injury case can extend well beyond the most obvious defendant. The driver who caused a crash may be one of several responsible parties. So may the employer that put a fatigued driver behind the wheel, the manufacturer of a defective vehicle component, the property owner who failed to maintain a safe premises, or the contractor whose work created a dangerous condition. Identifying every responsible party is essential to securing the full recovery to which a client is entitled, particularly when the most obvious defendant has limited insurance coverage.

The firm investigates each case with that breadth in mind: pulling employment records, reviewing maintenance and inspection histories, retaining accident reconstruction professionals where appropriate, and looking for the systemic and institutional failures that often underlie what at first appears to be a single individual's negligence.

Connecticut law allows victims of serious personal injury to recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover quantifiable financial losses: past and future medical expenses, the cost of long-term or lifetime care, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and property damage. Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium for spouses and family members. In wrongful-death cases, damages may include the value of the decedent's lost earnings and the financial and emotional losses to surviving family members.

Connecticut applies a modified comparative negligence rule. A plaintiff who is partially at fault for an accident may still recover, but only if their share of the fault is 50 percent or less. This is known as contributory negligence in Connecticut. If a plaintiff is found to be contributorily negligent, and the percentage of fault assigned to the plaintiff is 50 percent or less, then the recovery is reduced by the plaintiff’s percentage of fault. If a plaintiff is found to be more than 50 percent at fault, then they recovery nothing. Because comparative fault is a central issue in many serious personal injury cases, the lawyer's ability to investigate the facts and present them effectively can significantly affect the outcome.

The first priority after any serious injury is medical care. Beyond that, a few steps can make a substantial difference in the strength of an eventual claim:

Document what happened 

Preserve any photographs of the scene, the vehicles or equipment involved, and visible injuries. Get the names and contact information of witnesses. Keep copies of police reports, incident reports, and any communications with the other party or their insurer.

Follow through on medical care

Attend every appointment, follow the recommendations of treating physicians, and keep records of all medical visits, treatments, and expenses. Gaps or inconsistencies in medical care are routinely used by defense lawyers to argue that an injury is less serious than claimed.

Be careful what you say 

Insurance adjusters often call shortly after an incident, sometimes recording the conversation. Statements made in the immediate aftermath of an injury, before the full extent of the harm is understood, can be used against a claim later. It is generally wise to speak with a lawyer before giving any recorded statement.

Contact a lawyer early

Evidence disappears. Witnesses move. Vehicles and equipment are repaired or destroyed. The earlier a lawyer is involved, the more effectively the case can be investigated and preserved.

Connecticut's general statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the injury, under Connecticut General Statutes § 52-584. Different rules apply to certain categories of claim, including wrongful death (which has its own two-year limitations period running from the date of death, with additional outer limits), claims against government entities (which require notice within a much shorter window), claims against product manufacturers and sellers (which may extend past the two-year limitations of other injury claims), and claims involving minors. Sexual abuse claims are governed by separate statutes with substantially longer limitations periods.

Because these deadlines are strict and because evidence is most useful when preserved early, victims of a serious personal injury should contact a Connecticut serious personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.